Nice weather is coming when we usually renovate spaces where we live, work, and spend pleasant moments with friends and family. Then we change windows, doors, blinds, we paint or replace the façade. When asked who to contact for professional help in the renovation, the first answer and friends’ recommendation is usually VELUX. And everyone agrees that there are no better ones in this field. However, few of us know the details that determine this company and provide her with the label “the best in the business”.
Just because I like to know what is embedded in the environment I dwell, I addressed top experts – representatives of VELUX Serbia. I asked them questions that I know for sure will be interesting for their new customers and clients.
I was pleased to receive a lot of important information, perhaps even more than I could imagine, from Mina Markovic from the Marketing and Sales Department and Stevan Culibrk from Project Support Department. Their professionalism, expertise, and dedication to help me select the product and provide top-notch service and necessary information cannot leave indifferent even the most demanding customers.
EP: The company VELUX Serbia was established in 1997 but it is less known that it is just one of the daughter companies. Can you tell us more about the parent company?
Stevan Culibrk: Although materials were hardly available during the Second World War, the Dane, Villum Kann Rasmussen managed to construct the first VELUX roof window that will turn dark, uninhabited attics into bright and inspirational places across the globe. The first VELUX roof window was mounted in one elementary school in 1942, and in the same year, it was registered as a brand. The idea came from an architect who sought a technical solution that would allow the room below the roof to be functional as a classroom. The name VELUX is a two-word coinage: VE from ventilation and LUX from the Latin word for light, which emphasizes the two basic elements that the roof window brings into space, which are fresh air and natural lighting. The VELUX company’s headquarters is located in Denmark in Horsholm.
For more than 75 years, VELUX has been creating a better living environment in homes around the world. We have production and sales in more than 40 countries with an extensive distribution network. Our products include roof windows as well as a range of decorative elements: outdoor sun protection, interior blinds, installation products and remote-control products.
EP: When we say the roof window, we all think of VELUX. However, this is just one type of windows in your company’s offer.
Stevan Culibrk: Almost everybody name roof windows as VELUX, which makes us extremely proud, and our brand is also the first association for roof windows for pitched roof. However, the VELUX product range applies to all types of inclined roofs from 0° to 90°.
If you want superb comfort, the solution is the VELUX INTEGRA® roof window with the remote control. With the remote control, you can control the window, interior and exterior blinds from anywhere in the house. The built-in rain sensor ensures that the window closes automatically with the first drops of rain.
VELUX CABRIO® turns your roof window into a balcony in just a few seconds, so you can enjoy the fresh air without leaving home. Opening the lower part automatically raises an integrated fence that provides the necessary security. We also have a roof terrace that is an excellent solution for the roof inclination from 35° to 53°.
The VELUX ACTIVE window provides automatic control of the indoor climate, taking into account three parameters: temperature, humidity and CO2 levels. The system automatically regulates the opening and closing of the roof windows, as well as the interior and exterior blinds providing a healthier indoor climate.
With the VELUX sun tunnel, which can be for flat and pitched roofs, it is possible to get natural light even in the darkest parts of the house. Through a high reflection tube, the light can be transferred from the roof to the ceiling if their distance is up to 6 m. It is deal for small rooms and narrow spaces, such as corridors, bathrooms and rooms without natural light. They are an excellent solution even on cloudy and winter days. The tube is 35 cm in diameter, and it is coated with a super-reflective coating which allows the light transmission to be 98% in the room.
EP: You mentioned there are windows for flat and pitched roofs. Which are sold more and why?
Stevan Culibrk: VELUX is recognizable for the windows for pitched roofs, and they indeed occupy an important place in our sales. But as the trends in the construction industry are oriented to a flat roof, the windows for flat roofs are becoming increasingly important. Here, I would point out that the flat roof windows give three times more light than the facade windows. The façade window, no matter how big, cannot provide the distribution of light to the depth of the room. This problem is very efficiently resolved with VELUX flat roof windows, which in that way, enable a healthy living environment.
EP: Do we only buy windows and accessories, or your team of experts assists in assessing, selecting, installing and servicing?
Stevan Culibrk: In VELUX, special attention is paid to customers. We launched free counselling and consultations on the selection and installation of VELUX windows throughout the territory of Serbia. The team of experts contact the customer, arrange the appropriate appointment and on the spot take a look at the attic, the roof construction, the technical possibilities of installation as well as the needs of each customer. Based on this, we propose appropriate models and dimensions, as well as a recommendation for an authorized dealer and installer. What is also very important is to note that our products, if properly installed, have a warranty of up to 10 years. We have technical support in the field and service beyond the warranty period. There is also support for projects and work with architects, so we have encompassed all client groups with our services.
EP: In the world there is a trend of offering discounts. What benefits do you provide to your customers?
Stevan Culibrk: We had a great spring action in May, we wanted to please all our customers. By purchasing a basic and energy-efficient package, customers received free products. Also, very important are the current actions of our distributors throughout the year. We try to ensure that our authorized dealers always have some benefits, discounts and actions that will help end customers.
Prepared by: Milica Jordan
Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ENERGY EFFICIENCY
