Challenges retrofitting New Zealand homes with double glazed windows

A large number of the existing (older) homes built before the building legislation, more than one million homes, have not adopted the new technology of energy efficient windows meaning most people are living in cold, mouldy and unhealthy homes across the country. Therefore, the focus of this research is to analyse the data collected from homeowners and industry professionals related to the retrofitting of double glazed windows (DGW) and evaluate the findings with information from the literature. It also provides recommendations to help with the challenges in retrofitting DGW. Overall, the study shows multifaceted difficulties associated with retrofitting DGW including high cost, relatively low knowledge, low return on investment, uncertainty on the length of time frame as well as accessing trades people. The recommendations to help deal with the challenges in retrofitting DGW can make retrofitting DGW more accessible to homeowners resulting in healthier and more comfortable homes as well as helping to protect the environment. The target group for this research is the building industries and local town councils that could influence retrofitting DGW for older homes in New Zealand.