Kiwi couples' innovation could help lower cost of double glazing

A Kiwi couple's innovation could help improve living standards in thousands of homes around the country.

Their new technique for retro glazing windows slashes the cost of double glazing, a luxury which has previously been too expensive for some.

When Mike Hodges and Cathy Mann started building their dream home in Central Otago, they were inspired to experiment with a clay they were using in the build.

"Clay absorbs condensation, it's called a desiccate, that's what sort of got us thinking and playing around with clay and trying to use that as a material to see if we could create a new window that we could use to create a secondary glazing product," says Mike Hodges of company, RetroWood.

Adding another layer to existing windows was their simple ventilation technology to prevent condensation between the glass.

And homeowners are already seeing a big difference.

"The condensation, it's a non-event anymore we don't have any condensation on the glass," says homeowner, Brian Hyland.

Around ninety per cent of Kiwi homes could benefit from double glazing but it hasn’t been included in the new housing standards as it was deemed too expensive.

It’s hoped this technique could change that.