Double Glazing Programme a Hit with Local Residents

• The Invercargill City Council has completed double-glazing retrofits in 194 council flats.
• The project focused on improving residents’ wellbeing with warmer, drier homes.
• Government funding supported the initiative to enhance community living conditions.

The Invercargill City Council has successfully completed a project to retrofit and replace original windows with new double-glazed windows in 194 of its council-owned flats across Invercargill and Bluff.

Council Senior Advisor for Property and Facilities, Andrea Wilkes, noted that most of the work was completed over the past five months. “As a Council, we’re focused on improving the wellbeing of our communities to make them better places for us all. This project speaks to the heart of that focus by ensuring our elderly residents have warmer, drier, and healthier homes to live in,” said Wilkes.

The project was funded by the Government’s Better Off Funding package, which supports councils in delivering wellbeing initiatives in their communities. Wilkes reported positive feedback from residents, who noted a reduction in street noise and condensation. “Winter in Invercargill can sometimes be very cold, and the addition of double-glazed windows in these units will provide numerous benefits, including improved heat retention, better insulation, and more energy-efficient homes,” she added.

During the project, contractors worked closely with the mostly elderly residents to ensure the work was completed efficiently with minimal disruption. “We’d like to thank the residents for their patience and understanding while we completed this work. Like any project, it faced challenges, particularly working around the residents who were in situ for most of the works. However, the Council team, contractors, and residents worked really well together, and we’ve achieved a great outcome,” Wilkes concluded.