Money · grants and loans
Grants and finance for double glazing in New Zealand
Owners often expect a government subsidy for double glazing. There is none. What exists is a grant for insulation and heating, which usually beats windows on value, and cheap bank top-ups that can include glazing.
What we found
Our calculations, data as of 23 October 2026
- No government grant pays for double glazing. Warmer Kiwi Homes, run by EECA, covers 50–90% of insulation and up to 90% of a heat pump (capped at $3,450) for eligible owner-occupiers of homes built before 2008. Windows are not included.
- Four major banks offered home energy top-ups as at June 2026: ANZ, ASB and BNZ at 1% fixed for three years, Westpac at 0% for five years. EECA lists double or triple glazing among the upgrades these loans can fund.
- At 1%, three years of interest on a $15,000 retrofit is about $450. In Wellington the retrofit saves about $384 of heating in those three years, with a heat pump used part of the day. The cheap loan helps cash flow; it does not change whether the windows pay back.
- Because insulation and heat pumps are subsidised and windows are not, the order matters: claim the grant first, then glaze.
Warmer Kiwi Homes: insulation and heating, not windows
To qualify for an insulation grant you must own and live in a home built before 2008, and either hold a Community Services Card or SuperGold Combo card or live in an area the programme identifies as low or middle income. The house must not already have both ceiling and underfloor insulation. The grant covers 90% of the cost for card holders and the highest-need areas, 80% in certain areas and 50% in middle-income areas. EECA puts the average insulation job at about $4,300.
Heating grants of 90%, up to $3,450, go to card holders and the lowest-income areas, for homes that are already insulated and have no fixed heater such as a heat pump or wood burner in a living area. Check your address on EECA’s Warmer Kiwi Homes page.
None of this covers windows, secondary glazing or window film. But if you qualify, insulation and a heat pump will cut your heating bill by more per dollar than any glazing, and a heat pump lowers the value of every window upgrade that follows, because each unit of heat becomes cheaper.
Bank home energy loans
EECA keeps a list of home energy loans the major banks offer as mortgage top-ups. As at June 2026:
| Bank | Rate | Term at that rate | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANZ Good Energy Home Loan | 1% | 3 years | $80,000 |
| ASB Better Homes Top Up | 1% | 3 years | $80,000 |
| BNZ Better Future Home Loan Top Up | 1% | up to 3 years | $80,000 |
| Westpac Greater Choices Home Loan | 0% | 5 years, fully repaid | $50,000 |
All need an existing home loan with the bank. After the cheap period, ANZ, ASB and BNZ revert to standard rates; Westpac’s must be fully repaid over five years. EECA lists double or triple glazing among the upgrades these loans can be used for; check with your bank before you sign a glazing contract.
What a cheap loan changes
A low rate saves interest, but it does not make the windows save more heat. On a $15,000 low-E retrofit, three years at 1% costs about $450 in interest, against $384 of heating saved in Wellington over the same three years with a heat pump used part of the day. The real question remains whether the windows are worth their price to you, for comfort, condensation and noise as well as power; see is double glazing worth it.
Council schemes
Some councils have lent homeowners money for home upgrades through a voluntary targeted rate, repaid with the rates. Auckland’s Retrofit Your Home was the largest: it lent up to $5,000 for insulation and clean heating to more than 23,700 homes, but the council decided in 2021 not to reopen it. Ask your own council whether it runs a scheme and whether glazing is included before you assume it is.
Landlords
Rental owners are not eligible for Warmer Kiwi Homes, which is for owner-occupiers. Double glazing is not required by the Healthy Homes standards, but it can reduce the heating capacity a living room needs; see Healthy Homes and windows.
Cheaper ways in
If glazing the whole house is out of reach, EECA’s own advice is to start with the rooms you use most. Lined curtains closed before dark, shrink-film kits and DIY secondary glazing cost a fraction of double glazing; see curtains and alternatives.
This week: Palmerston North
Single glazing in an aluminium frame runs below the dew point about 2,430 hours a year in Palmerston North (H1 zone 3); clear double glazing cuts that to 350. A low-E retrofit of 25 m² saves $190 a year heated mornings and evenings with a heat pump, or $569 heated all day. Fastest payback here: DIY magnetic secondary glazing, 17 years.
Cheap fix. EECA estimates that closing curtains before dark saves $80–90 a year. Lined, full-length curtains with a pelmet work best. Read more