Help us reduce air pollution in Waitaha Canterbury
Smoke from home heating is a major contributor to air pollution in Waitaha Canterbury and as we head into winter, more people are lighting their wood burners to keep warm. While air pollution in the region has been trending downwards over the past 20 years, smoke from wood burners is still impacting our air quality as temperatures start to drop.
The National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NESAQ) requires that all Canterbury airsheds have no more than one day that exceeds PM10 guidelines per year.
We're asking for your help to improve our air quality.
How you can help improve air quality
Burn warmer, cheaper
If you have a wood burner, ‘burn warmer, cheaper’ this year by using good, dry wood, efficient burning techniques, and ensuring the burner and flue are well-maintained.
“Remember to get your fire going quickly using the ‘upside-down method’ to build your fire, keep it burning hot, and don’t damp it down overnight,” said air quality spokesperson, Brian Reeves.
“I’d encourage all wood burner owners to visit our Warmer Cheaper website for videos on burning techniques, a burner maintenance checklist, and a list of Trusted Good Wood Merchants who we audit regularly to check their wood is dry and in good supply,” he said.
“With everyone playing their part, we can reduce air pollution and all breathe easier.”
Move to cleaner heating options
The good news is more people are now using efficient forms of heating like heat pumps and ultra-low emission burners (ULEB) and this has significantly improved our air quality.
To reduce home heating emissions, low-emission burners are being phased out in five of our eight clean air zones: Christchurch, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Ashburton, and Timaru.
Check the Solid Fuel Burner Database to see when your burner is due to expire. If the information there is wrong, please contact us to correct this.
The biggest way you can play a part in reducing air pollution is by replacing an inefficient wood burner with a cleaner, more efficient form of heating: an ultra-low emission burner or heat pump.
Subsidies are available for replacing wood burners with new efficient forms of heating. To find out more, contact our advisory team on 0800 324 636.