Scientific evidence tells us that inefficient wood burners and poor wood burning technique are responsible for the majority of winter pollution in our region. That’s why we are encouraging the use of ENERGY STAR® qualified heat pumps or modern ultra-low emission burners that emit less smoke than older, more polluting burners. Plus we are encouraging everyone to adopt better burning practices so they get the very best out of their wood burners by learning to burn smoke free.

Does the 1 January 2020 wood burner deadline affect you?

Waimate and Geraldine - find out if you can use your wood burner next year.

Financial assistance and temporary waivers

We can help homeowners struggling with replacing old heating systems.

Home heating measures in my clean air zone

Find out the wood burner rules in your clean air zone.

Better burning reduces smoke

Combining good wood with good burning technique reduces chimney smoke.

Burner types

Read about the five basic types of home heating appliances.

Registering your new burner

If you are installing a wood burner or pellet fire within a Clean Air Zone, you will need to register it using our Solid Fuel Burner Database or by ringing customer services with your details.

You can also use the database to:

  • check the age of your existing burner
  • check the age of a burner at a property you are thinking of purchasing
  • let us know when home ownership changes
  • update your burner details, such as its make and model.