Editorial: Turning up heat at the home front

Inefficient open fires or wood burners don't cut the mustard when it comes to warming homes in the Hawke's Bay winter.

I know this because my wife and I tried to stay warm one winter with only a wood burner circa 1970s. Let's just say it left a lot to be desired, most obviously warmth.

There was also the issue of smoke often belching into our living room while we tried to coax the petulant thing to get its burn on.

At this point, I must confess that I do like the ambience of an open fire even if chopping the wood for it is a bit of a chore. But our old-fashioned wood burner is not an open fire and if it were, most of the heat would go straight up the chimney anyway, meaning I'd have a living room redolent with the rustic romance of the lick of flame but still be bloody cold.

And my open fire would be pouring smoke into the atmosphere, doing our bit to add to the region's problem with smoggy winter nights.

So, before last winter hit and with a baby on the way, we bit the bullet and installed a smart new heatpump. It was easy, really, as the big box retailers love giving you new appliances on a "use now, pay later" basis. As a result, we were toasty and warm in a dry, healthy house through winter but I do have a day of reckoning looming with the heatpump people.

Now comes news that from January 1, open fires will no longer be able to be used in some homes in Hawke's Bay.

People living in the urban areas of Havelock North, Hastings, Flaxmere or Napier (Airzone 1) on a property less than 2ha in size, will be prohibited from using an open fire.

Any non-compliant wood burner not meeting emission standards in Airzone 1 will be prohibited from use after ownership of the property is transferred.

The regional council is enforcing the change to help Hawke's Bay comply with national clean air standards by 2020.

So the rules are getting tougher and buyers of houses will start demanding compliant heat sources or negotiating down the purchase price if the home has a useless open fire or wood burner.

The good news is that the HeatSmart programme offers some financial assistance to homeowners to replace open fires and older wood burners. If you haven't made a move on the heating home front already, it's probably worth getting cracking before winter calls again.