Four years to clean up polluting fires

People have four years to change to cleaner home-heating options to comply with new air quality rules - but it won't mean ripping out every home fireplace around Hawke's Bay.
Despite the confusion around the new rules, there were some newer models of home fireplaces which were able to burn lower emissions to reduce the amount of smoke released into the air above Hastings and Napier.
It's one of the messages the Hawke's Bay Regional Council hoped to get out to people as it released details of its year-long review of public opinion on new air quality rules for woodburners, open fires and outdoor burning.
Among the changes, urban areas will be allotted into one zone while rural areas into another so the regional council can better monitor air emissions.
The council's group manager of external relations Liz Lambert said wood burners would not be totally banned in Hastings and Napier.
 From 2014, older models could no longer be used. People would need to install modern, low emission burners or other forms of cleaner heating, which are more efficient and reduce the amount of smoke in the air, she said.
The Ministry for the Environment had an approved list of wood burners.
A wood burner which exceeds the emission limit of 1.5g/kg of pollutants, a limit set by the National Environmental Standards, was considered to be "non-compliant".
Each gram of pollutant contains particles 10 micrometres in diameter or less which can be harmful to our health.
Ms Lambert said the highest concentration of pollutants occurred during cold, still winter nights over city areas.
"A lot of it comes down to the age of fire places and their efficiency. What we are also trying to do is educate people to use dry wood, getting it early and storing it where it can have a chance of drying out. Dry wood produces less smoke," she said.
Mrs Lambert said 195 submissions were received on the new rules last March, raising over 1100 points.
Hearings were held in early November to consider submissions.
"There was a great deal of interest in the proposed changes, and as a result of considering the submissions, changes have been made to the rules," she said.
The new rules prohibit the use of open fire places in homes in central urban areas from 2012 and prohibit installation of any new open fires.
Miss Lambert said open fires produce more smoke than heat and were an expensive and inefficient way of heating a home.
New rules for outdoor, backyard or rubbish fires now apply. For example, some required resource consents but there was an exception for horticultural burning for disease control or orchard and vineyard development. Outdoor fires for cooking were permitted.