The Australian Home Heating Association, representing the manufacturing, retailing, installation and maintenance, and firewood sectors of the wood heating industry, considers that the most effective means of reducing emissions of wood-smoke is a co-operative approach between industry and control authorities. OVER 1.1 million Australian households use firewood for heating. This provides an important social benefit through low cost heating and improved thermal comfort. The industry also provides about 9500 jobs, many in areas of high unemployment.

Substantial technological advances in the past five years have led to modern wood heaters that produce only a small fraction of the smoke and particle pollution that earlier models did. In most cases up to 80% less. The AHHA recommends the following control measures, which would reduce the emission of particles from wood heaters by over 80% within ten years.

• Uniform National application and enforcement of AS4013.
• Effective community education on correct use of wood heaters.
• Restricted resale of second hand, uncertified heaters.
• Support for an industry change-out program of older heaters.
• Targeting of the worst performing heaters and open fires for removal.
• Code of Practice for installation of heaters to aid smoke dispersion.
• Maximum allowable firewood moisture content through a fuel-wood standard.
• Warning of poor dispersion days and voluntary no-burn periods for non-complying heaters.

The AHHA is concerned that certain parts of the community are presenting exaggerated impacts of wood-smoke and fail to acknowledge the roll that technology and education will play in the next decade. Wood-smoke is a problem that can be solved without destroying an important Australian industry. The AHHA seeks acknowledgment of this view, and looks forward to working closely with pollution control authorities to improve urban air quality throughout Australia.

The Australian Home Heating Association is committed to improving urban air quality through technology and better informed and educated users of wood heaters. The technical advances in the Australian industry over the past years have been extremely impressive. We suggest that few other sectors of Australian business have achieved what we have in this time. The products now on the market that comply with the Australian Standard, AS4013, are cleaner burning and more efficient than just five years ago. At that time the average wood heater produced three to five times as much smoke as the average wood heater sold today. Given that there are hundreds of different models on the market, this is a significant achievement in a relatively short period.

If the industry is to continue this product development and, through on-going research and development, produce still cleaner and more efficient models of wood heaters it must have the co-operation and support of the pollution control authorities across the country. The industry has clearly demonstrated its willingness to work with pollution control authorities to deal with existing problems. However, we are concerned that the outspoken minority does not provide a constructive foundation for dealing with wood-smoke issue.