Pressure on to replace burners

Timaru may need to replace nearly 3000 more solid fuel burners in the next five years if it is to meet National Environment Standards for clean air.

Environment Canterbury's Clean Heat staff have been engaged in an "outreach programme", with assessors visiting households and providing information on applying for grants or loans for replacing their old burners.

ECan Air and Energy programme manager Linda Kirk said although there had been more than 300 conversions to cleaner forms of heating – such as pellet fires and heat pumps – in Timaru under the Clean Heat programme, there would need to be at least another 2500 conversions in the next three years to meet the air quality standard set by the Environment Ministry.

"It is a big ask, certainly," she said. "But we have to try to reach those targets. ECan has been encouraged by the response in Timaru. People are getting the message."

Ms Kirk said ECan had budgeted for about 1400 conversions in Timaru by 2013.

"We have our own targets for our programme, but we are expecting some people to do it off their own bat, or sign up to government schemes. Every little bit helps."

The NES-recommended level is 50 micrograms of dirty particles per cubic metre of air. Under proposed guidelines, all towns in New Zealand will be allowed only one high pollution night a year after 2013.

Last year, Timaru recorded more than 25 high pollution nights. Timaru's failure to meet the standards would mean ECan would be unable to grant consents for discharges to air, which could limit development opportunities.

Ms Kirk said although the Government was due to review these limits within the next year, and may possibly relax them, ECan had to work within the targets.

While most Canterbury homeowners would not be able to receive Clean Heat assistance if they installed cleaner forms of heating without replacing their old burners, Timaru was exempted from that.

Ms Kirk said this decision came after the "big snow" of 2006, which knocked out power and heating to several homeowners throughout South Canterbury.

"We got feedback from the community, and it was felt they might need to have their old burner handy just in case."

- © Fairfax NZ News