Fire Places – Heated? Actually No

Written by Ben Ross - Talking Auckland

Again with the upcoming Fire Place Restrictions

 

After our favourite journalist Bernard Orsman actually quoting the fact that pre 2005 wood burner restrictions stems from a Ministry for the Environment National Environmental Standard order someone wrote an opinion piece in today’s Herald getting themselves all muddled up to point-blank wrong. I wont say who she was but again lets point out some key facts again.

From my Council to Bring In New Air Quality Rules post:

Council to Bring In New Air Quality Rules

/ 5 days ago

Fireplaces to be restricted or banned

 

So much more out there than the CBD Also less smog with the new bylaw?

 

From Auckland Council – and read the bit in bold carefully too

Proposed Air Quality Bylaw tackles pollution

 

Auckland Council’s Regulatory and Bylaws Committee adopted a draft Air Quality Bylaw today to tackle Auckland’s air pollution. The proposed bylaw has been recommended as a way of meeting national air quality standards, as required by the Government.

In winter, 75 percent of Auckland’s air pollution is due to fine particulate emissions (PM10) from open fires and old, non-compliant wood burners. The inhaling of fine particles – which can lodge in the lungs – has raised the level of respiratory illness in the region, a surprise to many who thought that vehicles or industry pollution was to blame. The proposed Air Quality Bylaw will focus on the management of indoor fires to reduce the emissions of these fine particles into our air.

“It is hard to comprehend that the warmth emanating from that wood fire we enjoy on a cold winter night is the cause of serious health issues.  By concentrating on the air pollution culprit in winter – indoor fires – we will not only achieve cleaner air, we will be well on our way to meeting national air quality standards,” says Calum Penrose, Chair, Regulatory and Bylaws Committee.

The committee held a robust discussion about the various implementation timings of the bylaw and Councillor Penrose was pleased with the resulting recommendation of prohibiting both open fires and older wood burners (pre-2005) in October 2018. This will allow homeowners and landlords time to consider alternative heating sources.

All regional councils are required to monitor air pollution levels to ensure particle concentrations are within National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (AQNES) requirements and that we identify any areas  – airsheds – where air quality may exceed standards. The Ministry for the Environment now requires all councils to meet the AQNES standards with no more than one exceedance per year in a region by 2016. 

The bylaw is expected to be tabled at Auckland Council’s Governing Body meeting later this month.  Calls for public submissions will begin on 10 November.

—-Ends—-

 

The Fact Sheet including the bit where the NES was brought in 2004 which was the Clark regime:

Quoting specifically

1. Why is Auckland Council required to do an Air Quality Bylaw?
In October 2004, the Government introduced air quality standards in the Resource Management(National Environmental Standards for Air Quality or AQNES). AQNES includes ambient standardswhich are what we need to meet to guarantee a set level of protection for human health and theenvironment. All regional councils are required to monitor air pollution levels to ensure particle concentrations arewithin AQNES requirements and that we identify any areas – airsheds – where air quality may exceedstandards. The Ministry of the Environment now requires all councils to meet the AQNES standardswith no more than one exceedance per year in a region by 2016

 

We have had since 2004 to get ourselves together around this National Environmental Standard but granted that we have only been “unified” since 2010 and there was a lot of Bylaws to sort out.

 

Now then this prompted a debate over cost of heating to which I got some figures for you. I bring your attention to here: http://www.energywise.govt.nz/how-to-be-energy-efficient/your-house/heating-and-cooling/choosing-a-heater and this chart below:

 

Now the modern wood burner is usually set for a burner carrying the certification that it complies with the National Environmental Standard on Air Quality. That certification came in post 2005 and all pre 2005 burners thus are uncertified and fall into the NES where the restrictions fall.

Simply put on the embedded graph the lower down the heating source is per the Y axis (the vertical one) the more efficient your heating is per dollar of input (from your wallet) that you put in.

Another way to put it using an old scale which is still relevant for the most part was that for every dollar you put in running your heat pump you got a dollar worth of heat coming back. So 100% efficiency. Old pre 2005 wood burners especially open wood burners (which do face the ban) had a cost of 33cents to 50 cents of energy output for every dollar you spent purchasing and moving the wood from the source to the fire-place. So 33% to 50% efficiency.

It was asked what if you get your fire wood for free. Well it still comes back down to relative efficiency. Sure you have free wood but you are burning up to three times more fuel with an open burner than I would be with my heat pump (and I have not even gotten around to storage of the wood yet). In the long run all things considered it will be cheaper to run the heat pump. Of course having your house insulated, draught gaps plugged, and a good HRV system in place to supplement the heat pump will mean even greater efficiencies and less costs to you in the long run after the initial capital outlay.

Trust me after having the floor, roof, and walls insulated, and the HRV system put in and slowly upgraded it has cost us a fair whack in capital but the returns in power bill savings, better health, and not smoking the neighbours out are paying dividends (and adding a good capital gain to the house as well).

 

So yeah if you have a problem with this NES causing the restrictions on pre 2005 wood burners – take it up with the Ministry for the Environment. It is their order not Councils.