Council fireplace scheme popular

More than 280 Rotorua homeowners have applied for loans of up to $4000 each to replace their fireplaces as part of a scheme to improve the quality of the air.
The regional council's Air Quality Control bylaw, which was adopted by the Rotorua District Council last August, will limit the type of wood burners and pellet fires installed in most Rotorua homes.
From December 1 last year, anyone living within the Rotorua airshed - most of urban Rotorua - can only install approved wood burners and pellet fires.
Also included is a restriction from May 1, 2012 on properties being sold with non-compliant solid fuel burners in the Rotorua airshed, while open fires will be banned from May 1, 2015.
The regional council's sustainable development manager, Katarina Maki, gave a presentation to Rotorua District Councillors at its recent Economic and Regulatory Services committee meeting.
In a report to council, she said the Hot Swap Loan scheme, which was set up in August last year, provided an incentive for households to convert their old inefficient wood burners, open fires and coal burners to a modern home heating appliance. The loans of up to $4000 are interest-free and people have 10 years to pay them off.
Mrs Maki said interest in the loan scheme had been high, with 512 people requesting heating assessments and quotes and to date there had been 283 interest-free loans granted.
"This will remove 39 open fires and 244 non-complying solid fuel burners from homes."
She said wood burners had been the most popular heating system with just over half of those who had applied for grants switching to them. Of the rest, 27 per cent had opted for heat pumps, 12 per cent for pellet fires and six per cent had chosen gas heating.
Dispensations had been given to two home owners who did not fit the criteria to get a loan.
Of 116 applicants who completed a survey, two thirds said they would not have replaced their old solid fuel burner without a loan.
Meanwhile, work was being done in Ngapuna to improve air quality, Mrs Maki said. It was known for the highest amount of air pollution in the city, mainly dust.
A sting of seven Rotorua firewood sellers last winter found that only two were selling wood which was dry enough.
Firewood sellers were offered free advice and five had requested help to improve their firewood processing and storage.