There’s no smoke without fire, the old saw goes, but smoke from woodfires can be deadly – and Tuggeranong Valley is one of the three worst affected valleys in Australia.
Many residents would like to switch to cleaner electric heaters, but cannot afford to, says the electorate’s Greens MLA, Johnathan Davis.
“I believe that we need to make a transition accessible to everyone in our community,” Mr Davis said. “More Canberra households are struggling with the rising cost of living, with many lacking the disposable income to replace their wood heating with electric heating.”
He called today for the ACT Government to trial a program to help low-income households replace wood heaters with energy-efficient reverse cycle split system units, at no up-front expense. That includes removing the wood heater; buying and installing a new reverse cycle unit; and repairing any property damage associated with the transition.
His bill passed without opposition.
“SUCCESS!” Mr Davis posted on Facebook, pleased that all three parties supported his motion.
Woodfire smoke is a risk factor for asthma, other respiratory illnesses, certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, premature birth, and premature death, according to Asthma Australia, Mr Davis noted.
Wood heaters generate a complex mixture of particles and gasses, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, and organic matter. Of these pollutants, particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) had the greatest health impacts.
The ACT Government’s air quality sensor in Monash recorded 37 days in 2020 on which levels of the pollutant PM2.5 exceeded safe levels – 13 of these days due to domestic wood heater emissions between May and August. In 2019, only two such days were attributable to domestic wood heater emissions.
That suggested Canberrans have stayed home and used wood heaters more since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have been contacted by many constituents who are worried for their own health, the health of their families, and the health of their community,” Mr Davis said. “As we get into the winter months, I suspect that I’ll hear from more constituents asking us to do something about the smoke from wood heaters.”
The ACT Government is committed to strengthening wood heater emissions standards and phasing out older, polluting wood heaters that do not meet these standards. They offer financial incentives to encourage removal of wood heaters from Canberra homes, complemented by the Sustainable Household Scheme’s zero-interest loans for household emissions reductions.
However, Mr Davis noted, low-income households can find it difficult to access rebate schemes to replace heaters with energy efficient split systems if they have to pay out-of-pocket costs.
“A rebate only helps if you can cover the upfront cost, and a lot of Canberrans with wood heaters can’t,” Mr Davis said. “I don’t want the upfront costs of replacing your wood heater with something safer and more efficient to price Canberrans out of a more efficient energy system.”
