What you can do about wood smoke pollution

New heaters are cleaner burning and more efficient than older-style wood heaters and open fires.

A slow combustion heater will produce less pollution than a pot-belly stove or open fire because the fire is sealed in an airtight box.

• As of 1 November 2016, stricter emission and efficiency controls were introduced in NSW in an amendment to the Clean Air Regulation (See the Protection of the Environment Operations (Clean Air) Regulation 2021). The Australian/New Zealand Standards 4012:2014 and 4013:2014 introduce stricter emission and efficiency limits for domestic solid fuel appliances.
• From 1 September 2019, all new solid fuel home heaters sold in NSW (locally and imported) must have at least 60 per cent efficiency and no more than 1.5 g/kg.

Check your heater has a compliance plate stating it conforms to the Australian Standard for pollution emissions (AS/NZS 4013:2014) and efficiency (AS/NZS 4012:2014). If it doesn't, you should upgrade your heater to a more efficient model.

Contact your council to check local regulations before installing a wood heater.

Some councils keep a register of licensed installers who will certify heaters are installed to the standard. The best chimney for your wood heater may depend on local conditions.

Before buying a new heater

Before buying a new heater, check your home's insulation. 25% of heat loss occurs through the ceiling alone.

By thoroughly insulating your home you can reduce heat loss by 63%.

Starting the fire

Always start the fire with small pieces of wood or kindling. When the fire is well established, add large pieces of wood gradually.

Stack wood loosely in your firebox, so plenty of air circulates around it. That way your fire will burn hot and efficiently, rather than smoulder, which causes smoke and air pollution.

Maintaining the fire

Keep the flame lively and bright. Your fire should only smoke for a few minutes when you first light it and when you add extra fuel.

Every time you add fuel, open the air intake and flue for 5 minutes before and 20 minutes after.

Keep enough air in the fire to maintain a flame. Don't let your heater smoulder overnight.

To reduce the build-up of soot and creosote, burn the fire fast for 1-2 hours every day the fire is lit.

Check the chimney

Check your chimney regularly to see how well your fire is burning. If there is smoke coming from the chimney, increase the air supply to your fire.

If the fire smokes for more than 10 minutes when you start it, or more than a minute when you add fuel, then there is a problem with the fuel, the operating method or both.

Clean the chimney, flue and baffles regularly

Check the flue, chimney, and baffle regularly for a build-up of soot or creosote (a tar-like oily deposit). This build up indicates that the fire is not burning properly, and can cause chimney fires.

Clean the chimney, flue, and baffle at the end of every winter.

Always burn small pieces of aged, dry hardwood. Green or unseasoned wood contains up to 50% water, which causes fire to smoke.

When storing wood, stack it under cover in a dry, ventilated area. Freshly cut wood needs to be stored for 8–12 months.

How to tell if your wood is dry

Bang 2 pieces together. You should hear a loud, hollow crack. Or, tap the wood with a key or coin. Dry wood makes a sharp crack, wet wood makes a dull sound.

Sourcing your wood

If you are buying wood to use immediately, confirm the wood is aged.

If you are collecting wood yourself, be aware of where you take it from. Firewood harvesting is destroying some of our most threatened vegetation and animal habitats.

What not to burn

Never burn household rubbish, driftwood, treated or painted wood as it pollutes the air and can produce poisonous gases. For example, the black part at the bottom of old telegraph poles is saturated with pesticides like creosote.

Green pine logs used for constructing garden edges and park and playground equipment are treated with copper-chrome-arsenate (CCA). These logs are safe to handle but release toxic substances when burned.

Most old painted wood is likely to contain lead-based paint and should not be burned.

Never burn coal or coke as they emit sulphur dioxide that can cause health problems.

In winter, the highest concentrations of fine particles in the air occur after midnight. Most of fine particle pollution is caused by wood heaters left to smoulder over night.

One of the worse things you can do is to dampen down your fire overnight.

Leaving your heater overnight at the minimum air setting with a full firebox generates very little heat and lots of smoke causing pollution outside and inside your home.

With the air intake closed, the fire is starved of oxygen and cannot burn properly.

Unless your heater is specifically designed for continuous operation (burning bright overnight), let it go out overnight. Rely on your home's insulation to hold in heat for the night. Spend money on insulation rather than fuel – it is better for the environment and your health.

If you have a new certified heater designed to burn overnight, follow the manufacturers instructions carefully. Don't cram the firebox full. When the last load is put in, run the heater at maximum for half an hour, then adjust it to the overnight setting.

Before installing a new heating system you need to ensure your home retains the heat you put into it.

A home heating package should include:

• insulating ceilings, walls and floors where possible
• sealing off draughts
• effective window coverings
• zoning living and sleeping areas
• choosing an appropriate heating system for your home and using it wisely and efficiently.

For information on improving your insulation and shading and upgrading to cleaner, more energy efficient heating visit: NSW Climate and Energy Action.

Insulation, window coverings, draught proofing

Insulation, effective window coverings, and draught proofing are all vital.

Uninsulated ceilings, walls, and even floors can account for over 70% of total heat loss from a home.

EPA community research has found air quality is one of the most important environmental issues to NSW residents.

Wood smoke pollution from neighbouring chimneys is the source of many complaints to local councils throughout NSW.

To help councils take action to reduce excessive smoke, you should:

• provide visual evidence (such as a video recording) showing smoke coming from a chimney for at least 10 minutes without stopping. The evidence must also show the smoke plume extending at least 10 metres from the chimney for at least 30 seconds. When collecting the evidence:
  • do not capture any person in the video
  • do not enter private property to take the video
• provide the address of the home where the smoke is being emitted and the address where you collected the evidence
• provide the date and time you saw the excessive smoke, including the time your observation started and finished
• write down the weather conditions at the time, such as wind strength and direction
• report the excessive smoke to your local council as soon as possible – council officers can only issue a smoke abatement notice within 7 days of the date the you observed the excessive smoke
• be prepared to provide a written statement to your local council confirming what you saw. You may also be required to attend court to give evidence.

If you do not want to provide a written statement or attend court to give evidence about excessive smoke, you should tell your local council immediately, as this can affect how a council addresses the excessive smoke.

Visit Office of Local Government to find your local council.