Homeowners offered rebate to halt the haze

13/07/06
Perth residents are being urged to take advantage of the Carpenter Government's $600 rebate to replace their wood heaters and help halt the haze this winter.
Environment Minister Mark McGowan said the Wood Heater Replacement Program, to start on Monday, July 17, followed a successful pilot program in 2004.
The new program coincides with the release of the Department of Environment and Conservation's Perth home heating survey, which showed most wood heaters in Perth were at the end of their recommended working lives and could be releasing higher levels of smoke.

Mr McGowan said there were 300 rebates being offered, totalling $180,000, for householders to remove and replace wood heaters with flued or ducted gas systems.
The Minister said the scheme would be reviewed and extended if demand required it.
"Every year, we experience problems with haze in the metropolitan area," he said.
"I understand some people prefer wood heaters but research shows they contribute significantly to winter haze formation."
Piper Collis, health services manager at the Asthma Foundation of WA, welcomed the announcement and said any reduction in winter haze levels would be good news for people with asthma and people suffering from lung diseases.
"The Asthma Foundation of WA warns that as woodsmoke particle levels rise, so do the number of asthma attacks, the number of people reporting to hospital due to lung diseases and the risk of dying of a lung disease," Ms Collis said.
Mr McGowan said the State Government had funded the heater replacement program under the Perth Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP).
"The plan has several strategies designed to reduce Perth's winter haze, including the Haze Reduction Initiative to cut emissions from wood heaters," he said.
"Since 1997, the Department of Environment (now Department of Environment and Conservation) has introduced a range of initiatives as part of the annual Halt the Haze campaign.
"These activities, outlined in the AQMP progress report, include community and school education campaigns, haze alerts, local government workshops, regulation amendment, auditing sales of wood and wood heaters, and the Perth Home Heating Survey."
The Minister said the heating survey indicated that a heater replacement program would successfully encourage wood heater users to change home heating methods.
From Monday, residents willing to remove their wood heater and replace it with flued or ducted gas heating can call 1300 886 162 or download an application form from the department's environment services website at http://airquality.environment.wa.gov.au
Copies of the Perth home heating survey and Perth Air Quality Management Plan progress report, which outlines the haze reduction initiative, are available from the department's library or website.
Minister's office: (08) 9222 9111