Council urges Hamiltonians to Breathe Easy

Hamilton City Council is urging Hamiltonians to do their bit to help the city to 'Breathe Easy' following the announcement that Hamilton has exceeded the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality (NESAQ) for the month of June.

NESAQ sets a standard of no more than one occurrence per 24 hour period of particulate matter (PM10) at a concentration greater than 50µg/m3. PM10 is very small particles in the air which typically come from the inefficient burning of solid fuel such as wood. In Hamilton 72% of PM10 comes from home heating and it is because of these emissions the city is currently exceeding NESAQ up to four times a year.

The health effects of high levels of PM10 can range from minor nose and throat irritations, to more serious effects such as aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Research has shown that periods of high PM10 levels can sometimes result in increased hospital admissions and school absences.

Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock says, "The problem of home heating contributing to winter air pollution is a legacy of older poorly insulated homes and ageing wood burners being used less efficiently than they could be."

"Breathe Easy - a collaborative project which comes out of the city wide Environmental Sustainability Strategy - is looking to address those issues by retrofitting insulation into pre-1978 homes and promoting clean heating options".

"Council is proud to be working together with WEL Energy Trust, EECA and Environment Waikato to make Breathe Easy happen. This is a collective problem and as a city we want to make the solutions easily accessible to everyday people, not only for their family's benefit but also for the long-term benefit of our city's environment."

It is estimated that approximately 25,000 homes in Hamilton are insufficiently insulated to keep out cold, damp winter air. Those homes are currently spending extra money and effort in colder months trying to stay warm and 15% use wood burners as their main source of heating.

Wood burners are great if they are efficient and clean burning, however the majority of the wood burners in Hamilton are over 10 years old and are unlikely to be either clean or efficient.

Insulation programmes are offered in Hamilton by both WEL Networks (Healthier Homes) and the Waikato DHB (Healthy Homes).

WEL Networks Chief Executive Dr Julian Elder says "WEL is proud to be a part of Breathe Easy - the health, sustainability and well-being of our community is vital. In the past 3 years WEL Energy Trust has retrofitted insulation into 770 homes- making them warm, dry and healthier homes to live in. We have also installed over 1000 heat pumps, providing energy efficient, clean air."

To find out if they qualify for the schemes, residents can contact the Waikato DHB on 0800 400 326 or WEL Networks on 07 850 3100 or visit the WEL website www.wel.co.nz

By using these easy and helpful tips residents will get the best out of their fire and reduce PM10 emissions:

• Burning dry firewood makes less smoke and gives off more heat. Buying firewood early will not only get you a better price but also allow you to store the wood dry and covered.
• Use kindling to start your fire and add big pieces of wood only once there is a good bed of embers. Split large bits of wood into pieces no more than 10-15cm thick.
• After starting your fire, leave the air controls open to build up a good temperature, which ensures the wood burns well. This may take as long as 20 minutes.
• Don't let your wood burner or fire smoulder as this releases higher levels of particles and organic compounds, which are bad for your health.