Making the Switch: A wood heater replacement pilot

In cooler climate cities and communities across Australia, many homes have wood heaters as their primary source of heating. However, wood heaters are a major source of air pollution in these communities, and the emissions from wood heaters are harmful to health. Replacing wood heaters with electric heating sources can reduce this harm.

Based in Armidale, NSW, a community known for poor air quality through winter wood smoke, this study aims to understand what makes wood heater replacement programs successful.

Partnering with Armidale Regional Council and Asthma Australia, we are working with 25 households in the Armidale region to understand what might motivate people to switch to electric heating, and what works and what doesn’t work in the process. We will use the results of this study to help Armidale Regional Council and other governments around Australia design better wood heater replacement programs in the future.