Open Fires Banned In Auckland, New Zealand

There is an interesting article in this weeks New Zealand Herald talking about how inefficient open fires are going to be banned in Auckland. As someone involved with helping people save money and clean up the environment, I think this is an excellent idea. There are three major issues with these types of fires:

• CO2 Output
• Inefficient use of fuel
• Particulate emissions

Whilst burning wood is renewable, it does have a CO2 output, and that is measurable. But the fire places are quite inefficient with energy use, meaning that the CO2 output is quite high. This also leads to more fuel being used due to heat being wasted. Particulate emissions are also high, and this is what causes most health problems associated with fireplaces.

All in all I feel this is a move in the correct direction…