The Clean Heat Project: Improving air quality and energy efficiency outcomes for the Canterbury Region.

The Clean Heat Project (CHP) in Canterbury, New Zealand, has the objective of reducing winter air pollution and improving household energy efficiency. Through the CHP, the regional council, Environment Canterbury (ECan), assists homeowners, who use old, inefficient and polluting solid fuel home heaters, to change to low-emission forms of heating and to improve household energy efficiency by upgrading the insulation of their homes The CHP aims to convert over 26,000 homes in the city of Christchurch over an 11-year period between 2003 and 2014. Through this approach, the development of the Clean Heat brand has raised community awareness of the negative health effects of air pollution and the role the community plays in reducing air pollution from domestic solid fuel heating. Participation is on target to meet project goals for heating conversions, within budget. By mid-2009, over one-half of targeted households in Christchurch were retrofitted. Tailored CHPs have also been developed in collaboration with local communities in the smaller population centres of Timaru, Kaiapoi, Rangiora and Ashburton in 2008. The conversion rate in Christchurch and other towns will need to be increased whilst maintaining airshed capacity through voluntary conversions, or other mechanisms, in order to comply with the National environmental Standards for Air Quality by 2013. This paper discusses primarily the processes, challenges and outcomes of the Clean Heat Project; and secondly, the links to central government air quality and energy (efficiency) policy and initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]