In winter, wood heater smoke is an ongoing problem for people living in Armidale in NSW. The town sits in a valley and smoke settles low in the air, causing fine particle pollution. To address the issue, a joint research project between Armidale Regional Council, the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research and Asthma Australia is helping households in Armidale replace wood heaters with reverse-cycle air conditioning.
Early results show residents have found clear benefits including comfort, cleanliness, convenience and safety.
The Making the Switch program provided 15 Armidale-region households with a $3000 subsidy to help make the change, then followed these households for 18 months. The project aims to understand how households found the change process, what worked and what didn’t.
Support from residents
A mid-trial survey has found strong support for the change. Participants reported cleaner homes, less mess, safer environments, better temperature control and faster heating. Several households also valued being able to use the systems for cooling during summer.
One participant said the new system had made heating “almost instantaneous”, compared with the time needed to chop, stack and light a wood fire. Another said their home was no longer covered in “soot and ash”.
The project is led by Dr Sharon Campbell, with Dr Amanda Wheeler from CSIRO and Professor Fay Johnston from the University of Tasmania contributing to the research.
The work forms part of the Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub’s Impact Priority 4, which focuses on improving air quality and reducing exposure to smoke and other pollutants.
The project was a case study in the Hub's September 2025 report which investigated woodsmoke interventions in three regional communities. The research activities were funded by Asthma Australia.
Asthma impact
Wood heater smoke contains fine particles that can travel deep into the lungs. It can worsen asthma symptoms and affect people with other respiratory conditions. Because smoke can spread across neighbourhoods, household heating choices can affect the wider community.
Asthma Australia chief executive Kate Miranda said wood smoke was a recognised asthma trigger. “Smoke doesn’t stay in one backyard: it settles over whole neighbourhoods,” she said.
Dr Campbell said the results showed that households could gain practical benefits from moving away from wood heating.
“For households thinking about making the switch, but still unsure about the outcome, this project shows there are real benefits, like saving time and being more comfortable,” she said. “Cleaner air in the community is a huge bonus.”
The project will continue to collect household feedback and data. The findings will help inform future approaches to cleaner heating, energy efficiency and air quality in wood smoke-affected communities.
