Wood pellet fire standards good news

Wood pellet fire standards good news for New Zealand buyers

Nature’s Flame welcomes the introduction of two new standards for determining the power output, efficiency, and emissions of wood pellet fires as a good step for consumers.

The joint New Zealand and Australia standards (AS/NZS 5078:2007 and AS/NZS 4886:2007) came into effect at the end of February. Solid Energy, the Ministry for the Environment, the Clean Air Society, Environment Canterbury and a variety of other Australian and New Zealand organisations were represented on the joint committee which developed the standards.

As part of its commitment to developing the use of sustainable fuel, State-owned enterprise Solid Energy operates Nature’s Flame, which produces wood pellets from waste pine wood at plants in Rotorua and at Rolleston, near Christchurch.

“Included in the new standards are rules about how pellet fires are to be tested and will provide benchmarks about how they perform and the emissions they produce,” says Steve Pearce, Solid Energy’s Research and Technology Project Manager.

“It applies to domestic wood pellet fuel appliances and will give consumers confidence when they are considering which to buy,” Dr Pearce says. “Appliances tested under the standards will carry labels clearly showing their heat output, efficiency and the level of emissions they produce.”

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