| 87 T T Ange Davidson A new era of home heating Wood burners are now required to be low or ultra-low emission burners (ULEB) as open fires and older style burners are being phased out. MANUFACTURING Harris Home Fires Replacing your wood burner with an ultra-low emission burner is not just good sense but an ECAN regulation. Wood burners are now required to be low or ultra-low emission burners (ULEB) as open fires and older style burners are being phased out to reduce winter air pollution in Canterbury. Meeting the market is Christchurch based manufacturer, Harris Home Fires, the manufacturer of the Woodsman Serene, the number one best-selling ULEB in Canterbury. Owner director, Richard Harris says they are constantly improving wood burning technology and the next generation of ULEBs are incredible performers that have been tested to replicate real life scenarios rather than laboratory testing. “Independent tests are also happening inside people’s homes and the results show they are significantly cleaner than low emission burners,” says Richard. “Fires have come a long way but there’s a massive lag in getting old technology out and new technology in, as people expect a fire to last a long time.” The shift to low emission burners has made a massive difference to air quality in Christchurch and the number and levels of air pollution exceedance has plummeted, especially in the city’s problem areas. Harris Home Fires have been in the business since 1887 and as a fifth generation Harris, Richard is as invested in handcrafting efficient and effective wood burners as were his predecessors. The company moved from general heating to design and manufacture their own brand of burner in the 1980s and launched the next generation of Woodsman fires a decade later. “We’re really committed to improving air emissions and invest heavily in research and development to keep innovating. Modern wood burners are at the top of the list of climate-friendly heating options as they are carbon neutral. They look good and they’re a comfortable way to heat a home. The Woodsman Serene outperforms the testing standards for emissions and wetback use which means it can be installed in any home around the country,” he says. As the Woodsman fires are handcrafted in Christchurch, supply issues during Covid created plenty of challenges. The fires are constructed from New Zealand made steel, but the paint, glass and vermiculite used in firebricks are sourced from overseas. “We weathered huge price increases in product and shipping costs but we’re starting to see this stabilise. It’s been really difficult to make up for lost production. “Our busy time is February and March when we’re gearing up for the winter season and we’re fortunate to have a great team with us,” he says. Storms in the North Island and talk of recession on the horizon is proving to be another challenge as people are hesitating about installing new heating. “Heating is not something people should ignore, it’s a necessity,” believes Richard. “Next year ECAN will be fining people who have not updated their fires in the last 20 years so it’s a good time to be looking at your heating options.” Improvements to the ULEBs include larger sized fire boxes that can clean burn for eight hours when using a dry hardwood. There are studio sized designs through to a large 61 litre burner that can be seen at Harris Home Fires showroom at 41 Braddon Street, Christchurch. “We want people to be confident about our products. We have all the burn models at the showroom so people can have a play with them. We’ll then point people in the direction of a retailer,” he says. To learn more about regulations around updating your fire, visit the air quality and home heating page on ECAN’s website. https://solidburner.ecan. govt.nz/Public. Proud to support Harris Home Fires Call Macdonald Steel Today 03 384 1200 You’ve always known us as R.C. Macdonald Ltd, and that’s still who we are. Our new Macdonald Steel branding reflects the importance of steel supply to our business and will provide clarity to our new and existing customers. We’re still the same 100% New Zealand owned family business, an ACRS accredited fully traceable steel supplier WWW.MACDONALDSTEEL.CO.NZ Hot Rolled Plate Structural Steel Stainless Steel Electro Galv Galvanised Sheet Cold Rolled 27 Dakota Crescent Sockburn Christchurch P O Box 11020 P. E. plate.si@vulcan.co SPECIALISTS IN PLATE PROCESSING - OXY FUEL · PLASMA · LASER · PRESS BRAKING Proud Suppliers to Harris Home Fires
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