Few outsiders who come to live in Western Australia fail to notice a unique issue for residents of the State – built for a hot climate many homes lack in-built heating and are simply unable to cope with the short, sharp winter.
In the past, many locals have tended to shun expensive climate control such as central heating which would lie dormant most of the year. Instead, they managed with cheap mobile technology outside big rooms heated by wood, oil or gas.
That made WA, with its Mediterranean climate, a unique market in Australia and resulted in it becoming an unusually big market for unflued gas heaters on a per capita basis.
That makes any suggestion by the WA Government that these heaters pose health risks to the public an unusually big issue for the manufacturers.
Everdure, a company with origins in WA, has reportedly warned of big job losses at its manufacturing works here while foreign-owned Rinnai Australia, the biggest WA player which claims 65 per cent of the local market, is seeking to counter negative publicity.
Much of the hysteria around this subject was apparently sparked from a report recommending the phase-out of unflued gas heaters because of health concerns, particularly for asthma sufferers released by enHealth Council, a national body.
enHealth Council chairman and WA Health Department executive director of population health, Michael Jackson, last month recommended to the National Gas Technical Regulator that unflued gas heaters be phased out within three years.
His recommendation, and a warning on the use of unflued gas heaters by WA Health Minister Jim McGinty, has led to consumer concerns about the safety of unflued gas heaters, according to Rinnai WA manager David Sydenham.
In early September Rinnai Australia launched a promotional campaign with guidelines for the safe use of unflued gas heaters.
Rinnai Australia also heavily criticised enHealth’s research.
Mr Sydenham said WA was second to New South Wales in terms of unflued gas heater sales.
“NSW has a high uptake and WA would be second. They are two prominent States for us.
20,000 to 30,000 unflued gas heaters are sold here each year,” he said.
Should unflued gas heaters be phased out, Western Australians would be forced into more expensive heating options, Mr Sydenham said.
“Flued heaters work as well but it’s not quite as efficient and it’s twice the cost to purchase and you have to install it,” he said.
Rinnai Australia executive technical adviser Chris Blogg said WA had a significantly higher uptake of unflued gas heaters because of a short yet cold winter and open-plan house designs.
“It’s higher than Victoria because in Victoria it is much colder and more people have ducted heating,” he said.
“Because Perth has short, snappy winters and different housing plans, they are more of an open plan, and so it’s suitable for unflued gas heating.
“About 80 per cent of Perth homes that have natural gas have an unflued gas heater.
Mr Blogg raised questions about the validity of the study that has sparked the controversy.
“It was done in schools in South Australia and as far as we are aware those heaters were very old and had high emissions,” Mr Blogg said.
“We don’t know what the ventilation was like and what the usage was.”
Mr Sydenham said Western Australia’s heating regulations were the most stringent in the country.
“Australia has the most stringent emission standards in the world. It is half that of America’s,” he said.
“WA has the most stringent regulations in Australia. In WA part of the installation requires that there are two ventilation ducts on new or existing homes.”
Mr Sydenham is part of an industry action group, Unflued Heating Consultative Group, which will meet this week.
He said it would make its own recommendations to the WA Department of Health, which has representatives on the enHealth Council.
