Monday, 20 October, 2025
Air pollution from wood-burning fireplaces and gas cooking is not only a health hazard—it is also a massive drain on healthcare systems and the wider economy, according to a new peer-reviewed study from New Zealand. The research calculated the costs of hospital treatments, work absences, and premature deaths linked to indoor air pollution from fireplaces, stoves, gas cooking, and un-flued room heaters.
The study found that New Zealand’s 523,000 wood burners contribute to approximately 446 hospital admissions for heart and lung conditions and 101 early deaths every year, in a country with just over 5 million people. Gas cooking indoors was even more damaging, causing over 1,000 hospitalisations, 208 early deaths, and more than 3,000 new cases of childhood asthma annually.
Dr Gareth Gretton, of the government’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, said: “We were aware of growing international evidence on indoor air quality, but we did not have a method to quantify the cost of air pollution from gas and wood-burning appliances.”
Open fires were identified as the most harmful form of home heating. For a typical household of two adults and two children, the study calculated an annual health and economic cost of around NZ$53,400 (£23,000) due to pollution from open fires. Even modern wood stoves were not harmless, generating NZ$1,800 per household per year, while indoor gas cooking created costs of NZ$9,200 annually per household.
Jayne Metcalfe, from the New Zealand consultancy Emission Impossible, explained: “The hardest part was estimating the impact of different indoor combustion appliances on air quality. We reviewed both local and international studies, and although indoor air quality is complex, the results were clear: the health costs are significant for every appliance we examined.”
Metcalfe added, “A simple and effective way to reduce these risks is to replace gas hobs with electric ones wherever possible—or ideally avoid installing gas hobs altogether. It’s a win-win for both health and the climate.”
Wood-burning also contributes to outdoor air pollution, affecting the wider community. The extra health cost was NZ$3,200 (£1,400) per year for each modern wood stove and NZ$26,800 (£11,500) per open fire. By comparison, London estimates suggest a typical wood burner generates just £800 per household annually, broadly in line with European estimates of €760 (£660). The New Zealand figures highlight the impact of usage patterns and may foreshadow potential future costs if wood burning rises in the UK.
The study notes that less than 5% of New Zealand homes have central heating, with most households heating a single room at a time using wood fires or portable heaters. In contrast, about 95% of UK homes have central heating, and wood or coal fires are rarely the main source of heat.
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Air pollution from wood-burning fireplaces and gas cooking is not only a health hazard—it is also a massive drain on healthcare systems and the wider economy, according to a new peer-reviewed study from New Zealand. The research calculated the costs of hospital treatments, work absences, and premature deaths linked to indoor air pollution from fireplaces, stoves, gas cooking, and un-flued room heaters.
The study found that New Zealand’s 523,000 wood burners contribute to approximately 446 hospital admissions for heart and lung conditions and 101 early deaths every year, in a country with just over 5 million people. Gas cooking indoors was even more damaging, causing over 1,000 hospitalisations, 208 early deaths, and more than 3,000 new cases of childhood asthma annually.
Dr Gareth Gretton, of the government’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, said: “We were aware of growing international evidence on indoor air quality, but we did not have a method to quantify the cost of air pollution from gas and wood-burning appliances.”
Open fires were identified as the most harmful form of home heating. For a typical household of two adults and two children, the study calculated an annual health and economic cost of around NZ$53,400 (£23,000) due to pollution from open fires. Even modern wood stoves were not harmless, generating NZ$1,800 per household per year, while indoor gas cooking created costs of NZ$9,200 annually per household.
Jayne Metcalfe, from the New Zealand consultancy Emission Impossible, explained: “The hardest part was estimating the impact of different indoor combustion appliances on air quality. We reviewed both local and international studies, and although indoor air quality is complex, the results were clear: the health costs are significant for every appliance we examined.”
Metcalfe added, “A simple and effective way to reduce these risks is to replace gas hobs with electric ones wherever possible—or ideally avoid installing gas hobs altogether. It’s a win-win for both health and the climate.”
Wood-burning also contributes to outdoor air pollution, affecting the wider community. The extra health cost was NZ$3,200 (£1,400) per year for each modern wood stove and NZ$26,800 (£11,500) per open fire. By comparison, London estimates suggest a typical wood burner generates just £800 per household annually, broadly in line with European estimates of €760 (£660). The New Zealand figures highlight the impact of usage patterns and may foreshadow potential future costs if wood burning rises in the UK.
The study notes that less than 5% of New Zealand homes have central heating, with most households heating a single room at a time using wood fires or portable heaters. In contrast, about 95% of UK homes have central heating, and wood or coal fires are rarely the main source of heat.
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