Subsidies Of $500 Encouraging Tumut Residents To Replace 'Ol Smokeys'

Tuesday, July 9, 2002, Tumut & Adelong Times

Three more 'OL Smoky's' have bitten the dust in Tumut. With over $25,000 handed out to Tumut residents to date and some $22,000 more committed to be spent, the round up of "OL Smoky's" in town is underway!

"Some progress has been made to date, but there is still plenty of work to do in the area of Woodsmoke Reduction,"said Ken Fletcher, Tumut Shire Council's Environment Officer.

A few residents recently who have benefited from involvement in the program include Johnene and Don Hobson of Anderson Place, who collected an easy $500 towards the cost of replacing their old woodheater with a modern and efficient gas log fire. "We get the cleanliness and speed of gas with the visual appeal of an open flame heater. The unit looks great and keeps us warm, and we were pleasantly surprised by just how well it performs," said Johnene. "The Council did a great job of taking care of the paperwork and we got our cash incentive within days of installing the new heater, its a great program!"

John and Trina Thomson of Grant Street were another family which picked up a handy $500 for replacing their "OL Smoky" with a ducted reverse cycle air conditioner. This unit is a new high efficiency model that heats the whole house, not just the living areas. "No more ash, no more dirt and dust, no more broken finger nails, no more splinters, no more getting wood from the shed in the rain and cold", said Trina. "The cash incentive prompted our decision and we couldn't be happier!"

Craig and Diana Palmer of Wynyard Street picked up a cool $500 towards the costs of a full household gas conversion, including home heating, hot water and cooking. "We are very happy with the gas heater as it is much more convenient and safer than the wood. The application process was very easy," said Craig.

Mr Fletcher said with some 48 old wood heaters removed from around the town at this point, there is less smoke around and we can all breath a little easier. There is plenty of funding still available and interested persons can check out the Council web site at tumut.nsw.gov.au or contact the program manager, Ken Fletcher, during business hours on 6947 0535 to chat about the program and discuss how it may help them.

The Woodsmoke Reduction Program is a joint initiative of the NSW EPA and Tumut Shire Council. The Program applies to the residents of Tumut township only. Conditions do apply and the final deadline for payments is August 31, 2002. Get in quick while the funding is available!