Canberra's wood heater phase-out: how to keep a real flame
The ACT Government has set a goal of phasing out wood heaters by 2045 and pays households to remove them. Here is where the rules stand, and how to keep a real fire in a Canberra home without wood smoke.
The ACT Government has set a goal of phasing out wood heaters in Canberra by 2045 and runs a program that helps households remove them. The 2045 date is a policy target, not yet law, but the direction is clear. A bioethanol fire keeps a real flame in the living room with no wood smoke, no chimney and no gas line.
Where the ACT rules stand
- 2045 target: announced by the ACT Government in 2023 as a phase-out goal. It is not yet legislated.
- New suburbs: lease conditions already stop wood heaters in some newer areas, including Molonglo Valley (other than Wright), Dunlop and East O'Malley.
- Compliance: since early 2025 it is an offence to install a wood heater that does not meet the efficiency and emissions rules.
- Help to remove: the ACT Government offers support for households replacing a wood heater with efficient electric heating.
The detail is still moving, so check the current rules with the ACT Government before you remove or install anything.
Why Canberra is acting on wood smoke
Canberra winters are cold and still, and smoke from wood heaters settles in the valleys overnight. Research on the ACT has linked wood heater smoke to avoidable deaths each year, and Asthma Australia has called for a coordinated national approach to wood smoke. Wood heaters are a shrinking option in the territory, especially in new suburbs.
What you lose, and what you can keep
Taking out a wood heater usually means moving to reverse-cycle heating. That is efficient, but you lose the flame. For many households the flame is the point: the place the family sits on a winter night.
A bioethanol fire burns a real flame from a liquid fuel made from plant sugars. It burns to heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide, so there is no smoke drifting across the street on a still night and no woodpile to keep stocked. It needs no chimney and no gas connection, which also suits households taking the house off gas.
A suspended fire in a Canberra home
A hanging fire suits the open-plan living areas of a knockdown-rebuild or a renovation, and it does not need a chimney breast or hearth. Pair it with reverse-cycle heating for the whole house and use the fire for the living room on cold evenings.
- The Iconic 900 gives 5.5 kW and turns 360 degrees.
- The Curve 120 gives 4.4 kW for open-plan rooms of 110 m³ or more.
- The Curve 90, Orbit and Silo give 4 kW for rooms of 90 m³ or more.
Match the burner to the room using our size guide.
If you are removing an existing wood heater
Removing the heater and flue leaves a hole in the roof and often a hearth. A suspended fire does not use the old flue, so it can go wherever suits the room. Ask your builder to check the ceiling structure where the fire will hang: the Naked Flame forms need a structure that holds 350 kg to allow for swing.
Delivery and installation in the ACT
We deliver to your door anywhere in Canberra and the ACT, with freight as a flat rate at checkout. We do not install. A suitably qualified person must install the fire to the maker's instructions and ACT building requirements.
Common questions
Is Canberra banning wood heaters?
The ACT Government has set a 2045 phase-out goal and restricts wood heaters in some new suburbs through lease conditions. A territory-wide ban is not yet law.
Is a bioethanol fire a wood heater?
No. It burns liquid bioethanol, not wood, and produces no smoke or ash.
Can a bioethanol fire heat my whole house?
No. At 3 to 5.5 kW it warms the room it is in. Plan it alongside your main heating.
Sources: ACT Government media release (2023), Canberra Times, Rentoule Projects summary of ACT rules (October 2026), Asthma Australia (May 2026).