Otago Regional Council (ORC) group manager regional services Jeff Donaldson said the council and other funders had contributed about $2 million towards retrofitting homes with insulation and replacing heating appliances in the air zone 1 towns of Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell and Arrowtown.
The Government had also contributed about $4 million.
The other funders of the scheme include the Central Otago District Council, Arrowtown Clean Air Warm Homes Trust, Aurora Energy, Central Lakes Trust, Otago Community Trust, Milton Rotary and the region's primary health organisation.
Grey Power Central Otago secretary Jackie Goyen said it was only because of the funders that Central Otago people had received adequate heating.
Originally, it was decided in Wellington out-of-date heating appliances should be replaced by heat pumps, but those making the decision "don't know what cold is" and did not know the Central Otago climate.
"Health-wise, coal should not be burned, but they should never have said to remove wood burners. It is also medically important to have warm homes and they should have replaced wood [fires] with [more efficient] wood [fires]. In Central we are getting wood for wood, but it is not from Government money."
Mr Donaldson said 70% of replacement heating appliances were approved log-burners.
The Clean Heat Clean Air programme was created to help with insulation and the cost of replacing non-complying coal or multifuel burners or an open fire with an approved clean-heating appliance, including pellet burners, heat pumps, flued gas heaters and efficient wood burners.
