Trust spokesman John R. Wilson, of Arrowtown, said it appeared residents were starting to get the message about the need to switch to approved heating appliances in the town, where smog and pollution over winter had become an increasing problem.
"Wood burners will always be very popular, especially in Arrowtown, because people have got relations with farms and they get firewood cheaper than other forms of fuel."
Otago Regional Council regional services group manager Jeff Donaldson said an air quality metering system at the Arrowtown School measured the level of air pollution in the town every day.
"The national standard is being exceeded so many times during May through to July and even through to August."
The ORC was offering subsidies to assist people to change to more sustainable heating options and there had been more applications coming through for those subsidies this year, Mr Donaldson said.
The subsidy was $2000 towards a replacement, complying appliance, with an understanding the ORC could remove and take possession of the non-complying appliance.
"More people are recognising that it's a problem now that we're putting the [pollution] readings in the paper."
While the ORC did not plan on "storming through people's homes" to check if they were using approved heating devices, Mr Donaldson said more and more people were "complaining about their neighbours".
He said the council was requiring people to comply in the long term, but it was acting on complaints at this stage.
The ORC used contractors to carry out installations, so the community as a whole was benefiting, Mr Donaldson said.
