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Reducing Domestic Wood Burning through Voluntary Air Quality Alerts: An IBM-WASH Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention in Wales
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Menna Price ,
Ian Walker ,
Paul Lewis,
Rohit Chakraborty ,
Caitlin Bunce ,
Kori Sunter
Environmental Management, Volume: 76, Issue: 5, Start page: 171
Swansea University Authors:
Menna Price , Ian Walker , Paul Lewis, Kori Sunter
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© The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s00267-026-02463-8
Abstract
Burning solid fuels for home heating is a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and associated health risks across Europe. This article reports findings from a pilot study of a voluntary ‘burn alert’ system in Swansea, Wales, aimed at reducing domestic burning emissions. The system combine...
| Published in: | Environmental Management |
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| ISSN: | 0364-152X 1432-1009 |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2026
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71789 |
| Abstract: |
Burning solid fuels for home heating is a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and associated health risks across Europe. This article reports findings from a pilot study of a voluntary ‘burn alert’ system in Swansea, Wales, aimed at reducing domestic burning emissions. The system combined dense air quality (AQ) monitoring, postcode-level PM2.5 data, and behaviorally informed SMS/email alerts discouraging burning during poor air quality episodes. A sequential mixed-methods design included pre- and post-intervention surveys (n = 49) and follow-up interviews (n = 14). Over four weeks of use, 84% of participants (n = 41) reported avoiding burning at least once on receipt of an alert. Among those providing quantitative estimates of burning behavior (n = 47), 606 total hours of avoided burning were reported. AQ literacy also increased significantly among participants completing both surveys (paired t-test: t(40) = 2.04, p <0.05), with mean scores rising from 7.9 to 8.6 (out of 12). Using the Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IBM-WASH), qualitative findings indicate that engagement was shaped by contextual factors (including energy costs and regulatory perceptions), psychosocial factors (including trust, self-efficacy and health concerns), and technological factors (including alert timing and perceived sensor proximity). Although recruitment was low relative to the wider burning population, the findings indicate that voluntary, hyper-local alert systems may support behavior change and improvements in AQ literacy among engaged users. Meaningful population-level emission reductions are therefore likely to depend on integrating such systems within broader regulatory and public information strategies, alongside measures to address household energy pressures. |
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| Keywords: |
Air quality; Air pollution; Domestic burning; Voluntary regulation; IBM-WASH |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
This study was funded by the Welsh Government Local Air Quality Management Fund. |
| Issue: |
5 |
| Start Page: |
171 |