November 1st signaled the beginning of “Winter Spare the Air“, which will run through until the end of February. What does this mean and how does it differ from Summer Spare the Air? As explained by Spare the Air website:
The Winter Spare the Air program notifies Bay Area residents when fine particulate, or soot, levels are anticipated to be unhealthy.
In the wintertime, particulate matter — especially particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller in size (PM2.5) — can become a serious problem in the region. To protect public health, the Air District will issue a Winter Spare the Air Alert when PM2.5 concentrations are expected to be unhealthy.
From November 1 through the end of February, under the Air District’s wood-burning regulation, when a Winter Spare the Air Alert has been called, burning wood, firelogs, pellets, or any other solid fuels in your fireplace, woodstove, or other wood-burning device is illegal.
For further clarification of what this entails, be sure to visit the Winter Spare the Air Frequently Asked Questions page.
