Tuggeranong gets the worst of the smoke impact, with regular temperature inversions and the shape of the valley holding pollutants closer to the ground.

Ms Taylor, from Narrabundah, developed asthma later in life and has had to replace her woodfired heater with a split system.

She said one of the big problems was her house was not insulated, which meant she "nearly froze to death" without the heater going.

Ms Taylor received an ACT government subsidy to remove the wood heater and a subsidy to remove another gas heater and replace them electric heating.

She said, while it took some getting used to, the change meant she could breathe more easily of an evening.

Rebates of up to $1250 are available to replace woodfire heaters, with Asthma Australia urging residents to take up government subsidies.

Chief executive officer Michele Goldman said governments are offering them because woodfire heaters are an inefficient form of home heating that causes air pollution.

"We get many complaints from people in the community who are completely frustrated by neighbourhood homes using woodfire heaters," Ms Goldman said. "They feel helpless to escape the smoke, which triggers their asthma and affects their lives."

Ms Goldman said just seven per cent of homes used woodfire heaters nationally, yet they were the main source of fine-particulate pollution in many areas during winter.

"These tiny smoke particles are breathed in deep into our airways, which is not only problematic for asthma and other respiratory conditions but causes problems when these fine particulates enter the bloodstream," she said.

READ ALSO:

Dr Jade Redfern, director at the ACT government's analytical laboratory, said Canberra usually has very good air quality, due to the lack of manufacturing and businesses which cause high pollutants.

Dr Redfern said the main contributors to pollution in the ACT were smoke, dust, and ozone - caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when different pollutants from traffic and mechanical sources react with the sun.

The ACT has traditionally measured air quality using large stationary devices, with monitors located at Florey, Civic, and Monash.

An investigation has been underway this year into the feasibility of using multiple smaller senses to gain a more accurate picture of how air quality differs from suburb to suburb.

Dr Redfern said one option for the sensors would be some immobile and other which were deployed to areas of concern for whatever reason.