Message
from the President
Here we
are nearing the end of another busy year and the end of an era.
For those who haven’t heard, Tex McLeod, HPBAC’s Manager and the
face of HPBAC, will be leaving his
position at the end of March of 2007. He’ll be with us through
EXPO in Reno, March 14 through 17, so be sure to come to the
Canadian Reception on Thursday, March 15th from 5 to
7 pm in Room C1 of the Reno-Sparks Convention Centre, to wish
him well and to thank him for his years of service to our
industry.
With
Tex moving on, the HPBAC Executive Committee is in the process
of looking for a new Manager. Any interested candidates should
contact a member of the Executive Committee – John Vukanovich
john.vukanovich@selkirkinc.com, Alan Murphy
alan@blackrockdistributing.com, Marc-Antoine Cantin
mac@sbi-international.com or me
kimr@telus.net. We'd also like to welcome Nicolle Howell to
the HPBAC staff. Nicolle joins Laura Litchfield at the
Huntsville office as Administrative Assistant.
There’s
a lot happening in the industry now and this newsletter is a
great way to keep up to date. Take a look at our regional
reports to find out about the wood stove changeouts in Quebec,
Nova Scotia and BC. BC continues to be the hotbed of government
issues in Canada. Find out more in the Western Chapter update
and in the Government Relations update.
HPBAC is
sponsoring a Beyond the Black Box Hearth Design Contest in 2007.
All members will receive information and an entry form in the
mail in the next few weeks. For more details visit hpbacanada.org and read the Ontario Chapter update in this
newsletter.
Lastly,
I'd like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the HPBAC Board
and all Members, to express our sincere thanks to those
companies who go the extra mile in supporting the association
through the volunteer work of their employees serving on our
national and chapter boards and committees. They are:
National Board and Committees
Barbecues Galore, AB
CFM Canada, ON
Diamond Fireplace & Stone Distributors, AB
Enviro/Sherwood Industries, BC
FPI/Regency, BC
Harbers Flame Centre & Masonry, ON
Les Agences R. Coutu, QC
Miles Industries/Valor, BC
SBI, QC
Selkirk Canada, ON
Terasen Gas, BC
The Fireplace Centre, BC
The Furnace Man, NL
Regional Boards and Committees
ATLANTIC
Maritime Fireplaces
Emco Corporation
Kerr Controls
Compact Appliances
Powrmatic of Canada
Country Stoves and Sunrooms
ONTARIO
Advanced Prefabs
Barbecues Galore
Coleman and Associates
Embers
Enbridge Gas Distribution
FPI/Regency
Harbers Flame Centre
Powrmatic
SBI
Heartland Appliances
The Foundry
Tri-Lane Distributing
Urban Hearth
PRAIRIES
Chimney Guys
Diamond Fireplace
Hearth & Home Fireplace Specialties
Northern Fireplace Ltd
Timberwolf Hearth Products
WESTERN
A & B Technical Services
CFM Corporation
Concorde Distributing
Fireplaces to Go
FPI / Regency
Miles Industries
Northwest Stoves
Pacific Energy
West Coast Oil Burners
Scotia Gas Services
The Fireplace Centre
The Heat Source
Kim Rodgers
HPBAC President
Insurance up for renewal
soon? Don’t forget to check out the HPBAC insurance
program.
There are a number of other great
membership programs available, including a Financing Program,
Mystery Shopping, hotel discounts, car rental discounts, NEBS
forms discount and gas discounts. For details visit
hpbacanada.org.
Committee Reports
Government Relations
BC Gas Fireplace Regulation - there
has been a flurry of meetings in BC recently, in
fact, as recent as last Friday in Victoria with
HPBAC representatives meeting with provincial
officials. All of this because of the requirement
within the BC regulation that EnerGuide efficiency
numbers must appear on all fireplaces offered for
sale in the province. For a variety of reasons this
poses problems and concerns - namely practicality,
safety and cost. We are pleased to advise that a
compromise has been reached with the province
providing temporary relief from this requirement
based on the fact that HPBAC has been working with
Terasen and the ministry to put in place a consumer
education program aimed at providing consumers with
efficiency information at the point of sale - the
retail environment.
BC Consumer Education Campaign on Gas
Fireplaces - in response to a BC Hydro
request for minimum efficiencies for gas fireplaces
tested to P.4, HPBAC countered that rather than the
"stick" approach of minimum efficiencies, what was
needed was a good consumer education program and a
"carrot", some kind of incentive to help consumers
make better choices. The good news is that the
ministry and Terasen accepted this approach and have
gone on to fund this campaign (with support from
HPBAC and HPBA). The program is scheduled to start
sometime in the new year. What is envisioned is a
mailing to all retailers which would include a
banner, a POS card, a brochures for the cash desk
and some EnerGuide "holders" in which the retailer
would place the EnerGuide number for the
appliances on display on the showroom floor - one
per appliance. The manufacturers, distributors or
reps would provide those numbers to their retailers.
That covers off the EnerGuide portion of the
messaging but in addition, what is envisioned is to
create a designation for better performing
appliances, the top performers in each of the
fireplace, fireplace insert of the free standing
categories - these we would designate "EnerChoice"
appliances and then working with Terasen, they would
make EnerChoice appliances eligible for utility
incentives. Over time we are hopeful the ministry
will succeed in getting a tax holiday for EnerChoice
hearth products much like what is in place for
EnergyStar furnaces or boilers. Our mailing would
also include some additional promo materials to
affix to EnerChoice-qualified products. As you can
see, we are counting on you to help make this a
success -ensuring that energy information about our
products is in front of the consumer - this in turn
will allow consumers to better include energy
performance as part of their buying decision. It is
understood that many of you still have questions
regarding the P.4 standard - suffice to say it is
still evolving but, realizing there will never be a
perfect standard, industry needs to own up to the
fact that we have a role in helping the consumer
make better energy choices.
As the final details are put in place for the
program we will be sending out our information
packages. The plan is to launch the program in
January at an event featuring all the BC
manufacturers and distributors joining with the
utilities and the province - a photo op that will
serve to put our products in the spotlight and help
drive business through your door. The launch would
be accompanied by purchased advertising and earned
media - the plan being to create a story that the
media will help us tell. Thanks in advance for your
help in making this program a success.
Communications Committee Update
hpbacanada.org
This year we've added Energy Saving Tips and Safety pages
and an Ideas Gallery to our website. The Ideas Gallery is
part of the homeowner site and any manufacturer member can
send two photos of products to include in the gallery at no
cost.
Our website usage statistics have been growing every month
with an increase in visits this November of over 100% since
November of 2005. Unique visitors also increased
dramatically since last year peaking in October.
New Project for 2007
In 2007 the Communications Committee will be working
on a hearth magazine insert with a national magazine. This is an
exciting new project with the objective of increasing awareness
of the wide variety of products and styles available to
homeowners from the hearth industry.
Thank
you to the members of the Communications Committee who have
given generously of their time this year. Rina Ristagno,
formerly of CFM, and Krista Osborne of Enbridge Gas
Distribution, have completed their terms with the committee. The
2007 committee consists of the following members:
John
Vukanovich, Selkirk Canada Inc.
Dominique Page, SBI
Alan Murphy, Enviro
Duane Rose
Membership Committee
Membership in HPBAC has continued to grow from 278 members
in 2000 to 471 in 2006. That's an increase of 41%. And HPBAC has
one of the highest membership retention rates of the HPBA
affiliates with 93%.
We hope
to continue to grow and have taken several actions to attract
new members. We've added a new dues level for individual members
such as chimney sweeps and inspectors. This new dues level of
$150 will allow the category access to HPBAC programs, including
the Insurance Program with Errors and Omissions liability
coverage.
We also
launched a Road Warrior program this year with a new Ambassador
Kit for those members who visit dealers regularly. If you are
interested in receiving a Road Warrior package please call our
office at 1-800-792-5284 or email
nhowell@bellnet.ca.
HPBA has a new affinity program that is available to Canadian
members. Laborchex offers a number of employment screening
services as special discounted rates for members. Services
include verification of previous employment, address search and
social insurance number verification, professional licensing
confirmation, confirmation of education, criminal record checks
and driving record checks. For details visit
www.laborchex.com/hpba.
Our thanks to the committee members this year for taking the
time to participate and support HPBAC:
Wayne
Rourke, Northwest Stoves
Steve Flett, Northern Fireplaces
Pat Bourque, Maritime Fireplaces
Kim
Stone, The Furnaceman
Joy Harbers, Harbers Flame Centre
Regional Reports
News from the Atlantic Chapter
The Department of Energy is offering a $200 rebate to Nova
Scotia residents who purchase Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) certified wood or wood pellet stoves between
October 12, 2005 and August 31, 2007.
Applications are available at all Access Nova Scotia Centres,
at most wood heating appliance dealers, or by calling
1.800.670.4636. Applications are also available
here.
Next June the Atlantic
Chapter will publish its third edition of East Coast Home
& Hearth. Each of the Atlantic Chapter members
receive copies for distribution to their customers.
The second edition of the magazine was published in June of
2006.
Quebec / APC Update
A Woodstove Changeout will run in parts of Quebec from
February 1st through March 31, 2007 with rebates for
consumers who change out old appliances for EPA-certified
appliances purchased from an APC member in greater Montreal,
Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières.
The goal of the program is to change out 1000 stoves and to
raise public awareness of the impact on the environment of
changing out old wood burning appliances.
Ontario Chapter Update
Barbecue
Education Day - January 31, 2007 in Ottawa
Don't miss the 2nd annual
Barbecue Education Day to be held in Ottawa on Wednesday,
January 31st. Last year's Barbecue Education Day in
Mississauga received great reviews from participants. Don
Johnson, HPBA Director of Market Research, will present
results from the Barbecue Survey along with other industry
experts on a variety of topics. More details will follow.
The Ontario Chapter is in
the midst of planning the 2007 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue
Summit to be held June 2-4, 2007 at Deerhurst Resort in
Huntsville, Ontario. Four committees made up of members and
staff are busy planning the education schedule,
entertainment and trade show. For more information on the
Summit, visit the website
www.hpbacanada.org/summit/index.html. You can take a
look at the Education Schedule and much more. Registration
for the Summit will open in January of 2007.
We’d
like to thank the following sponsors for their support of
the Summit:
RSF Energy sponsoring the Education
Sessions
Enviro sponsoring the Keynote
Address with Walter Moberg
Monessen Hearth Systems sponsoring the
Professional Service is Profitable Workshop
FPI / Regency sponsoring The Art
of Selling Workshop
Powrmatic sponsoring the Woodstove
Evaluation for Inspectors Workshop
Selkirk Canada sponsoring Wood, Gas
and Pellet Hands On Training
Pacific Energy sponsoring the Awards
Breakfast
The Foundry sponsoring the Sunday
Happy Hour
Advanced Prefabs sponsoring Sunday
Breakfast
Urban Hearth sponsoring Sunday Lunch
Jøtul North America sponsoring Sunday
Morning Break
SBI sponsoring Sunday afternoon Break
CFM sponsoring Monday Lunch
RSR Wholesale sponsoring Monday
morning Break
RSR Home Comfort sponsoring Monday
afternoon Break
Big Green Egg Canada sponsoring Early
Bird Registration Prize of One Night Accommodation at Deerhurst Resort
HPBAC sponsoring the Beyond the Black
Box Hearth Design Contest
There are still a few opportunities available for
sponsorship. Please contact Laura at 1-800-792-5284 for more
information.
Beyond
the Black Box Hearth Design Contest
One of the
many exciting concepts the Summit Social and Promotion
Committee has come up with is the HPBAC Beyond the Black Box
Hearth Design Contest. The contest is open to HPBAC members
across Canada and has four categories – New Installation
Freestanding, New Installation Fireplace, Before & After
Freestanding and Before & After Fireplace. The Before &
After category is for installations where a hearth already
exists and should include a photo of the old hearth and the
new. We hope to accumulate a variety of great installation
photos to use in promoting the hearth industry in Canada.
There is no cost to enter but you must be an HPBAC member.
Judging will take place at the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue
Summit in Huntsville, Ontario from June 2 – 4, 2007. Awards
will be presented at a special Awards Breakfast sponsored by
Pacific Energy on Monday, June 4.
Prairie
Chapter Update
The Prairie Chapter currently has 31 members.
The chapter will hold an Education Day in the late spring of
2007, likely in conjunction with its annual general meeting.
Details will follow.
Western Chapter Update
BC continues to lead the way with regulatory issues
in Canada. Along with the ongoing gas fireplace efficiency
and safety discussions there is a lot of activity relating
to woodburning in the province. Three changeouts are planned
in 2007, including the annual Okanagan and bi-annual Cariboo
regional programs. Both programs have been quite successful
in the past with the Okanagan program changing out 783
stoves in 6 years and the Cariboo program changing out 186
stoves in total. The third project is the Buckley Valley/Skeena/Hwy
16 project that will receive $100,000 in provincial funding
and $75,000 in funding from the city of Houston for consumer
incentives. The province will provide a $250 grant to
consumers who change out their old appliance with a new,
more efficient and cleaner burning appliance and the city of
Houston will provide a further $300 to participating
residents of the city. The hearth industry has been asked to
contribute $10,000 toward the advertising budget as well as
provide a 15% rebate during the month of March. This project
is considered a pilot for a possible province-wide program.
Focus on Gas
As reported earlier one of the
key issues being dealt with at the moment is the updating of
CSA P.4.1 which is the efficiency standard used to determine
the EnerGuide numbers. The committee is working on several
key areas that may have a direct impact on the numbers. The
next meeting is scheduled for January 17th in Vancouver,
this meeting is being hosted by Terasen Gas. For more
information contact Tom Stroud (HPBA) or Tex McLeod (HPBAC).
Industry committee members include: John Francisty, Martin
Miles, Cliff Lilley, Peter Baker, Don Jamison. The committee
chair is John Overall from Union Gas. One of the most
contentious items on the agenda is a proposal by BC Hydro
that the committee adopt a minimum efficiency for gas
fireplaces. Discussion is ongoing.
Safety related to gas fireplaces and
toddlers - all retailers are reminded to
alert new parents / grandparents to the dangers associated
with infants being attracted to the visual stimulation of
the fire. Retailers are encouraged, where possible,
to feature fire guards in a prominent location to remind
folks of the potential dangers. HPBA and HPBAC have joined
with the HPBAC Western Chapter to mount a safety campaign
and we need all of you to join us in this effort. Safety is
everyone's business so don't let a moment of inattention
lead to tragedy. Help keep kids safe.
No news on the federal front
but numerous bits and pieces are taking place on the local /
provincial level. While wood was identified as one of the
areas the Harper government was committed to act upon, the
reality is that the enabling legislation is through CEPA -
the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and this will be a
long and winding process to get this revised and approved.
If all the stars align we could see a federal regulation as
early as 2008 but realistically, it may take longer.
HPBAC has been working to
complete a contract with Environment Canada (EC) regarding a
new consumer wood use survey. While not without its
limitations, the survey has revealed some interesting trends
in consumer buying preferences - watch for the executive
summary prepared on behalf of HPBAC by John Gulland which will
be included in an upcoming issue of this newsletter.
The east - NS changeout is
underway and pending "EPA" style regulation, no tax on
pellet fuel or wood fuel. PEI - provincial tax holiday for
EPA appliances. Nfld - pending EPA regulations in 2008. Burn
it Smart workshops under consideration in NB and Nfld.
Quebec - APC is taking the
lead to sponsor a great stove changeout in the new year. The
big news is the budget set aside to promote the changeout
through mainstream media including TV / the Weather Channel.
HPBAC and HPBA are working with APC to set up some
translation and public relations initiatives supporting the
changeout.
Ontario - EC Ontario has once
again committed dollars in support of Burn it Smart
workshops. Retailers / distributors interested in
participating should contact Laura at the HPBAC office for
more info.
The West - 3 great stove
changeouts are on the books for BC; the Skeena / Hwy 16
corridor, the Cariboo and the Okanagan. The province and
several municipalities (Houston and Smithers) have committed
considerable financial resources to the Skeena / Hwy 16
program as a pilot for a proposed province-wide changeout.
This is a very exciting initiative and worthy of our
attention and support. Thanks to Reid Harvey and others
for their work in Kamloops where noises have been made
regarding a burn bylaw.
Speaking of the west, John
Crouch, at the invitation of the BC government, recently
made a presentation to air quality regulators from the
Northwest at their regional meeting in Victoria. Zigi
Gadomski set up the burn trailer so the delegates had an
opportunity to see the technologies first hand, including
pellet stoves. At that same meeting John Swan out of Prince
George stated during his presentation
that BC currently produces 7 times as much pellet fuel as
the rest of North America combined - and that is before BC
gets really serious about cutting down the beetle kill. BC
is arguably the Saudi Arabia of biomass.
Pellet Stove
Efficiency and
Emissions "Emissioncy" Testing
PFI and HPBA are funding a
project to look at the true clean burning capability of
pellet stoves. This project will look into how clean the
emissions are when the heavy particulate (which
typically falls to the ground anyway) is removed from
the sampling train. This testing will begin soon.
Corn Testing
HPBA will facilitate the investigation of corn stove emissions.
HPBA will fund a report, based on third party test data funded
by manufacturers, which addresses the basic assumption within
the industry that corn burning stoves are at least as clean as
pellet stoves.
Focus on BBQ
HPBAC is providing Hands-On Training for
Barbecue Maintenance at the Ontario Summit in 2007 delivered
by Paul Hasting of Napoleon.
HPBA will present several workshops relating to Barbecues
and the Outdoor Room at EXPO in
March including:
Ignite the Glow: Exciting Backyard Fireplace Designs from
the Sales & Marketing track
Outdoor Kitchens: Trends from the Kitchen Designer
Association
From the BBQ Queen: How to Host a Barbecue Demonstration at
your Store
How to Start up an Outdoor Room Business from the Outdoor
Living/Room Track.
Industry News
Selkirk Canada Earns
ISO 9000 Certification
Selkirk Canada
attained accreditation to ISO 9001:2000 for its Quality
Management System applicable to the design and manufacture
of chimney, venting and fireplace products.
This quality
system gives employees a systematic method for continuous
improvement by establishing a reliable way to take actions
toward improving products and services.
Lennox International Acquires
Country Stoves
Lennox International, in a move to
significantly grow its specialty hearth business, has
acquired Country Stoves, a well-established, quality stove
manufacturer based in Auburn, Washington. Founded in 1977,
Country Stoves makes a complete line of gas, wood and pellet
stoves, fireplaces and fireplace inserts.
According to Wendy
Howells, vice president and general manager of Lennox Hearth
Products (LHP), LHP’s stove line was somewhat limited, and
the acquisition of Country Stoves provides LHP with a full
line of retail-oriented products with minimal redundancy.
“Studies point to an
especially strong wood stove market over the next five
years,” says Howells, “due to energy prices and increased
focus on alternate energy sources. The acquisition of
Country Stoves is a unique and timely opportunity to partner
with a long-time, well-respected and profitable name in the
hearth retail marketplace.”
Lori Schaafsma, vice
president of sales & marketing, David Schaafsma, operations
manager, and Stan Yamamoto, general manager, will remain
with the company. Company founder Ron Schaafsma and his wife
Faith had already stepped back from the business.
Notices
Pete Singer
1955 - 2006
Pete Singer, the
well known and much loved hearth dealer, passed away
suddenly on December 4, 2006. Pete was a pioneer, having
opened The Efficient Wood Stoves in 1977 in Huntsville,
Ontario. He lived with MS for many years but never let the
illness slow him down and he never complained about the
limitations it forced on him. He was a generous contributor
to his industry as a WETT program instructor and as a long
time member of the CSA B365 solid fuel installation code
committee. Pete was a one-of-a-kind friend and colleague who
will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. For
information on how to make contributions to the trust fund
for his daughters please call the HPBAC office at
1-800-792-5284. Contributions on his behalf can also be made
to the MS Society of Canada.
Link to the following at hpbacanada.org . . .
Affinity Programs
Coming Events
If you've been forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to get your own copy here.
Sincerely,
Kim Rodgers, HPBAC President
|
December 2006
