From the HPBAC Manager

I really enjoyed seeing so many of you at the Summit here in Ontario earlier this month. What a fantastic event! I would like to pass on my thanks and appreciation to the Ontario Chapter Board and on behalf of everyone, I would also like to thank our staff members, Laura Litchfield and Nicolle Howell, for working tirelessly and going well beyond that extra mile to ensure that everything went off seamlessly.

It is now three months since the EnerChoice program was launched in British Columbia. This program operates under EnerGuide for Gas Fireplaces which HPBAC now manages. EnerChoice is a joint initiative between HPBAC, Terasen Gas and the B.C. Provincial Government. It is designed to promote consumer awareness of the differing levels of efficiency within the gas fireplace market and to encourage consumers to select appropriate models according to their needs. This program is seen as an alternative to further legislation, at least for the moment and it is therefore critical that manufacturers, distributors and retailers are fully engaged. If you have any questions or comments about EnerChoice, please send them to me at tonyhpbac@bellnet.ca .

The process for determining the latest revision of the P.4 gas efficiency test is thought to be nearing completion. There are of course many contentious issues within P.4 and the whole process has taken longer than expected. I will report back on this at a later date.

The process for revising B415 is well underway. B415 is the Canadian equivalent of the US EPA Standard which relates to wood burning units. The revision committee is chaired by our own HPBAC President, Marc-Antoine Cantin from SBI. Tom Stroud from HPBA and I also sit on the technical committee which met for the first time this month. One of the main areas being examined is whether B415 can be applied to large firebox appliances such as indoor furnaces. The revision process is expected to take at least two years.

Most of you are by now probably aware of the Federal Government’s Eco-energy Retrofit Program. This is the program by which consumers can have their homes inspected for energy efficiency (there is a cost for this) and can then receive rebates from the Government once they have completed energy saving upgrades to their property. If you ‘google’ ecoenergy, you will likely rapidly find all the relevant information. Of particular note is that there is $300 available for replacing a non-EPA/B415 wood burning unit with a new conforming model. If you have any problems finding the information you are looking for, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

By the time the next newsletter comes out, I am afraid fall will be fast approaching. I hope you all have a great summer. Our offices will be open throughout although staff will be taking their holidays. – Tony Gottschalk, Manager HPBAC.

HPBAC Ontario Chapter Summit
Our first Summit, held at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville in early June, was a tremendous success thanks to the hard work of our Ontario Chapter Board and the incredible support of our sponsors, exhibitors and delegates and of WETT who held their board meeting and Annual General Meeting in conjunction with the Summit.

We had well over 300 people in attendance, with 158 delegates and many exhibitors, sponsors and other guests. The atmosphere was festive and fun and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Opening Night Party
What would a hearth, patio and barbecue industry event be without a party. The Luau was moved from the beach to the ballroom due to the weather but our great decorating team managed to make the room very beachy. About 240 people, many dressed in costumes fit for a Hawaiian beach, enjoyed the music of Eddie and the Stingrays, wonderful food and dancing.

Thanks again to our sponsors who helped to make the Luau a great success - Heartland Appliances, Lauzon Recycled Wood Energy, Powrmatic, Selkirk Canada, Skytech, Simpson Dura-Vent, Union Gas and Valor Heating.

Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony was held bright and early on Sunday, June 3rd on the trade show floor. Joy Harbers, president of the HPBAC Ontario Chapter; Marc-Antoine Cantin, President of HPBAC; Jack Goldman, President of HPBA and Tony Gottschalk, Manager of HPBAC welcomed everyone and participated in our gas line cutting ceremony. We had a race to see who could cut the line the the fastest and the new guy won - Tony.

Education
Our regular Education Schedule was sponsored by ICC / RSF and included fourteen workshops over two days. We had a varied and comprehensive schedule with sessions geared toward marketing, design, technical training, and trends in the hearth and patio businesses, and in the future of energy. We also included sessions on working with TSSA and Building Officials. All sessions were well attended.

Our keynote speaker, Walter Moberg of Moberg Fireplaces, was sponsored by Enviro. Walter's topic was Beyond the Black Box - The Fire's Place. As one of our delegates remarked "Walter Moberg was a wealth of information. His educated experiences provided valuable insight. He was very well spoken and it was a pleasure to hear first hand about his unique work."

In addition to the regular schedule, the Ontario Chapter held Hands-On Training for Pellet and Wood, sponsored by Selkirk Canada and Gas sponsored by Enbridge Gas Distribution. We had scheduled a Hands-On Barbecue Maintenance session but have postponed it to early 2008 for our barbecue members.

Two of our special workshops - The Art of Selling sponsored by FPI / Regency and Woodstove Evaluation for Inspection sponsored by Powrmatic - were well attended. We scheduled a Professional Service is Profitable session, sponsored by Monessen Hearth Systems but unfortunately cancelled in the end due to low enrollment.

Exhibition
The trade show included indoor and outdoor exhibit areas plus an outdoor room exhibit which was used in our Northern Outdoor Room workshop. The show floor was busy and exhibitors who responded were pleased. We had 31 companies exhibiting in about 50 booths with over 94 brands on display. Delegates who visited all booths and had their ballots stamped were eligible to enter a draw. The winner was Dave Allen of Yarmouth, NS.

Outdoor Room Display on the Peninsula Terrace. Many thanks to Advanced Prefabs, California Outdoor Kitchens and Barbecues Galore for providing product for our display. The area was used for the Northern Outdoor Room workshop delivered by Linda Crammond of Linda Crammond Interiors.

Exchange of Ideas
One of the goals for the Summit was to provide opportunities for networking and socializing. Breakfasts sponsored by Advanced Prefabs and Pacific Energy, breaks sponsored by SBI, Jotul, RSR Home Comfort and RSR Wholesale and lunches, sponsored by Urban Hearth and CFM were held in the conference hallway and on the trade show floor to keep the group together. The Foundry sponsored our very successful Happy Hour on Sunday afternoon.

Summit Sponsors
The Summit could not have happened without the support of the following sponsors:

Judging of entries in the first Beyond the Black Hearth Design Contest took place at the Ontario Summit in June and three awards were presented at the Awards Breakfast, sponsored by Pacific Energy, on Monday, June 4th.

Our judging panel was made up of Walter Moberg of Moberg Fireplaces, Linda Crammond of Linda Crammond Interiors and Jack Goldman of HPBA. They were presented with unlabelled, numbered photos for judging. We had close to 25 entries in the contest this year and hope to increase that number next year so start taking photos of your installations!

Grand Prize
The Grand Prize winner was Chemong Chimney with their beautiful stone fireplace installed in a cottage in Bridgenorth, Ontario.

The entry was submitted by Ken Monk and Ben Heigh. Chemong Chimney received the award pictured in the middle of the photo above.

The award for Before & After Fireplace went to Rideau Valley Hearth & Home for their new installation in a home in Westport, Ont. The Before photo on the left shows a stove pipe running through the room, floor to ceiling. The After photo shows the new fireplace installation.

Jim and Angela Archambault were presented with their award by Linda Crammond, one of our judges. They received a plaque, as pictured above.

The New Installation Fireplace Category was won by Harbers Flame Centre and Erin Black who designed the project. The stone fireplace is on display in the Harbers Flame Centre showroom. Pictured below is the winning entry and Erin Black, Brian Harbers and Joy Harbers receiving their plaque from Linda Crammond.

  Unfortunately we didn't have any entries in the Free-standing Categories this year but hope to have some next year.

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all members who entered the contest this year. We look forward to receiving more entries in 2008. We'll be posting a gallery of all entries on the hpbacanada.org website this summer.

Are you having a dealer meeting?
The HEARTH Education Foundation is proud to introduce two new training aids. The Fireplace Installer Training System (FITS) and the Hearth Online Training Program are now available. We have prepared a CD with a short (6-10 minute) self-running presentation for each of these programs. If you are going to have a dealer meeting would you consider letting your dealers know how they can take advantage of these programs? We will be happy to send a CD that will explain both programs. Simply reply to this e-mail, or call (815) 334-1215 to speak with Rick Vlahos.
Contact: Rick Vlahos
Senior Manager, Training
HEARTH Education Foundation
(815) 334-1215 Direct Line
vlahos@hpba.org

Industry News

The Hearth Store at Lawsons Celebrates May is Barbecue Month

May, 2007 – Moncton, NB. In order to commemorate The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association’s May is National Barbecue Month Campaign, The Hearth Store at Lawsons in Moncton, New Brunswick held a barbecue on May 12, 2007. The featured events included a demonstration of the Primo Grill, face painting for the kids, burgers and hot dogs, a chimney sweep to shake hands with for good luck, and several draws for great prizes. It was a very successful event drawing in nearly 200 people. The Hearth Store at Lawsons would like to thank Powrmatic, Compact Appliances, Onward Manufacturing, National Energy, Diversco as well as Forge Distribution for their contribution to making this wonderful event the start of a yearly tradition!

Selkirk Announces WETT Bursary

WETT Inc. and Selkirk Canada Corporation are pleased to announce the creation of a training bursary. This bursary will cover the course fees for one individual per year seeking assistance with the cost of WETT certification.

“Creating this award signifies Selkirk Canada’s commitment to the industry,” says Selkirk Canada’s President Tim Valters. “Proper training in all aspects of installing, maintaining and inspection of woodburning systems is an essential component of the industry’s product stewardship requirements.”

“WETT is pleased with the support offered by Selkirk Canada and we applaud their commitment to training” says Anthony Laycock, WETT’s Executive Director. “Annually over 1,000 people take WETT courses from coast-to-coast, and the participation of the manufacturers and industry suppliers is essential for the WETT program.”

The purpose of this award is to provide financial assistance to a person seeking WETT certification as an installer, system advisor or sweep following the WETT path to certification. A committee struck by WETT

Inc. annually will review the applicants to select the nominee. Recipient selection criterion will include but not limited to: prior exposure to the industry, perceived interest in the programs, references provided and perceived financial need.

For more information on the bursary please contact the WETT office or visit www.wettinc.ca

Mystery Shopping Coming Up in October 2007

If you haven’t already signed up, watch for our registration form for Mystery Shopping in August. Our new supplier has worked out very well.

For a printable version of this email, go to hpbacanada.org, select Trade and click on the Newsletters link. Choose July 2007 issue.

If you've been forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to get your own copy here.

Sincerely,
Marc-Antoine Cantin, HPBAC President