HPBAC

Norman Lenz May 9, 1928 - February 20, 2011

2011-03-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

The North American Chimney Sweep family are saddened by the passing of our 'grandfather' Norman Lenz

A wonderful man who inspired so many [but he may not have known this] with his stories and knowledge. One Canadian sweep wrote "With Norm's passing, it feels like a chapter closing, as a new one begins for we North American sweeps."

Norman began climbing up on roofs when he was 4 years old (and frightened his mum with that stunt) and grew his love of chimney sweeps and their work from that time. He began his apprenticeship with sweeping a long time ago in Germany on April 1, 1942 and many years later brought to Canada many of his ideals and thoughts to start his own business.

He swept many a chimney over the years and has stayed semi-active in the industry up until the time of his illness. He was the Canadian source for the Wohler Viper chimney cleaning system which is now cared for by his daughter Irene and her husband Andy Copp.

Like many in the sweep industry, Norman succumbed to a form of cancer after a long and well-fought battle. During his bout with cancer he broke his hip and ended up in hospital. He fought and it healed, despite the bone cancer. He was just that kind of man.

Norman was a founding member of the Ontario Chimney Sweeps Association and later became an Honorary member of the Chimney Sweeps Association of Canada in the late 90s. His goodhearted, passionate and well spoken opinions will be missed by all who knew him. I had the honour of presenting him with the "Long Time Award" at the Northeast Regional Chimney Sweeps Expo a few years back and he was quite taken aback by the honour. He did not realize that the honour was ours, to bestow this award upon him. He was a humble soul.

Norman took time a few years ago to write of his adventures and published a book in 2008 (available through lulu.com) called "Wanderschaft" Tales of a Travelling Sweep. It regales the reader of his life and hardships. A great read and inspiration to our youth of today.

I personally, will always treasure the talks we had together and how he would get so mad at the way 'his' profession was going and then smile and dismiss it as 'youth folly's' of a sort. My words, not his but he understood.

Norman spent the last of his years living in Brockville, Ontario with his wife Rita. He leaves behind his family and friends - from the world.

Norman - you will be missed.

Yvette Aube

Winter grilling truly a cool way to cook

2011-02-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Winter grilling truly a cool way to cook

Check out this article on winter grilling from the Halifax Chronicle Herald.

Biomass Article in Chronicle Herald

2011-02-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

Read the recent article on Biomass in the Halifax Chronicle Herald.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1225357.html

Attend HPBAC Reception at EXPO 2011 via @constantcontact

2011-02-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Attend-HPBAC-Reception-at-EXPO-2011.html?soid=1101832902636&aid=KBfI-WlADxc

Visit our Event page to find out more about the HPBAC Reception and other HPBAC Events at EXPO this year.

CSA TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RELATED PERFORMANCE OF FUEL-BURNING APPLIANCES AND EQUIPMENT

2011-01-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

Martin Miles, the chair of HPBAC's Government Affairs Committee, and I are both voting members on this extremely important CSA Technical Committee. This Committee sets the terms of reference for both efficiency standards such as P.4 for Gas Fireplaces as well as performance standards such as B415 for wood burning equipment. The next TC committee meeting is scheduled for this coming Friday January 14th. We shall both be attending.

Tony Gottschalk
Manager HPBAC

HPBAC working with CHBA

2011-01-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

Today I will be attending a meeting of the Research and Technical Publications Subcommittee of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. This subcommittee operates under the auspices of CHMA's Technical Research Committee which I also attend whenever possible.

Tony Gottschalk
Manager HPBAC

HPBAC to meet with the Summerhill Group

2011-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

Next week, Craig Gutowski, Andrew Vickers and I, together with representatives from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, will be meeting with the Summerhill group (formally the Clean Air Foundation) at their offices in Toronto.
On the agenda is a brainstorming session on how we may fund and operate a wood burning appliance change out program in Ontario later this year.
More information on Summerhill can be found at summerhillgroup.ca

Tony Gottschalk
Manager HPBAC

Keremeos Review - B.C. invests $400,000 to reduce smoke from wood stoves

2010-12-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

Keremeos Review - B.C. invests $400,000 to reduce smoke from wood stoves

Check out this article on the BC Woodstove Changeout

Gas Fireplace Efficiency

2010-12-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

This week I will be travelling to Mississauga to attend the latest meeting of the CSA Technical Committee on Energy Efficiency and Related Performance of Fuel-Burning Appliances and Equipment. The last meeting was in St John's last June. I am a voting member of this most important committee as is Martin Miles, the chair of our national Government Affairs committee. This TC sets the terms of reference for a plethora of performance standards such as P. 4 and B415. I will also be taking the opportunity of meeting with folks from Natural Resources Canada with whom I have an on-going dialogue.
Gas Fireplaces are not currently regulated for minimum efficiencies. This will change. Our challenge is to ensure that regulators understand the rationale of not setting these minimums too high and not applying minimum efficiencies to "decorative appliances". Gas fireplaces are not purely utility appliances. They need to be aesthetically pleasing and treating them in the same way as furnaces or water heaters is unreasonable.
This is an extensive and complicated area which has taken up a lot of my time, and that of volunteers, over recent months. It encompasses the future of pilot lights, thermostats, maximum BTU limits, the marketing of "decorative" units and the reworking of the performance standard p.4. The process is further influenced and complicated by similar events taking place in the US.
At worst many gas fireplaces, as we know them, could be regulated out of existence. I am pleased to say, though, that the folks at NR Can seem committed to working with us so as to achieve an outcome that the industry can accept.
Discussions will no doubt continue for months to come.

Tony Gottschalk,
Manager: HPBAC

Wood Stove Change Out Program Coming to Ontario

2010-12-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Last week, along with Craig Gutowski and Andrew Vickers from HPBAC's Ontario chapter, I met with staff from Ontario's Ministry of Environment in Toronto.
We have been working closely with them for over a year now, assisting them with their development of guidelines for municipalities who wish to pass by-laws regulating the use of wood burning for residential heating. Through our involvement and a lot of hard work, these guidelines are now well balanced and "industry friendly" while still assisting municipalities in dealing effectively with air shed quality issues.
During our discussions, we often spoke of the need for a change out program. As we all know the old technology stoves are the real problem, not the modern appliances we now supply. So last week we started mapping out a plan together and hope to have something ready to launch in June 2011. We have invited the Ministry folks to the Fireside Symposium in Collingwood where we hope they will present the new municipal guidelines as well as details of the change out program.

Tony Gottschalk

HPBAC 2010 AGM Results

2010-12-03T07:10:00.001-08:00

Over 50 members joined the HPBAC board for the 2010 Annual General Meeting at Woodbine Racetrack on Monday, November 15th. Members heard from four HPBAC committees on their activities and the issues the industry is facing in Canada. Jack Goldman of HPBA filled them in on major developments in the US.

Following the meeting, the guests adjourned to the dining room for a wonderful buffet dinner and to lay bets on the horses.

Congratulations to David Malcolm of Over Ridge Fireplaces & Grills in Port Perry, ON who won our door prize - dinner for two at Woodbine Race Track.

Each guest received a $5 voucher for the slots. Martin Miles of Miles Industries managed to parlay his voucher into $95 while Norma Bourque won $50 and Kim Davis won $19.

To receive the minutes of the Annual General Meeting please contact hpbac@bellnet.ca

Time is running out to register for the HPBAC AGM and a Night at the Races

2010-11-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this great event. You can join the Annual General Meeting by teleconference or come to Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto at 5:00 pm on Monday, November 15th to attend in person. And join industry colleagues for dinner and an exciting evening at the track.

For information on how to join by teleconference please contact 1-800-792-5284.

Stoves heat things up

2010-11-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Stoves heat things up

Attend HPBAC 2010 Annual General Meeting & Night at the Races via @constantcontact

2010-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Register for the 2010 HPBAC Annual General Meeting and join us for A Night at the Races

Click this link for more details and to register:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Attend-HPBAC-2010-Annual-General-Meeting---Night-at-the-Races.html?soid=1101832902636&aid=jEbpwne617w

Why Wood Stoves will form an important part of tomorrow's energy mix

2010-08-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Are Log Burners Tomorrows Heating Technology?
07.08.2010 Author: Marissa Clijsters Posted in Environmental
As an example of an environmentally sound, high efficiency technology with a promising future before of it, most people likely would not straight away think of the wood burner. This is, when all is said and done, an item that seems to have altered hardly at all since its invention a couple of centuries back.

But take a deeper look and you’ll find that the old-style exterior design is only there to provide aesthetic appeal. Most modern wood burners are capable of combustion performance comparable to a regular gas boiler. Modern regulations have forced manufacturers to radically improve the internal technology in order to comply with increasingly tight standards.

Yet strangely, while most people think nothing of lighting a gas flame, they hesitate when it comes to burning logs. Perhaps because the emissions are more visible with wood smoke and of course it’s quite clearly a dead tree. But the interesting thing is that although burning wood does release carbon dioxide, growing another tree will soak back up the same amount – hence there is no net CO2 gain.

When trees are used as a managed resource, there are as many planted as are felled – and of course there is always a sizable stock representing the stages from sapling to mature tree. The point being that each tree in this cycle absorbs as much CO2 during its growth as it will release when burned (or indeed left to rot).

In contrast to fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas whereby CO2 is released to the air but never reclaimed, growing woody biomass (as trees are termed) ensures that the levels of CO2 remain in balance.

Now unless you’ve been living in cave, you’ll be aware that anything that helps to slow, halt or reverse CO2 pollution is increasingly important both and into the foreseeable future. A proven, effective and sustainable source of energy that at the very least doesn’t make matters worse is going to appear pretty dammed attractive.

With both regulatory “push” (incentive schemes and grants etc.) and consumer “pull” as more people are persuaded of the benefits, you don’t need a crystal ball to predict a rosy future ahead for the log burning stove.

For those able to make use of woodburners, this technology provides a comparatively (compared to oil and gas) cheap way of providing heat and hot water. However, it is not fully scalable and not anyway an answer to all our current problems. It is however not about to slip quietly into the history books any time soon.

2010-07-15T08:51:00.001-07:00

Western Chapter to host Tee it Up Summer Socials
They're going to be fun, informative events and a great way to reacquaint ourselves with one another.

Join in anytime...
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm Golf social with friends

Come swing, wack, chip or putt your way around the practice green and driving range. All abilities welcom! Complimentary bucket of balls and clubs.

6pm to 7pm Dinner is served

Sit down and enjoy a BBQ buffet with all the fixings, complete with dessert and beverages.

7 pm to 9 pm Industry Updates & YOU

Informal gathering highlighting industry news and chapter updates
The BIG announcement - Terasen Gas rolls out their $50,000 EnerChoice program for 2010/11
Floor is open to answer your questions and discuss issues facing you and your region

Everyone is welcome!

Invite your friends, family and co-workers.

Members & Guests $20 each

Non-Members $25

Cash Bar

Registration required two weeks prior to the event.

Call 604-941-4172 or 1-800-792-5284 for more information and a registration form or visit the whpba.ca website or hpbacanada.org website

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors - Terasen Gas, Blaze King, Canned Heat, Concorde Distributing, ICC, Mr. Fireplace, Napoleon Fireplaces, Northwest Stoves, Pacific Energy, Regency, Valor, and SCHOTT Robax

Municipal by-laws

2010-07-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

HPBAC frequently works with municipalities to develop by-laws that address nuisance smoke and yet are fair and reasonable to the industry. HPBAC posts a model by-law, in both languages, on its website to facilitate this process. Most recently, the association has been working with the city of Prince George, B.C.

Gas showroom safety in Ontario

2010-07-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

An advisory was issued by Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) in Ontario last July about requirements for product hook-up in gas showrooms. The TSSA is a provincial body, only operating in Ontario. HPBAC became aware of the advisory towards the end of last year as inspectors starting knocking on doors. The requirements are extremely onerous. HPBAC has been in discussions with TSSA with the objective of finding a way to achieve the safety objectives without putting retailers out of business. Industry meetings were held in May in Ottawa, Toronto and London to which TSSA staff were invited. The meetings were extremely well attended and proved very fruitful. The gas safety code allows for different hook up requirements for temporary installations such as trade shows and TSSA, at HPBAC’s instigation, has agreed in principal, to extend this provision to gas showrooms. Two trials will now be conducted. TSSA will require an automatic CO alarm and cut off. HPBAC has assisted in the sourcing of this device.

Gas Fireplace Efficiency

2010-07-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Following the US DOE final ruling on hearth products, NR Can has contacted HPBAC to “discuss the future of gas fireplace efficiency in Canada”. They are clearly looking at minimum efficiencies and the outlawing of standing pilots. They are however accepting of the fact that they do not fully understand our industry and are therefore seeking our engagement from the start.. Tony Gottschalk had an informal meeting with a representative from NR Can at the CSA conference in St Johns in June. A more formal meeting is likely to follow in Ottawa in the fall. Any new regs would seem years away but this could change as they will inevitably be heavily influenced by developments in the US.

Municipal wood burning by-laws for Ontario

2010-07-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Ontario Ministry of Environment is in the process of preparing a document designed to give guidelines to municipalities that wish to pass by-laws controlling all types of burning. On seeing the first draft, HPBAC met with the Ministry and persuaded it to delay publication by at least six months. The first draft was full of errors and completely unbalanced in regard to our industry. A constructive on-going dialogue has ensued. Further meetings have taken place and the third draft is due in July. At HPBAC’s request, the document will have substantial revisions and is now to be split into two with our industry’s products being separated from open burning.

New Wood Burning Regulations For B.C.

2010-07-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

British Columbia is in the process of reviewing its residential wood-burning regulations. HPBAC has been fully engaged. The BC Intentions Paper, outlining BC’s proposed approach, was due last fall but was delayed as a result of staffing issues within the Ministry of Sport and Healthy Living. It was finally released in May. The proposal is broadly based on Washington state emission levels and the new CSA B415 in terms of its treatment of central systems. It also proposes that any, more stringent, requirements coming out of the NSPS process in the US would automatically be adopted in BC. All HPBAC manufacturing members and BC members have been sent the relevant link which includes instructions for commenting. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/codes/solid-fuel/index.htm. HPBAC’s national GAC developed a largely positive response which was delivered to the Ministry in June. Comments were due by July 2nd.

The Latest from Montreal

2010-07-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

In the Spring of 2009, despite a strong campaign by APC that was well supported by HPBA and HPBAC, the Montréal City Council voted in favor of banning the installation of all new cordwood fueled heating appliances within the city. APC subsequently launched a legal challenge against the new by-law, based on the premise that it had no credible scientific basis. The first hearing by the Québec provincial court regarding APC’s legal action against the city occurred in November. The judge ruled that the case had sufficient merit to go forward to a full hearing, probably sometime this summer. The by-law stays in force until then. It should be noted that no other Canadian jurisdiction has indicated it has any plans to follow Montréal’s lead. Four Canadian manufacturers have contributed a total of $10,000 towards APC’s mounting legal costs.

The Review of the EPA NSPS- How will it affect your business?

2010-07-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

by John Crouch, HPBA/PFI Staff

As everyone in our industry now knows, the EPA is deep into the process of reviewing their program that certifies clean burning wood stoves, which is formally known as the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Wood Heaters. A lot of retailers and reps have questions about how these changes might affect their business, so HPBA has produced a short Q&A piece for the affiliate newsletters.

What is NSPS?

The NSPS is the EPA's wood stove certification program. It is the rule which was adopted in 1988 that requires that all wood stoves manufactured or imported in the U.S. be certified by the EPA. This current review is the first revision of this rule in 20 years.

What will this review cover?

The EPA is at least considering covering everything that burns solid fuel in this review;

A lower passing grade for wood stoves
Certification process for pellet stoves and boilers, as well as corn stoves
Removal of the exemption for single burn rate heaters and furnaces
Factory built and masonry fireplaces
Masonry heaters
Outdoor hydronic heaters

How will everything get certified and will there be enough time?

This is one of the key issues for HPBA. Some of these products will need more time than others to get all of the models certified. How long the passing grades are for each product will also impact how long it takes to recertify the line. It's quite possible that there will be seasons where not all of your favourite models have completed the new certification. There will be many detailed changes to both the wood stove and the pellet stove test, and it's impossible to know which units will be easy to recertify and which will be difficult.

What is HPBA doing about the NSPS process?

HPBA has retained the very best professional assistance available to us: Mr. David Menotti, of the law firm of Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw Pittman. David has represented our industry on air quality issues since 1985 with the state regulation in Colorado, and he was instrumental in the negotiations that lead to the first NSPS in 1988. David is now a well-known air attorney and has represented many industries (such as the American iron and steel industry) on issues with the EPA.

HPBA is also using the services of Bob Ferguson, who was once the lead engineer at Vermont Castings, and is now a private consultant. Bob is working very hard on the details of the new pellet stove test method, and on a new ASTM test process for stick stoves, which may remove some of the 'busy work' in the certification testing process, which in turn will lower those costs. Bob is also assembling blinded data for all the test runs for all the existing certified stoves, which will help determine the new passing grade. In addition, many members have volunteered extraordinary amounts of time in meetings and strategy sessions, with the full support of their companies.

This sounds expensive; are the manufacturers paying for this?

The HPBA board of directors voted to assess solid fuel hearth manufacturers for half of the costs of this effort and match that with funds from our Government Affairs budget. Every company whose product depends on solid fuel has been assessed each quarter for their share of actual expenses. All appliance manufacturers and importers, as well as all chimney, hearth pad, and accessory members have been invoiced. In the two invoices sent in 2009 almost $50,000 was raised from Manufacturers above and beyond their dues. This is being matched from the HPBA Government Affairs budget. Of course, existing HPBA staff assets are being used wherever possible, and many key volunteers have contributed hundreds of hours of their time gratis.

I've donated to my affiliate's NSPS effort; on what will my donation be spent?

Our team is in frequent contact with the EPA staff, including face to face meetings in North Carolina, Oregon, and Georgia. In addition, the ASTM working groups are meeting twice a month, generally by phone, to plan the new test methods. In 2009 our legal bills and meeting expenses exceeded $200,000. Affiliate contributions are being used to support the general program and to minimize the disruption to our industry.

Your donation and sacrifice is very much appreciated!

2010 will be the cusp, the key moment, of this whole process.

What wood stoves and pellet stoves look like and how well they operate (heat) for the next 10-20 years, may well be determined over the next 12 - 18 months. Even though this is a tough year for all of us, we can't let up.

HPBAC Meets With TSSA To Discuss Gas Showroom Advisory

2010-04-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

Following an advisory by TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority) concerning the venting of gas showroom fireplaces in Ontario, representatives from HPBAC met with the authority last Tuesday (April 13th). An in principal and practical way forward was mapped out.
In May HPBAC Ontario Chapter will be holding three industry meetings in Ottawa, London and Toronto to better inform both members and non members alike. Representatives from TSSA will be present. All are welcome. Please register in advance.
Details are available from Elena Morrison at: hpbacontario@bellnet.ca

CSA B366 Draft out for public review

2010-04-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

The latest version of B366.1, Solid Fuel-Fired Central Heating Appliances, is now available for public review:

https://review.csa.ca/opr/opr_list.asp

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter

2010-04-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

February 2010 HPBAC Voice Newsletter
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs046/1101832902636/archive/1103023825576.html

PLUG PULLED ON FEDERAL ECOENERGY RETROFIT PROGRAM: FUTURE OF MATCHING PROVINCIAL PROGRAMS UNCLEAR

2010-04-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

The federal government has suspended the Eco-Energy Retrofit Homes Program. After promising that the program would be available until March 2011, Ottawa announced that it would no longer accept applications to book pre-retrofit evaluations as of midnight on March 31, 2010. This means that anyone who has not already booked an evaluation is no longer eligible for a rebate. The program provided homeowners with incentives to have their homes evaluated for energy efficiency, and then perform upgrades to improve their rating. One of the qualifying upgrades was changing out old technology woodstoves. Critics are already voicing their concern and disapproval of the decision, on the heels of the Home Renovation Tax Credit being recently extinguished.
Cancelling the retrofit program is a serious mistake, says Green Communities Canada. "Canada needs to get with the program," said Clifford Maynes, executive director of Green Communities Canada. "Instead of turning its back on energy efficiency, Ottawa should demonstrate vision and leadership. Canada needs a bold commitment to bring Canada's inefficient housing stock into the 21st Century."
The decision by the federal government seems to have taken the provinces by surprise. No news yet as to how the matching provincial programs may be affected, although the federal government has said it will continue to offer administrative support for those programs.

One of many reasons why the installation of clean wood burning heating appliances should never have been banned in Montreal

2010-02-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

Winds cut power for 95,000 in Quebec
Schools close because of dangerous driving conditions
Last Updated: Friday, February 26, 2010 9:50 AM ET Comments8 Recommend9
CBC News
High winds cut power to about 95,000 Hydro-Québec customers Friday morning, while officials closed dozens of schools because of blustery road conditions.
Environment Canada issued wind warnings for Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City and reported gusts as high as 90 km/h in several regions including the Laurentians, the Lanaudière, and the Outaouais.
The hydro outages are affecting 14,000 customers in Quebec City, 3,200 in Chaudière Appalaches, 15,300 in the Laurentians, 17,500 in the Lanaudière, 5,500 in the Outaouais, and 2,100 households in Laval.
The power utility said it could take part of the day to restore electricity to all its customers.
Most schools in the greater Quebec City region were closed, including those under the Central Quebec School Board, because of high winds and blowing snow on major highways in the area.
Transport Quebec urged drivers to be cautious.
On Thursday, the Transport Ministry closed Highway 10 in the Eastern Townships because of high winds, blowing snow and poor visibility.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/02/26/wind-gusts-knock-out-power-in-quebec.html#ixzz0genfEPEC

From the New York Times

2010-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

December 31, 2009, 9:15 am — Updated: 10:22 pm -->
The Smoldering Wood Pellet Business
By JOHN LORINC
With millions of families preparing to pitch their Christmas trees, the North American wood pellet industry is thinking optimistically about environmentally minded uses for waste timber.
Associated Press The wood pellet industry is poised for expansion.
This month, a start-up in Arkansas, NexGen Biomass, announced plans to build 150-employee plant capable of producing 440,000 tons of pellets a year on the site of a former saw mill in El Dorado. It is the second such investment in the state this year, according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
In August, Phoenix Renewable Energy started construction on a $110 million pellet processing facility in Camden, Ark.
Both are responding to Europe’s rapidly growing appetite for biomass fuel.
A milled wood pellet is slightly smaller than a multivitamin tablet. Made from timber harvesting residue or sawdust, pellets can be burned in residential wood stoves, or ground up and used in industrial heating applications. The so-called pelletization process concentrates energy and reduces moisture content.
According to The Timber Trades Journal, a British publication, the North American wood pellet market has grown sixfold in the last five years, largely on the strength of exports to the European Union, which wants to move to 20 percent renewable energy by 2020.
The American South, the journal reports, is expected to become North America’s leading pellet-producing and exporting region.
The Pellet Fuels Institute, based in Washington, estimates that North American production reached about 6.2 million metric tons in 2009.
Canadian firms, the institute noted, were first to tap into the market.
In recent years, British Columbia leaped into the pellet sector as the province’s timber industry struggled to find alternative uses for trees infested with the Asian pine beetle. Ontario is also looking to stoke the pellet market as a major electrical utility, Ontario Power Generation, moves to convert one of its coal-powered plants to biomass fuel by 2012.
In the United States, meanwhile, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a provision to spur consumer interest in wood heat, offering consumers a tax credit of up to $1,500 for the installation of a 75 percent efficient biomass stove.
From an emissions perspective, pellet proponents argue that this form of fuel is greenhouse gas neutral, because burning wood doesn’t release additional carbon into the atmosphere.

New Press Release on Heating With Wood

2009-12-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

HPBAC has issued a press release To Be Honest, Wood is Good. This press release is available to all members to submit to their local newspapers, along with a photo of an EPA-certified wood stove.

Visit hpbacanada.org or contact HPBAC at 1-800-792-5284 for a copy.

2009-12-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

Visit hpbacanada.org to view the Ontario Woodlot Owners new publication - Fuelwood, the Environment and the 21st Century. Visit the Downloads section to view this excellent discussion paper.

HPBAC Canadian Reception on hiatus until 2011

2009-11-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

The HPBAC Canadian Reception has grown over the past ten years to host over 800 people and a floor hockey tournament. But, as 2010 is a special year – the 30th Anniversary of HPBA - the HPBAC board agreed at its meeting in October to take the year off. We’re going to join with HPBA and industry members in celebrating 30 years of service to the hearth, patio and barbecue industry on the show floor from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on Thursday, March 11th. We hope to see you there. We’ll be back in 2011 at EXPO in Salt Lake City with our Canadian Reception, in the same time slot of 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

We do plan to host the Focus Canada meeting on Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 am in the convention centre in Orlando. Please join us for a light breakfast and an informative meeting.

New Wood Burning Stoves Burn Clean

2009-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

From an article in the U.S.

Manufacturers of wood stoves and fireplace inserts, prodded by strict government standards, have produced some of the cleanest wood-burning devices ever to hit the market.
“If you haven’t shopped for stoves in the last 15 years,” said Steve Pettit, manager of Swim World, a Wenatchee spa and stove dealership, “then you’re going to be amazed. This is a different breed of stove using a different breed of technology.”
Years ago, after federal guidelines for wood-burning devices were revised, stove manufacturers began creating devices to recirculate smoke and gases for additional burning. The first effective device was an in-stove catalytic converter, similar in design and performance to the mechanism found on automobiles. It worked moderately well, said Pettit, but had to be replaced every three to five years.
It didn’t take long for manufacturers to invent a better pollution-reducing gadget. Borrowing technology from commercial furnaces, stove makers soon began offering home wood-burning devices with secondary burn tubes, a type of air-fed pipe that produces intense flame and heat that vaporizes particulates and breaks down many toxins. Most secondary burn tubes need no replacement and last for the life of the stove.
Modern stoves with secondary burn tubes dramatically reduce smoke and gas emissions, said Pettit.
For instance, an old-fashioned fireplace — where smoke just shoots up the chimney — produces about 70 to 90 grams of smoke particulates per hour. But newer stoves, tested and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, produce 2 to 5 grams of smoke particulates per hour.
Even better, Pettit noted, some EPA-approved pellet stoves — devices that burn pressed-wood beads or pellets — can reduce smoke particulates to 0.7 grams per hour.
“It’s really an astounding reduction (in pollution) that’s good for the homeowner and the environment,” Pettit said. “It makes new stoves incredibly efficient.”
Of course, these stoves come with a fairly hefty price tag — anywhere from $1,100 to $2,500 or more, depending on size and extras. Ornate cast iron stoves, often the choice of traditionalists, are a bit pricier than the standard steel stoves because of add-ons that might include top-loading access, fancy handles and hardware and tempered glass doors.
Homeowners pricing a stove should also remember to figure in installation costs — stove pipe, brackets, carpentry, insulation and labor.
“You need to think long term when it comes to a wood stove or insert,” said Pettit. “These are durable appliances that, when properly cared for, can warm your home for many, many years.”

How woodstoves have changed

2009-10-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

New technology makes woodstoves more environmentally friendly
October 14, 2009
Re: Act together to ban woodsmoke so autumn doesn’t take breath away, letter to the editor, Huntsville Forestre, Oct. 7.
I could not help but wonder what possible justification this lady had in calling for such a draconian act as banning wood-burning appliances.
A third of all Canadian households have a wood burning appliance and many of these choose to use this locally available, renewable green energy source as their primary heating fuel. For many residents of Muskoka and elsewhere, it is by far and away the most cost-effective way of heating their homes and for many others represents the only emergency backup heat during our all-too-frequent hydro outages.
Fortunately, here in Muskoka, as in most of Ontario, we do not have a problem with our air quality during the heating season. Our smog days come on hot summer days and are a gift from the industrial and hydro-generating south, on both sides of the border.
That is not to say, however, that ‘nuisance’ smoke on a neighbour-to-neighbour level does not occur. Such nuisance smoke can take many forms, but in the most severe cases can be extremely distressing for those involved. However, the technology employed in woodstoves has changed dramatically in recent years. New technology woodstoves, that is to say those certified by the US EPA (US Environment Protection Agency) or by CSA (Canadian Standards Association) B415, emit up to 90 per cent less “smoke”, including particulate matter, than old technology stoves. Such stoves are mandatory in the entire United States and several Canadian provinces but, alas, not yet here in Ontario. It is up to the householder or cottager, therefore, to make the sensible choice. There are hundreds of dollars of rebates available from both the provincial and federal governments to help consumers change from old stoves to the new, efficient, cleaner stoves. Added bonuses are that the new stoves take a third less wood to produce the same amount of heat and deposit less creosote in the chimney. Good burning practices should also be employed regardless of the type of appliance being used. The most important of these being, only untreated, seasoned wood (9 to 12 months drying time) should be used and under no circumstances should garbage be burnt in wood stoves or any other wood-burning appliance. I would also remind the readers, from a safety standpoint, that wood-burning appliances should be swept and checked over at least once a year by a qualified technician.
If any of my fellow wood-heating brethren are still feeling somewhat anti-social given the comments of the letter writer and her kind, I would add the following: Queen’s University biology professor, Paul Grogan, a leading expert on climate change, has recently gone on record citing the environmental benefits of wood heating as a virtually carbon neutral, entirely renewable, locally available and green energy source.
Our forests are a great Canadian resource and, when managed properly, are completely sustainable. Tonight I shall relax in front of my Ontario-built wood stove and give thanks for nature’s harvest, including my locally grown wood. The only thing my neighbours will be able to see coming from my chimney stack will be a faint heat shimmer.
Tony Gottschalk
Huntsville

Article from New York Times illustrates why cottagers north of the border should look at replacing their old technology wood stoves.

2009-09-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Your Second Home Heating With Wood
Warm, Cozy and Cleaner
By STEVE BAILEY
WHETHER your weekend getaway sits on a Georgia island or in the forests of Maine, at some time during the year you’re probably going to have to heat it. If your property has a lot of trees, there’s a chance you can get the heat you need at almost no cost.
Second-home owners can learn from people who heat their full-time residences with wood. Kathi Hooper, director of the Lincoln County, Mont., Environmental Health Department, knows about heating with firewood. “I grew up with it,” she said. Today, her 1,400-square-foot house is comfortably heated by a wood-burning stove.
Firewood is a primary source of home heat in Libby, in Montana’s northwest corner, and wood smoke has become a growing winter air-pollution problem over the years. The Hoopers and about 1,000 other households there exchanged old stoves for new ones between 2005 and 2007 in a program involving the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Montana and the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, a trade group. “Our old stove was a homemade metal box,” Ms. Hooper said, “and smoke would pour out whenever you opened the door to stoke the fire.”
With the new stoves, the people of Libby experienced a 70 percent reduction in indoor air pollution during the heating season, according to a University of Montana study. “It’s been noticeable,” Ms. Hooper said of air-quality improvements indoors and out. “Now, when you open the door of the stove, no smoke goes out into the room. And outdoors we have fewer gray, hazy days. We have a lot of inversions; we’re a narrow valley with high mountains and no wind, so the air just stagnates.”
Modern wood-burning stoves not only burn more cleanly than old ones, they reduce wood consumption. “We now use half the wood we used to,” Ms. Hooper said, requiring about four cords all winter to heat the house they live in full time. They get their wood free from their five-acre property and by harvesting fallen trees on nearby public lands.
People without their own wood source often buy it by the cord (that’s a stack four feet high, four feet deep and eight feet long). A cord of seasoned and split firewood was recently offered on Craigslist for $230 delivered in the Lower Hudson Valley; in Monterey County, Calif., a firewood service offered to deliver a cord for $280.
“A lot of second-home owners are in rural areas with free sources of firewood,” said Leslie Wheeler, a spokeswoman for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association. “The key is to have an efficient appliance for burning the wood.” New fireplace inserts, essentially wood-burning stoves that fit into a fireplace, and new freestanding stoves have what Ms. Wheeler described as a two-burn system, burning the wood first, then the smoke so that less of it goes up the stovepipe and more heat goes into the room.
It’s important to burn only seasoned (thoroughly dry) wood. Green or freshly cut wood does not burn well and produces more creosote, the tarlike goo that can build up inside your flue or stovepipe and eventually become a fire hazard. Frequently used chimneys and stovepipes should be checked and possibly cleaned annually. Firewood should be stored away from the house, off the ground and protected from rain.
Even if your weekend house has a working furnace, there may be substantial savings in adding a wood-burning stove or fireplace insert. A recent search of an online stove dealer, Discount Stove & Fireplace (www.discountstove.com) found inserts from $1,750 to about $2,700, and stoves from $800 to $2,750. Prices for stoves start at about $400 at large home-improvement stores. Installation costs vary, but expect to pay $400 to $1,000.
Annie Calhoun’s family has been heating their 2,000-square-foot vacation house in Killington, Vt., with wood since it was built in 1964. “My dad is a longtime forester and has been very involved in alternative energy for a long time,” said Ms. Calhoun, who lives in Lincoln, Mass. “We have an Ashley stove and a Franklin stove. Loggers used to drop off logs, plus we bring some wood from land we own in New Hampshire. And we get some wood from the property itself.”
Some weekend-home owners use firewood to supplement oil or electric heat. They set their furnace’s thermostat at 50 or 55 degrees when they’re away to keep pipes from freezing, and when they arrive for the weekend, they quickly get a wood fire going.

Climate change expert professor from Queen's is interviewed on CBC radio earlier this year.

2009-09-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW WITH PAUL GROGAN RE: WOOD STOVESWEI CHEN (CBCK-FM): Many homeowners are cranking up the heat in order to fight off the chill this winter. That means using more electricity, heating oil or natural gas. Unfortunately the result can be greater carbon dioxide emissions and higher costs. That reality prompted a study from a climate change expert at Queen’s University. He discovered that heating a home with both a natural gas furnace and a wood-burning stove is not only more energy efficient, but slightly cheaper than relying solely on fossil fuels. Paul Grogan is professor of biology at Queen’s University, and he joins us now. Good morning.PAUL GROGAN (Professor, Queen’s University): Good morning, Wei. Thanks for your interest.CHEN: Oh, well what led you to conduct this research?GROGAN: Well it’s a personal story really. We installed a wood stove about two years ago, and I’m teaching at Queen’s and we had this undergraduate course on climate change and fossil fuel issues and that kind of thing, and I said well why don’t I bring the students to the house and talk about the environmental, economic and social advantages and disadvantages of trying to supplement our domestic heating with this wood stove?CHEN: And so what did you find?GROGAN: Essentially what we did was we found that there was a 60 percent reduction in the CO2 emissions to the atmosphere as a result of heating with the wood in combination with the natural gas as opposed to prior to that when we just had natural gas.CHEN: Huh. And how much… how much of the wood stove did you use? How much natural gas? What were the percentages?GROGAN: Yeah. We pretty much kept the wood stove going as much as we could; we burned five full cords of wood which is quite a substantial amount. And then of course we did the economics to see how much did the wood cost us and how much wood we used… (inaudible) natural gas. And there’s a slight benefit to using the wood, and it’s about $50 per year as far as we could work out. But nevertheless from the environmental point of view we see there’s a huge advantage in terms of making some contribution towards reducing our CO2 emissions.CHEN: I always thought that burning a wood stove was bad because of the pollution that caused.GROGAN: Yes, that’s a very good question, and I should point out that we were using one of these high efficiency second recombustion stoves. And there are… the more traditional wood stove is not as efficient, and therefore… and one basically has to burn more wood to achieve the same heat output. And secondly and perhaps most importantly the second recombustion of the modern stove burns the smoke before it’s emitted, so the reductions in smoke are about 70 percent, so that’s a huge factor in this thing. In other words from an environmental benefit point of view, you’re reducing CO2 emissions, but the out-smoke emissions are relatively small.CHEN: Now what is the emissions that come from your wood stove then? How much compared to what comes out of the fact that you’re burning your gas?GROGAN: Right. Well… one tends to think about these things in terms of tonnes of carbon emitted per person per year. I don’t know if you remember about five or six years ago of the thing called the One Tonne Challenge?CHEN: Yeah.GROGAN: That the federal government had to try to encourage people to be more aware of the fact that they’re producing CO2 which essentially a waste product and affecting climate change. So prior to installing a wood stove we were emitting 2.5 tonnes per person per year of CO2, and then after installing a wood stove the net emissions were about one tonne per person per year. So it’s a big difference.CHEN: Now you said that you went through five cords which is quite a lot you said.GROGAN: That’s right, yeah.CHEN: So even with one of these super energy efficient wood stoves, it still goes through quite a bit. Is that a good use, even though I know it is a renewable resource, but it takes so long…GROGAN: Yeah, and that’s—CHEN: for trees to grow.GROGAN: That’s right, that’s the key factor here is that we’re considering the wood as a renewable resource, in other woods that it’s carbon neutral. So just give me a second to explain that. You know if you’re driving along the 401 and you look into the forest on either side, you’ll see trees growing, and you’ll also see dead and decaying trees. And the trees that are dying and decaying are decomposing and releasing their carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. So essentially if the wood is harvested in a sustainable way, in other words if the forest is managed properly, and the dead wood or old wood is taken out, essentially by burning it in the stove, you’re just increasing the rate at which the CO2 is released into the atmosphere, but the total amount is the same whether it would burn in the stove or whether it would naturally decompose on the forest floor.CHEN: Okay, I see. So do you recommend then that everyone get a wood stove?GROGAN: Well, it’s not gonna suit everyone. So the third aspect of this study which the students really had fun with was the notion of what are the sort of lifestyle changes, the social aspects of this? So they did a survey, and the things that came out as being important from consumers’ perspective in terms of deciding perhaps to use a wood stove would be things like effectiveness of heating and operation costs and that kind of thing. But it’s very clear that older people for example may not have the energy to literally get up and stack wood, arrange for its supply and then obviously feed the fire on a regular basis. So there’s some situations where it wouldn’t really pay off. On the other hand in rural locations and where people may have their own wood lot, the economic saving is very, very substantial because obviously their wood didn’t cost anything.CHEN: Well it’s very interesting. Thank you very much for joining us this morning.GROGAN: Thank you.CHEN: Bye now.GROGAN: I’m off for a cup of fossil fuel-heated coffee.CHEN: (Laughs.) All right, bye.GROGAN: Bye.CHEN: Paul Grogan is a professor of biology at Queen’s University. We reached him this morning at his home in Kingston.*****

Ontario Woodlot Association Media release

2009-09-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ontario Woodlot Association
275 County Rd. 44
Kemptville, ON
K0G 1J0

Media Release

For Immediate Release
September 9, 2009

Firewood is a Renewable Green Energy Source!

Wednesday September 9, 2009: Rural Ontarians have a long history of using fuelwood for home heating and could be considered one of the early leaders in the movement towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by using this renewable green energy source.The harvest of fuelwood is one of the essential management tools used by woodlot owners to help maintain and enhance our forested landscape. The sale of fuelwood is an important economic driver within our rural communities and is a cost effective heating source used by tens of thousands of rural landowners. As the provincial government moves towards developing new clean and renewable energy initiatives the Ontario Woodlot Association has prepared the discussion paper Fuelwood, the Environment and the 21st Century that provides federal, provincial and municipal leaders and the general public with key and important facts linking sustainable forestry practices, advanced wood burning technology and good wood burning practices with cleaner air.

“We believe the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the discussion paper will result in cleaner air, assist in maintaining healthy forests and work towards building a stronger green economy”, says Pieter Leenhouts, President of the Ontario Woodlot Association. “By managing our forests sustainably, we help the environment, increase carbon sequestration and improve our forests while continuing to provide accessible renewable green energy to Ontarians. Fuelwood has to be part of that formula.”

A copy of the discussion paper Fuelwood, the Environment and the 21st Century is available on the website http://www.ont-woodlot-assoc.org/info_pub_fuelwood.html or by contacting the Ontario Woodlot Association.

For more information contact:

Wade Knight, Executive Director
Ontario Woodlot Association
(613) 258-0110 ext. #223
E-mail

2009-08-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Grassroots Efforts Work

HPBA's recent major legislative successes in the U.S. Congress - the 2009 Tax Credit included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and the $20 million Certified Stove Program for changeouts amended to the House Climate Change bill - would not have succeeded without the important grassroots efforts of many of our members. To them we offer a rousing "Thank you!"

Local grassroots efforts have been effective tools in lobbying elected officials and these successes are a testament to their importance. In Maine, Senator Susan Collins (R) accepted an invitation from Jøtul North America, Inc. for a plant tour; the staff at Quadra-Fire displayed their products to local Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) and the staff of Senator Maria Cantwell (D) at their Colville, Washington, facility; and, also in Washington State, Representative Jay Inslee's staff recently visited Travis Industries, Inc. All of these visits began, or continued, a discussion of the impact of HPBA's hearth industry on energy resources and the lives of their constituents.

The result of these grassroots encounters? Senator Collins led the charge getting the tax credit measure signed into law, and Representative Inslee worked to get the $20 million changeout amendment adopted. Both were supported by other Members of Congress we contacted, including the ones mentioned here. Simply put, grassroots inspired visits by Members of Congress and their staffs have had an enormously positive impact on the success of our legislative agenda.

We were fortunate that these Members of Congress with whom we collaborated became key figures in the 2009 ARRA stimulus package negotiations. Those collaborations led to the $1500 consumer tax provision for energy efficient upgrades, which included wood and pellet stoves. But, it is time to intensify our efforts and pursue an effort that will "fuel" greater congressional accomplishments in the future.

To do this, we need our affiliates to take an active role in keeping our current successes intact and act on future opportunities. This involves an active Affiliate Grassroots Lobby Campaign.

While we recognize that not all HPBA members can provide plant tours, there are many grassroots opportunities that the national HPBA staff can identify and help you coordinate. It is, however, up to you, the local constituent, to contact your local legislator because it is the local constituent who drives national politics. Therefore, we are asking our affiliates to actively lobby their Members of Congress on behalf of the industry.

We strongly recommend you use your graduates of the Government Affairs Academy to approach your Members of Congress to voice, explain and promote several key industry issues currently pending in Congress. Here are suggestions of how to make the program work using office visits, plant tours and Letter to the Editor campaigns. The details of these campaigns are attached and also available on our website (www.hpba.org).

Step 1: Have your affiliate contact Seth Voyles (HPBA's Manager of Government Affairs at 703-522-0086 or voyles@hpba.org) and commit to participate in the Affiliate Grassroots Lobby Campaign. Seth will help coordinate your efforts by identifying your congressional members and their staff, and especially those we want to target. (Targeted Members of Congress will include those on the committees with whom we deal most, such as Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, and Finance.) You can also go to http://www.hpba.org/government-affairs/take-action and click on "Legislator Search" to find your elected officials.

Step 2: Contact the district offices of your three Members of Congress and ask to speak to the staff person handling energy or environmental issues. HPBA will provide you with "talking points" to help you explain our industry, our needs and our future legislative agenda. Invite the Member or staff to visit a local HPBA manufacturer or retailer ("facility") to gain a better understanding of the industry, its members and its role in energy.

Step 3: Once you've gained the staff's interest and invited the Member of Congress to visit a local HPBA facility, explain why our industry is important to both local and national economies with job creation and innovative technologies. This will attract that member to accept the invitation. We will show you how to set up, publicize and do the follow up on a plant tour.

Step 4: Following any facility tour, a "thank you" should be sent to the participating Member of Congress and their office (and especially to those who are supporting our industry's efforts). The thank you comes in two forms: A personal note and a Letter to the Editor of your local press (samples are available). This is the best way to get - and keep - their support for our legislative objectives.

Again, our affiliates need to exercise their political assets - the Government Affairs Academy graduates. These are the people that HPBA has trained to push our industry agenda through the legislative processes, both state and national. Spreading the HPBA narrative of clean-burning efficient hearth products is the best way to get a return on your training investment. We can't stop now.

From our successes over the past year, we know the value of dialogue and working with a few Congressional members. Just imagine what can happen when we talk with all of them.

We thank you for your attention to this request, for your hard work in the past, and for the grassroots work you will be doing in the future.

For more information, please contact Allan Cagnoli at Cagnoli@hpba.org or Seth Voyles at Voyles@hpba.org.

2009-04-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

From the Montreal Gazette, Friday, April 24, 2009

Residents favour EPA wood stoves, poll suggests

Two-thirds of residents of Greater Montreal are opposed to an outright ban on new woodstoves, like the one the city of Montreal is poised to approve as early as Monday, a new poll shows.

The Ipsos Descarie poll made public yesterday found respondents favour new rules requiring that all wood stoves, including those already installed, meet United States Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Some local suburbs, like Pointe Claire, already have bylaws requiring EPA compliance. Others, like Dollard des Ormeaux, are looking at similar bylaws.

The Ipsos poll was commissioned by the Association des professionnels du chauffage, the association that represents wood stove manufacturers and dealers and others in the heating industry.

Montreal held three days of hearings last month into its proposed bylaw. The bylaw would impose a ban on the installation of new wood stoves and wood-burning fireplaces only. It is up for adoption Monday by city council.

In a related move, the city says it's asking Quebec for a subsidy program to encourage existing wood stove owners to convert to gas, electric or wood pellet stoves.

Quebec has no rules on wood stoves but it is writing its own new regulations. The association that commissioned the poll says Montreal should postpone voting on its bylaw until it sees what kind of rules the province produces.

Promoting Clean Wood Burning

2009-04-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Following a recent proposal by a municipality in the Montreal area to attempt a ban on all wood heating, the idea that heating with wood is an unsound environmental choice has become a hot topic of discussion.

The wood heating industry has evolved substantially over the past few years. The vast majority of appliances sold on the market now meet the emission limits set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the Canadian standard CSA B415.1. Wood burned in these certified appliances emit up to 90% less particulate (pollution) than older stoves, making it a clean, renewable energy source. Also, Pellet Stoves (burning compressed sawdust) are high efficiency appliances that produce extremely low particulate emissions. They are manufactured from waste products and other renewable resources across Canada. They represent a significant source of heating fuel from material that could otherwise be sent to landfills.

Wood heating enables millions of North Americans to heat their homes at a reasonable cost. It represents a reliable source of renewable energy, independent of electricity, which reduces our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels for heating is a major source of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. In comparison, pellets have only a small carbon footprint and wood is essentially carbon neutral.

Numerous countries, provinces and municipalities, have adopted laws that regulate the sale of wood heating appliances that do not meet the latest standards in terms of particulate emissions. Among them, we can name the United States, Australia, New Zealand, as well as numerous countries that are part of the European Union. In Canada the Provinces of British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland have also introduced laws regulating the sale of wood heating appliances. In most cases, financial incentives were given to homeowners to replace their old stove with new, certified wood or pellet heating appliances. The problem of pollution created by old stoves has not been ignored – it has been transformed into an opportunity through carefully designed initiatives. There is clearly a worldwide trend of energy diversification by promoting the use of a renewable energy source such as wood and wood pellets.

North America is home to many stove and fireplace manufacturers that are among the leaders in this important worldwide industry. Those enterprises represent thousands of quality manufacturing jobs. They work hand-in-hand with government and municipalities in order to establish intelligent and responsible regulations on wood heating that will have a positive impact on the environment and local economies.

The Hearth Products industry is there to support states, provinces, and municipalities to adopt measures that will lead to the responsible use of wood as a source of heat. Do not hesitate to contact HPBA (www.hpba.org) or HPBAC (www.hpbacanada.org) for more details. Residents of Quebec are invited to contact APC - l'Association des professionnels du chauffage (www.poelesfoyers.ca).

2009-03-25T06:05:00.001-07:00

Guide to Residential Wood Heating now available from CMHC

The Guide to Residential Wood Heating has been revised and published by CMHC and is now available.

The Guide is on the CMHC Order Desk and can be downloaded for free at

http://cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/enefcosa/loader.cfmurl=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=189905

Hard copies are available at a cost of $14.21 (includes shipping) for one copy

Additional copies are available for $1.10 per copy

You can order in bulk from the Order Desk at 1-800-668-2642

They are also recommend to clients ordering multiple copies that they can use the About Your House on wood heating for free distribution http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/63730.pdf.

Copies of this About Your House document are sent for free from CMHC.

New Wood Burning Regulations For B.C.

2008-12-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Province of British Columbia has announced that over the next year it will be reviewing its regulations governing residential wood burning.

The process has just begun but HPBAC national and its Western Chapter are already fully engaged. A task force of members and staff is being assembled to ensure that our industry's interests are adequately represented. We have a strong record of responsible and constructive partnering with regulatory authorities.

We will keep our members informed of developments but if you would like to be personally involved as a member of the task force, please let me know. tonyhpbac@bellnet.ca

HPBAC Board sets priorities for 2009

2008-11-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

The HPBAC Board of Directors met on November 25th in Toronto to discuss Strategic Planning and to review HPBAC's activities over the past year.

The Board has agreed to focus on the following in 2009:

Review the Chapter Agreement and funding formula to provide funding where it is needed most and to provide more support to chapters, particularly with Government Affairs and media
Provide the tools for chapters and members to respond to issues in their areas
Take a more proactive approach with Government Affairs and be able to react more quickly when an issue arises
Raise our profile to become the 'go to' people for media and government officials in Canada
Work with HPBA to establish a better plan for funding HPBAC on an ongoing basis

Some of this work will be completed with the help of HPBAC's Communications, Membership and Government Affairs committees. If you are interested in joining any of these committees please contact Laura Litchfield at hpbac@bellnet.ca.

Don't Miss the HPBAC AGM

2008-11-24T06:19:00.001-08:00

Your HPBAC Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 25th at 5 pm at the Sandman Signature Hotel near the Toronto Airport. The HPBAC Board of Directors and staff will be there to answer your questions and update you on what's going on.

Following the meeting we will host a social hour at Moxie's Bar and Grill in the hotel.

HPBAC Reception Sponsors Needed

2008-10-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

We need your support to make the HPBAC Reception a great event again this year. Sponsorships are available as follows:

Platinum
$2000

Manufacturer
$900

Distributor
$600

Reception - Thursday, March 19th from 5 to 7 pm

Contact our office for more information - hpbac@bellnet.ca or 1-800-792-5284 or 705-788-2221

Register your hockey team for HPBAC EXPO hockey tournament

2008-10-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

We're accepting registrations for the EXPO reception floor hockey tournament. There will be a limited number of teams. Please register early.

Registration fee is $250 and includes three team jerseys and two to three games plus great exposure for your business.

Call 1-800-792-5284 (Canada only) or 705-788-2221 for more information or to register.

Ontario Summit Sponsorship Opportunities

2008-10-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

Our sponsorship opportunities for the Ontario Summit have almost sold out.

Still available:

Two Special Workshops at $2750 each
One Mardi Gras Sponsorship at $3300
Sunday Lunch at $2750
Monday AM Break at $880
Family Excursion Plan at $2750

Also available - non-exclusive Contributor at $2500, Supporter at $1000 and $500.

Call our office at 1-800-792-5284 for more information

Drive for 25 News

2008-10-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our many volunteers across the country who are helping to make calls to non-members. We have quite a few interested prospects.

If you are interested in helping, it's not too late. Call our office at 1-800-792-5284.

Legislation and Regulations

2008-09-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

HPBAC staff and volunteers work hard to protect our industry from ill-conceived and unfair legislation.

We need your help. Make sure you know what your local council is planning to do. Read your local newspapers. Stay informed. Let us know if something concerns you.

Don't assume we already know. We monitor media extensively but particularly at the local level, it's impossible to pick up everything. We need you to be our eyes and ears.

Forewarned is forearmed. Stay informed. Keep us informed.

Dealer looking for Oliver McLeod Chimney

2008-09-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Dealer looking for Oliver McLeod Chimney

The Fireplace King in Huntsville, Ontario is looking for a length of old style Oliver McLeod chimney 7" inside diameter 1" wall chimney. Will accept new or used piece - need 12" length but 24" would work also.
If anyone has this please email fireplaceking@cogeco.net

Help out on National Call Day

2008-09-18T11:57:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to volunteer for National Call Day on October 6th.

We need your help to build your industry association. We're looking for volunteers to call 5 to 10 prospective members to tell them why they should join HPBAC. We provide:

List of dealers
Our new membership brochure
2009 Membership Application
Letter that was sent to prospects
FAQs and answers

Call 1-800-792-5284 or email hpbac@bellnet.ca to volunteer 30 minutes of your time. All volunteers will be recognized at regional Chapter events and EXPO events (Focus Canada and HPBAC Reception) for helping out with this important program.

Welcome to the HPBAC Blog

2008-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog. Please check in frequently for updates on HPBAC events and activities.

Upcoming Events
HPBAC Annual Meeting
Sandman Signature Hotel Toronto Airport
55 Reading Court, 416-798-8840
Tuesday, November 25th from 5:00 to 6:30 pm
Please join the HPBAC board and staff for this important meeting, and for a social following the meeting.