It’s Time for us to reconnect in person! March 2-5 in Atlanta, Georgia – Be sure to register and select your housing for HPBExpo 2022. Check out the HPBExpo Registration Brochure for more information!

HPBExpo Health and Safety

The health and safety of our show participants is a priority. We will plan to follow all Georgia and Atlanta Health Department and convention center guidelines on conducting a safe HPBExpo. Please be sure to continue to review the CDC health advisories and restrictions in place for traveling to Atlanta - Health and Safety.

Exhibit space for HPBExpo 2022 is currently available. Visit our Apply to Exhibit page online to review floor plans and download an Application & Contract for indoor or outdoor exhibit space. Contact Tanya Karkiewicz with questions about exhibiting or to discuss booth availability. This is the best opportunity to:

Download our Exhibitor Prospectus and see the stats behind HPBExpo exhibiting and understand why you can’t miss it. 

Raise your visibility at HPBExpo with any of the great sponsorship and marketing opportunities available to exhibitors and non-exhibitors. Contact Tanya Karkiewicz.

HPBExpo Exhibitors have an additional platform to boost their brand awareness and name recognition by advertising on the HPBExpo.com homepage! Click here for details. 

The New Product Pavilion provides a prominent location for attendees to see all the innovations transforming the hearth and patio environment and revolutionizing the indoor-outdoor cooking experience. HPBExpo will once again present the Attendees’ Choice Awards honoring product marketability in two categories — hearth and outdoor living. Make sure you come to HPBExpo so you can cast your vote for the prestigious award for most marketable products displayed in the Pavilion. Winners of the Attendees’ Choice Award will be announced on Saturday, March 5^th. If you’re interested in submitting a product into the New Product Pavilion, please contact Amy Jackson.

Keynote Address: Sponsored by Hearth & Home Technologies 

Author and consumer expert Bridget Brennan will explore the challenges and opportunities of a new world in which our behaviors are increasingly “hybrid.” Are we working from home or living at work? Are we hanging out together or are we each on our own devices? Is the living room the new gym or the center of family life? Are we actively shopping or are we scrolling through Instagram? Increasingly, the answer is both – and that brings new opportunities for businesses in the hearth, patio and BBQ industries. The home is the heart of hybrid life. In this eye-opening and entertaining keynote program, the author of Winning Her Business and Why She Buys will inspire you with insights on the cultural shifts that are driving changes in the way consumers live, work, and buy. You’ll walk away with strategies and best practices for leveraging these shifts to win sales and grow market share. You won’t want to miss this master class on cultural relevance and consumer behavior.

Join industry experts for the Napoleon-sponsored live panel discussion and cocktail reception, “Industry-Changing Consumer Research and Why it will Drive Major Growth.”

On Friday, March 4^th at 5:00 pm, Napoleon will host a live panel of guest speakers and specialists from around the country to debut groundbreaking research. This research will dramatically impact the hearth industry. The results of the studies will forever change the way fireplaces are used, perceived, and desired by both homeowners and homebuilders. More specifics regarding the study and presenters will be announced in January. All attendees are invited to attend the presentation, followed by a celebratory cocktail reception.

Be sure to visit the outdoor gaming area and test out products first-hand. You can also meet and watch billiards professionals perform or even challenge them to a game! These professionals include Shane Van Boening, professional pool player and former #1 world-ranked pool player, Florian “Venom” Kohler, trick shot performer, and LoreeJon, professional pool player and eight-time World Champion, BCA & WPBA Hall Of Fame inductee. Click here for more information.

Joe Milevsky, Instructor:

Check out all that Atlanta has to offer! 

As one of the nation’s largest metropolitan hubs and home to more than six million people, Atlanta is the epitome of indoor-outdoor living with its sidewalk cafes, pop-up BBQs, and outdoor cultural events. With easy access to hotels and airports, this dynamic destination city will attract serious retailers and provide ideal opportunities for you to reconnect with your customers and reach your sales goals. For updated information on Atlanta and the Georgia World Congress Center Health and Safety protocols, click here.

Longtime HPBA CEO Jack Goldman has announced his plan to retire at the end of 2022. The Board has created an Executive Search Committee and retained the services of a recruitment firm to identify the new CEO. Jack has been with HPBA for 21 years, originally working as General Counsel and Director – Government Affairs. He was named CEO in 2006. His leadership has been a steadying force during some turbulent times for the industry.

For more information about the search for the new CEO, please contact Dick Hoffman, Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Search Committee.

With the unprecedented situation in 2021 and the canceling of the in-person Expo, HPBA faced a financial crunch in 2021. Although its financial reserves are solid, the Board directed staff to ask our manufacturing members for donations to help maintain the services that you have come to depend upon. Many members agreed to support HPBA, and we raised nearly $250,000. Our most heartfelt thanks to those members. The following donors agreed to allow us to publish their names:

In November 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better (BBB) Bill, sending it over to the Senate for deliberation. The $1.75 trillion social policy and climate change bill includes language that affects the hearth industry in various ways. Since then, BBB has stalled in the Senate. Prospects for passage are unclear at this time, but will surely be an administration priority between now and November’s midterm elections.

From the current language in BBB, HPBA supports language that would:

Authorizes $15 million for EPA to do testing and research on wood heater emissions to develop a Federal Reference Method for cordwood testing under the New Source Performance Standards.

We do not support language that would impose a methane fee, which would increase natural gas bills by 18-34 percent according to the American Gas Association (AGA). HPBA signed onto a letter led by the AGA opposing the methane fee proposal.

HPBA will continue to update members on the status and content of BBB throughout this session of Congress.

In December, the Environmental Protection Agency reached out to HPBA to inform industry of EPA’s decision to withdraw the Alternative Test Methods, ALT-125 and ALT-127 (broadly applicable cordwood test methods based on ASTM E3053). The withdrawal came at the request of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and other state air regulators. The about-face is troubling as EPA has repeatedly encouraged industry to test to a cordwood standard. For years, the only way to do so was to test methods based on the consensus ASTM standard. Dozens of appliances on the market have been certified to the ALT-125 and ALT-127 test methods. The withdrawal comes as the very first cordwood tested stoves are coming up for five-year certificate renewals with the path to staying certified unclear. Ironically, the inability to use these cordwood test methods will probably see industry increasingly return to testing to the crib fuel standards that EPA has been looking to move away from.

As EPA finalizes the notice, the Agency expects formal publication in January or early February. At this time, there is no indication that existing certificates will be impacted. Industry spent several months last year working to address perceived issues in the E3053 test method, and we anticipate that going forward, new alternate test method requests incorporating several improvements will be submitted to EPA. We understand that alternate test method requests will still be considered by EPA, but will only be granted on a model-specific basis. The practical effect is that there may be several similar, but subtly differing, model-specific test methods granted. Once several alternate test method certifications have been granted, EPA may once again consider granting broadly applicable status to one or more of them.

We will offer updates as more details emerge. In the meantime, please contact Ryan Carroll or John Crouch if you have any questions.

As tax season approaches, more consumers are thinking about the wood and pellet heater tax credit and whether their most recent purchase qualifies. Do you know which appliances in your store qualify? Can used stoves with qualifying efficiencies be eligible for the tax credit? Who can claim the tax credit? How does income affect qualification? How can you promote the credit? If a product is purchased in 2021, but not installed until 2022, in what year could the credit be claimed?

If you need help answering any of these or other questions, join us on Thursday, January 27 at 3:00 pm ET (12:00 pm PST) for a 45-minute live webinar (recording will be available) with Rachel Feinstein, HPBA’s Senior Manager of Government Affairs and HPBA’s resident wood and pellet heater tax credit “expert.” This webinar is geared specifically towards retailers, especially owners and salespersons.

HPBA has resources for you on our website, such as our consumer one-pager that can be printed and distributed in your store (or linked to on your website). Review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), download the consumer one-pager, review HPBA’s tax credit webinar, and more.

Word has spread through the woodburning community that New York State could be limiting woodburning in the future. Some have said that the state is banning woodstoves/woodburning effective next year. This is not true. Thank you to the members who forward false and misleading articles and videos about this issue. Don’t fall for the hyperbole. Get the facts so you can be part of this important conversation.

New York enacted a law that created a “Climate Action Council” that is charged with reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. One thing the council is exploring is how to reduce emissions from woodburning. Per several news sources, including News 9 and the language of the Draft Scoping Plan, there is no ban on woodstoves or woodburning in the immediate future. However, it is very important to make your voice heard if you are a New Yorker. The comment period on the draft plan opened on January 1, 2022, and will remain open for the next 120 days. The state also plans to hold six public hearings. Northeast HPBA is organizing members in New York to provide comments and attend the hearings. Northeast HPBA and HPBA will send out action alerts and organize members on this issue. Please contact Karen Arpino for more information.

Have you come across rumors or a myth about our industry? Do you want to find out the truth? Send your question to HPBA and we will provide you with an answer – and we may answer it in an upcoming issue of Hot News as well!

As the HPBA Government Affairs team prepares for state legislative sessions to start, we anticipate that forced electrification will continue to find its way into the discussion, and not just on the West Coast. Whether in state legislatures, city councils or in building codes and regulations, environmental advocates are looking to hastily and fundamentally change energy consumption in the United States.

New York’s City Council enacted a gas ban just last month that goes into effect 2023, the Des Moines city council is debating one, and the Denver City Council aims for “net-zero energy in the new building” by 2024. These few examples are an indication that this issue is spreading nationwide.

We are not only fighting against these measures, but helping to push fuel choice legislation in states without such a law. Fuel choice legislation has been enacted in 20 states in the past two years with several more states to consider how to preserve consumers’ access to a variety of fuels in the years to come.

As mentioned in December’s Hot News, HPBA has recently brought Corey Krill on board as Manager – State Energy Policy to run point on industry’s response at the city and state levels. If you have electrification questions about your state or area, please contact Corey Krill.

In December, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced that it is beginning an evaluation of EPA’s oversight of the residential wood heater program. OIG’s stated objective is to determine whether EPA effectively uses its oversight and enforcement authority to ensure that all residential wood heaters reaching consumers are properly tested and certified in accordance with established standards.

The OIG team has been in contact with HPBA staff and is visiting EPA-accredited testing laboratories this month. The final OIG report will be an internal EPA document; as such it may or may not be made public. OIG is evaluating the program, not individual certifications or laboratories. For more information, please contact John Crouch.

Data collection for HPBA’s 2021 Manufacturers’ Shipment Report (MSR) has started. Eligible hearth appliance and accessory manufacturers are encouraged to participate by sharing their 2021 shipment information. Participation is the only way to receive detailed shipment trends and data at the product level. Rest assured, your company’s individual shipment data is never disclosed or shared. This data is an asset for the HPBA as it pursues its advocacy and promotional work, and provides participants with data for planning their business strategy. If you are interested in participating or have questions about the MSR, please contact Cameron Downs for information on how to get involved.

HPBA partners with a number of companies that offer discounts and special offers to our members. Each month, we’ll highlight one partner and their offerings. Visit the Affinity Partner webpage to learn more

The January issue of The Fire Time Magazine is available right now, and you don’t want to miss any of this content:

The Fire Time Magazine is a publication made by the industry and for the industry.

On a limited basis, HPBA will start accepting ads for future issues of Hot News. If you are interested in more information, please contact Emily McGee. Hot News goes out each month to 7,000+ industry members with an open rate of approximately 25%.

Emily McGee for consideration for inclusion in Hot News.

HPBA has a new banking relationship with Bank of America, and our SunTrust accounts are now closed. For wiring information, please contact Robert Washington.