HPBExpo Health and Safety

We will follow all Georgia and Atlanta Health Department and convention center guidelines on conducting a safe Expo. Please be sure to continue to review the CDC health advisories and restrictions in place for traveling to Atlanta – Health and Safety.

Register now and join thousands of hearth, patio, and barbecue professionals and experience new products in the spotlight of the industry's premier event!

Check out the Registration Brochure to see all that is happening.

The show mobile app is your source for show information and a must download. Conveniently plan your exhibitor booth route, research and schedule appointments with exhibitors, manage your education, show events, and much more.

It’s Not too Late to Book Your Exhibit Space

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:

·      Reach new buyers and reconnect with your existing ones

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.

Exhibitors are invited to submit press releases for inclusion in the official HPBExpo Press Kit. The media kit will be distributed to the media in attendance at the show on Thursday, March 3^rd at 1 pm. It will also be made available online for media who cannot attend. If you are interested in participating, please send your press release (or questions) to Emily McGee by Monday, February 28^th. The content in the media kit will be kept confidential until the scheduled 1 pm release on March 3^rd. 

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.”

Join us at 3:00 pm, Friday, March 4^th for an in-depth presentation on everything you need to know as a local distributor, retailer, or rep. We’ll cover all the many efforts underway to limit your ability to sell gas heath products, as well as the details of the solid fuel tax credit, and other new regulations. CEUs will be available for this event. Remember that any HPBA member can attend HPBExpo at no additional cost. For more info contact John Crouch or register for HPBExpo in Atlanta here.

Meet Alex Eaton, Director of StoveTeam in Guatemala, to learn more about the 1000 Stove Challenge and see how hearth industry businesses are fueling a powerful initiative to provide life-saving cookstoves for families cooking over dangerous indoor fires. Together with StoveTeam, hearth industry retailers, distributors, and manufacturers are saving lives and forests in Central America! See how at stoveteam.org/challenge

Ciarra McIntire Brother, 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.

Legislative sessions are underway and there is already movement and discussion about fuel choice across the country. There are eight states where fuel choice bills have been introduced (CO, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OK, PA, and VA), with bills having passed out of the chamber of origin in two states (NJ and PA). HPBA does not expect the legislation in all eight states to pass, but we welcome the discussion. The Government Affairs staff also anticipates there may be more state legislatures to file fuel choice language; we will keep you updated as it develops.

A partial update on HPBA and Affiliate state activities includes:

Massachusetts – A series of bills have been filed that would allow specific cities to ban gas. NEHPBA submitted testimony to the committee where the bills are still under consideration.

New York – In her most recent budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul has outlined a goal of banning gas statewide. The state budget process is underway this week and NEHPBA is working with the Empire Group, a think tank, to educate legislators and the public about importance of fuel choice and energy resiliency.

Washington – NWHPBA and HPBA’s Government Affairs team are pushing back on a bill that would allow stretch codes in the state, permitting cities and counties to develop their own, more stringent building codes to further restrict consumers fuel choice.

Maryland – While there is no bill filed yet, we expect an omnibus “climate change” bill following the recommendations of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. MAHPBA is working with a coalition of allies in the state to slow down any momentum to restrict the use of any fuel source.

Colorado – The newly formed coalition, Coloradans for Energy Access, is working to educate the public and inform policy makers about consumer preferences for fuel choice. HPBA staff is taking an especially close look at Denver developments (both city and county) and the impact on fuel choice in new housing. There are reports that Denver will soon propose that all heating and water heating be required to use heat pump appliances.

As announced in December, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew two broadly applicable alternative test methods used by industry over the last five years to certify nearly 100 woodstove models. This action does not impact certificates that are already issued, although it will impact the ability to renew certificates at the end of the five-year term.

Cordwood tests can still be authorized by EPA, but they will have to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis by individual manufacturers. EPA has posted the data on which this withdrawal is based, and HPBA is reviewing it. For more information, contact John Crouch

Wood and Pellet Heater Tax Credit Updates

The introduced language maintains the existing efficiency requirements of a minimum efficiency of 75 percent per the higher heating value (HHV) of the fuel. More information about the tax credit can be found on HPBA’s website.

HPBA held a webinar on January 27^th reviewing the tax credit requirements, how to be a resource to customers, and what customers have claimed the tax credit in the past. Watch the webinar, review the questions answered live on the webinar, and download the slides here (log in required). Please contact Rachel Feinstein if you have any questions.

The HPBA Government Affairs Department has begun preliminary planning for this year’s Tom Pugh Government Affairs Academy (GAA) in late April. The event will be a hybrid of attendees and HPBA staff gathering on-site with many presenters remaining virtual. Since visiting congressional offices in Washington, D.C. remains almost impossible, we are researching locations in the Midwest to hold the program. Many details are still to be determined, including the final cost for attendees, but the forced electrification efforts around the country underscore the need for our industry to continue to train local advocates. While the focus will remain on local Affiliate leaders – especially newer volunteer leaders – the event will have some space for allied trade association members, such as NCSG, PFI, or CSIA members, as well as manufacturers. More details will be available at HPBExpo. For more information, contact John Crouch.

The ASHRAE 62.2 Committee convened in January for the group’s Winter Conference. The Committee discussed Addendum ‘j,’ which would prohibit all vent-free heaters in ASHRAE 62.2-compliant homes. Commentors opposing Addendum ‘j’ addressed the committee in hopes of either modifying or overturning the addendum. Despite a lively discussion and industry opposition, the 62.2 Committee is moving forward with Addendum ‘j’ and will soon send official responses to commentors. Before the addendum becomes part of the 62.2 standard, both the Standards Committee and then the ASHRAE Board of Directors need to approve it. Opponents of Addendum ‘j’ are expected to file an appeal on procedural and substantive grounds.

On February 1^st, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) circulated a pre-publication draft of an upcoming notice that it is seeking to be able to regulate several indoor and outdoor “decorative” appliances, including ANSI Z21.50, Z21.60, Z21.84, and Z21.97 products. ANSI Z21.88 products are not mentioned, but may be subject to a future proposal.

The pre-publication draft is available here. We do not know the timing of formal publication in the Federal Register, but the 60-day comment period will begin running upon publication. HPBA is reviewing the draft document now and will be following up with members as soon as we can. If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Carroll.

Earlier this month, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) contacted manufacturers with the latest revisions to its “Approved List.” ADEC indicates that it will be removing dozens of models of woodstoves and pellet stoves from the Approved List this June. They have gone further still by deciding not to recognize EPA-granted certification renewal waivers in many circumstances. While the restrictions technically only apply to appliances sold within parts of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, changeout programs in at least two jurisdictions outside of Alaska are using the arbitrary restrictions of the ADEC model, potentially preventing some of the industry’s cleaner appliances from being available for replacing older appliances. For more information on the ADEC developments, please contact John Crouch.

There is still time for your company to participate in HPBA's 2021 Manufacturers’ Shipment Report. All 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 reports highlighting 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 Association as it pursues its advocacy and promotional work, and provides participants with another piece of 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.

The full press release is here.

HPBA wants to share significant company announcements in Hot News. For consideration of inclusion, please send your submission to Emily McGee.

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

Lenovo offers special deals for HPBA members. Our President’s Day Sale brings unprecedented deals! Save up to 69% off legendary ThinkPad, Yoga convertibles, and Legion gaming devices for one and all. Reap rewards with MyLenovo Rewards. Sign up is easy and free! Check out our Affinity Partner page to learn more and for contact information.

The February 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.