Have you renewed your membership yet? In these economic times, it's more important than ever for us to band together - there's strength in numbers!

The last MAHPBA Membership Renewal reminders of this year are being mailed out on December 1st. Don't forget - membership renewals can be paid in one annual payment or spread out in equal payments over the next 12 months!

Please make sure you renew by December 31st in order to keep receiving all the great benefits of being a MAHPBA member!

Might you be interested in becoming a MAHPBA NFI Instructor? MAHPBA holds NFI certifications in 3-4 different locations each year. The NFI Review Course is designed to help students prepare for their exam. Students are expected to have read and studied the reference manual before attending a review course.

Instructors are provided with a PowerPoint presentation for the review course, which begins at 8AM and ends at approximately 2:30PM (the test is administered by a proctor from 3PM to 5:30PM).

MAHPBA pays you a stipend for the day, mileage to and from the hotel, your meals and your hotel room, if necessary. You must be certified in the fuel you want to teach.

For more information, please contact Carl Larkin at hearthcarl@verizon.net

As we near the end of 2010, HPBA has been receiving many questions regarding the 30% tax credit (capped at $1,500) for 75% efficient stoves. Most of these questions are regarding when the stove has to be installed in order to get the tax credit.

The appliance must be installed in 2010. The following details from the IRS Guidance for Nonbusiness Energy Property (page 6-7) shows that the appliance needs to be INSTALLED in 2010 in order to claim the credit which expires on December 31, 2010.

1. The Expo returns to Salt Lake City - HPBExpo's most popular western location.

2. Expo registration and housing are completed easily online at www.hpbexpo.com. Member ID numbers are required. For ID numbers, members can contact Ian (iglowacki@hpba.org) or Rachel (pratt@hpba.org). Pre-registered exhibitors and attendees can pick up badges on site at the Express Registration Counters (badges are no longer mailed).

3. As of December 1st, there are 198 exhibiting companies and of those, 15 are brand new to HPBExpo.

Check your next newsletter for more fast facts about HPBExpo!

WHETHER YOU ARE A MEMBER OR NOT, THE FUTURE OF YOUR BUSINESS WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE LEVEL OF EVERYONE'S SUPPORT!

Currently, there are two regulations being reviewed and implemented that will jeopardize your future!

Department Of Energy (DOE) Issue

As part of its implementing the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued final regulations on April 16, 2010, that effectively banned the sale of decorative gas fireplaces by making these subject to efficiency standards of 9,000 Btu/hr. or greater. Adding further insult to injury, an environmental group called the Natural Resources Defense Council or "NRDC", filed a legal challenge against HPBA's position and supported the DOE in their final ruling.

New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) Issue

The New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for wood heaters is being reviewed by EPA. In doing so, EPA is considering tightening the standards for emissions for woodstoves, as well as expanding the certification program to include everything that burns solid fuel. The outcome of this effort will negatively affect the nature of your business for years to come, so HPBA needs to act now to influence the EPA standards for future emissions of solid fuel appliances.

HPBA IS REPRESENTING ALL HEARTH AND CHIMNEY PROFESSIONALS IN THIS LEGAL BATTLE. Your first step in this fight is to BECOME A MEMBER of MAHPBA or renew your membership. With all the legal battles, there is a huge financial cost; therefore, we are ASKING not only for your membership support, but your monetary support as well. Donations in any amount will be greatly appreciated.

Starting January 1, 2011, the MAHPBA website will have a "members only" section!

To access the member site, you will need a user name and password - if you have renewed your MAHPBA membership for 2011, you will receive your user name and password via email by the end of December.

Would you be interested in attending the HPBA Government Affairs Academy in 2011 for free? It's a great way to help your business AND your fellow MAHPBA members by learning information and ways to better deal with government and how it affects our industry.

The Academy will be held May 15-18, 2011, in Washington, D.C. This training is offered at no cost to the attendees; all expenses will be paid by MAHPBA and HPBA. Some of the topics that will be covered include:

·How to work with a local legislative lobbyist
·How to talk to the media in a live (filmed) interview
·How to understand new air quality regulations
·How to address new codes and standards
·How to testify at local rule setting hearings
·How to work with HPBA's new federal lobbying efforts

You will also put everything you learn into practice with a visit to the capitol to meet your state representatives!

Click here to download the 2011 Application Form

Revision to last month's newsletter: the MAHPBA EXPO Committee has decided to support the industry-wide "Friday Night Fever" reception at HPBExpo this year instead of hosting its own event at Squatter's Pubs & Beers (as previously announced in last month's newsletter).

We hope our members will look forward to socializing with members from the various affiliates across the country in Salt Lake!