7 October 2020
October 7, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Northeast Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association advises preparations for a severe winter. Perform equipment maintenance, stockpile fuel, review wood-burning best practices
Sudbury, MA – The Northeast Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association today issued a pre-winter alert urging households in the New England and New York region to prepare now for the wood-burning season.
Long-range forecasts call for a severe winter in the Northeast, with lower than average temperatures predicted as well as a potentially major blizzard in February. Over 300,000 homeowners in the Northeast use wood as their primary heating source, with countless others using it as a secondary heating source.
Pre-winter equipment maintenance and cleaning, equipment testing and safety inspections, and stockpiling adequate firewood and wood pellet fuel are critical steps in being prepared for a winter of heavy wood-burning stove or hearth use. Only licensed professionals should perform this work. A comprehensive directory of licensed and verified professionals for wood-burning appliance maintenance is available from NEHPBA.
“Our member retailers and service providers are the most experienced industry professionals in the U.S., and every one of them will say a comprehensive pre-winter routine is critical to safely and efficiently burning wood fuel,” said Joel Etter, President of NEHPBA and Senior Wholesale Account Manager for Hearth & Home Technologies. “October is an ideal time to conduct this routine, and we are advising families and households all over the Northeast how to do this effectively.”
A good checklist for pre-winter inspection and maintenance on wood-burning stoves includes steps such as:
Being prepared for the wood-burning season with adequate stockpiles of properly seasoned and properly stored wood fuel is also a critical step in a good pre-winter routine. All wood fuel should be seasoned for at least six months, stored outdoors and kept up off the ground with a tarp or other covering on top of each stack to minimize absorption of moisture.
A wood moisture meter is also a useful tool – as wood burns best with no more than 20 percent moisture. Buying and burning locally cut firewood also decreases the risk of transporting invasive insects and other pests to your property.
There are a broad range of useful information resources for best practices in burning wood fuel available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Burn Wise program.
“We are about to enter the most important time of the year for our industry – as the process of heating with wood fuel can be challenging and even daunting without the best guidance and expertise,” said Karen Luther, Executive Director of NEHPBA. “New England and New York area households benefit from diverse energy choices, and more households are choosing wood-burning appliances every year.”
NEHPBA and the entire industry are working together with other businesses as well as consumers to ensure that a range of energy choices continue to be available in the Northeast – that includes natural gas, propane and oil heat systems as well as wood-burning appliances.
About the Northeast Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
Since 1985, the Northeast Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (NEHPBA) has represented the interests of the hearth industry in the Northeast. NEHPBA was originally incorporated in January 1985 as the Northeast Solid Fuel Alliance (NESFA) in recognition of the unique demands of business in the Northeast. In June of 1992, NESFA members voted to become the first affiliated member of the national Hearth Products Association (HPA) and became the Northeast Hearth Products Association (NEHPA). In 2002, NEHPA became the Northeast Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (NEHPBA) in conjunction with the merger of the national HPA with the Barbecue Industry Association to become the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), thus recognizing the diversification of the modern industry. The NEHPBA name has remained since 2002.
Members of the Northeast Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (NEHPBA) and its regional Affiliates are the leading companies that produce, sell, or service appliances and accessories in the hearth and barbecue industries in North America. Join today to take advantage of all the benefits your company will receive.
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