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2011 State of the Hearth Industry Report

2011 State of the Hearth Industry Report

The 2011 State of the Hearth Industry Report reflects highlights from the recently-released Fireplace and Stove Attitude and Usage Study, which has been conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) on a biennial basis since 2002. The report also features trends from the final 2010 hearth shipment report and public data from other industry groups as referenced.

*Use of the HPBA 2011 State of the Hearth Industry Report findings should be credited to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. Visit www.hpba.org for additional information.

The Industry is Heating Up Again 

• Nearly 1 million wood, gas and pellet hearth appliances were shipped in 2010; of those, over 650,000 were gas-fueled models.

• Nearly 1.5 million electric hearth appliances were shipped in 2010, a 16% increase compared to 2009.

• The industry has stabilized and is poised for recovery in 2011.

• Fireplace sales and installations represent a $5 billion annual value.

Where the Hearth Is

• Fireplaces rank second among the top features desired by buyers of new homes; they are only second to outdoor patios, porches and decks [National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)].

• More than half of U.S. households (52 percent) have at least one fireplace or freestanding stove. 

• There were approximately 1.2 fireplaces per American home in 2010, with 80 percent of the homes having at least one fireplace or stove, and 21 percent having two or more.

Cleaner, More Efficient Options 

• A wide variety of clean-burning wood and pellet stoves and fireplace inserts that meet the 75 percent efficiency rating are eligible for consumers to earn a $300 federal tax credit through 2011.

• The average age of a wood fireplace is 22 years, making them a target for updating to a more efficient and cleaner mode. The average age of a freestanding stove is 11 years. Gas fireplaces are an average age of 11 years.

• Residential wood-burning stoves and fireplace inserts are now certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce as much as 70 percent less wood smoke emissions than older, uncertified wood-burning appliances.

• Sixty-four percent of Americans consider installing a new technology (fireplace, wood or pellet stove or insert) to be more energy efficient.

• Initial study shows that EPA-certified stoves can decrease the average wintertime fine particulate levels in the outdoor air by 28 percent and can make indoor air quality 72 percent cleaner.

Heating Your Home

• Thirty-four percent of wood or pellet stove owners view their stove as a major heat source; 50 percent consider it to be a secondary source of heat.

• The primary motivation of 42 percent of consumers that installed a hearth product in their home was to save on heating costs, while 19 percent wanted to make a cold room warmer or to use as a back up source of heat.

• Using supplemental hearth appliances to heat the rooms used most allows a house’s thermostat to be turned down, lowering heating costs . This “zone heating” can provide energy savings of 20-40 percent (American Council for Energy Efficient Economy).

• Forty-four percent of gas fireplace owners use their appliance as a supplemental heat source. 

Increasing the Heat to a Home

• Fifty-eight percent of hearth owners consider their fireplace, wood or pellet stove or insert to be a major design feature in their home.

• The master bedroom is the most desired room to add a second fireplace/stove (NAHB).

• The consumer estimate for the average increase in home value from adding a hearth appliance is approximately $2,750.

• Fireplaces have a strong, positive effect on the value of a home: 46 percent of home buyers are willing to pay more for the feature, adding about $1,220 to a home’s worth per fireplace (National Association of Realtors).

Stove and Fireplace Use

• People that have fireplaces and stoves in their homes use them. Fireplace owners report that they typically use their fireplaces 52 times per year, most often in the winter (average 34 times) and fall (average 10 times). Stove owners are even more dedicated, using them an average of 120 times per year, with the highest usage also in the winter (61 times) and fall (27 times).

• Gas fireplaces users average 2.6 hours and cordwood users average 3.7 hours per use.

Adding a Hearth to a Home

• Fifty-eight percent of the fireplace and stove owners feel their fireplace or stove is a major design feature that would be a key selling point.

• Typical cost of a product including installation:

• Fireplaces:  Open, EPA-certified wood fireplace $3,000-$5,000, gas fireplace $3,000-$5,000 and electric fireplace $500-$3,000. 
• Stoves:  Freestanding wood stove with new chimney $3,000-$4,200, pellet stove $3,500-$4,000. 
• Inserts:  Pellet, gas or EPA-certified wood insert into existing fireplace with new liner $3,000-$4,000, and an electric insert into an existing masonry fireplace $100-$300. 
• Log sets:  Vent-free gas log sets $400-$1,000 or electric log set $100-$300.

• For estimating purposes, consumers may calculate the cost savings and energy savings associated with using hearth appliances and different fuels using HPBA’s efficiency calculator (www.hpba.org/fuelcalculator).

• Consumers may research placement, product and fuel choices online with the HPBA Consumer Guide, which highlights the differences between appliance options, fuels, approximate efficiency and the estimated costs of product purchase and installation (http://www.hpba.org/hearth/consumer-guide).

HPBA State of the Hearth Industry Report

This research was conducted online via the Stevenson Company  in August 2010  with a sample size of 1,500. The sample size included households assembled to be representative of the latest U.S. Census in terms of geography, age of head of household, market size, annual household income and household size. All respondents are 18+ years old. The State of the Hearth Industry Report is issued annually by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association during HPBExpo, the largest indoor-outdoor show in North America. The 2011  HPBExpo in Salt Lake City, Utah features more than 250 exhibits and 7,000 attendees revealing the hottest new products and trends in the indoor - outdoor living industries. 

About Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA)

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), based in Arlington, VA, is the North American industry association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, representatives, service firms and allied associates for all types of hearth, barbecue and patio appliances, fuels and accessories. The association provides professional member services and industry support in education, statistics, government relations, marketing, advertising and consumer education. There are more than 2,600 members in the HPBA.