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Membership Information
  What is MHA
Why Should I Join?
How Much Does it Cost?
Interesting Times !
It's an ago old cliche basically a trite expression. Maybe fun times would be more appropriate. Especially if you're a masonry heater builder and a member of the Masonry Heater Association.
Every day one hears about the "green" movement and energy costs. No wonder MHA gets weekly inquiries about membership. Masonry Heaters are green and energy efficient and as the media and public learn more about them, the more in demand MHA members will be.
The MHA is rolling along. Presently a mail-in ballot was sent to all full voting members. The association began as a small group of less than 20 who envisioned a need and created MHA. Since that time, MHA has grown and is less that a couple member shy of 100 full voting members and 36 associate members. The by-laws need attention, it's a start with the current mail-in ballot. MHA also just completed an update to it's Masonry Heater Portfolio sold in the bookstore. A great improvement, and selling very well. Committee's continue to be active. Working on education, marketing and technical issues. Our treasurer has our finances and bookkeeping brought up to modern accepted standards, and our Executive Director is constantly on the phone talking to interested homeowners, potential members, and media. MHA newsletters use to be once a year. Now via email a newsletter comes out every few months. The activities go on and on. The least being that we are already working on the weeklong annual meeting and workshop in April.
If you are at all interested in masonry heaters, if you have a desire to learn more about them or learn how to build them, we invite you to become a member in MHA. It's an opportunity to learn from experienced craftsmen. It's also an opportunity to help promote masonry heaters in North America.
There is benefits in membership. Feel free to phone or contact Richard Smith, MHA's Executive Director for more information or membership.
Richard Smith - Administrator
MASONRY HEATER ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA
520-883-0191
email:execdir@mha-net.org
What is MHA?
The Masonry Heater
Association of North America is a non-profit corporation dedicated to serving the
interests of the masonry heating industry and its clients. It was started in 1987 as the
outgrowth of an ASTM Task Group on Masonry Heaters that was started at the same time to
address building code issues involved in masonry heater construction.
Here is our mission statement.
Currently, the bulk of the membership consists of
professional custom heater masons, and in addition includes manufacturers, distributors,
and installers, as well as other people with an interest in masonry heating. Membership is
open to anyone.
What MHA has done for ALL heater builders in the
past:
The Association has a distinguished history of accomplishment that has benefited both
members and non-members alike. These include:
- developed ASTM Standard Guide for the Construction of Solid
Fuel Masonry Heaters. Lots of builders have used this to get them out of scrapes with
building inspectors and insurance companies.
- have fought successfully to keep masonry heaters from being
banned in Colorado.
- have fought successfully to keep masonry heaters from being
banned inWashington.
- have fought successfully to keep masonry heaters from being
banned by the Canadian R-2000 program
- have developed a top-notch MHA certification program.
We are using this to try to convince regulators in Colorado to reverse their ban on
custom-built heaters. The MHA heater Mason's Reference Manual is the authoritative
guide to the skills and knowledge that a heater mason needs in order to practice his
trade.
- have worked closely with the Hearth Products Association
(formerly TheWood Heating Alliance) to co-ordinate efforts related to emissions
regulations at international, national, and local levels.
- obtained funding for, and was the prime mover behind,
EPA-accredited lab testing for masonry heaters, thus allowing us to obtain EPA equivalency
in a number of jurisdictions.
- set up a private MHA-affiliated test lab and developed North
America's largest database of masonry heater performance tests.
- achieved exemption from Minnesota's drastic (and expensive)
makeup air requirements for woodstoves, based on a MHA research project done for the
Canadian government.
- MHA
News, our official publication, has a long and illustrious history as the major source
of masonry heater related information in North America.
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Why Should I Join?
If you are serious about
building or learning how to build masonry heaters, then you should join MHA. Not only is
this your best opportunity to gain access to quality information and knowledgeable people
who are happy to share their experience with you, but we need your membership.
Your annual dues are MHA's main source of funding, and help
to further the interests of the industry through such actions as publishing and presenting
peer reviewed technical papers, applying to building code bodies for recognition, and
fighting legislative battles as they arise.
What MHA is doing for members right now...
- your annual voting membership includes a free basic website on the MHA server. The website received 29,000 hits in Oct.- a valuable marketing opportunity. A single successful job lead through MHA will pay your dues for several years!
- access to valuable documents and information in the private member's area of the site.
- the opportunity to attend a one week annual meeting at Wildacres Retreat in the Great Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina. In addition to the annual meeting, it features hands-on workshops, a number of special guests, and an opportunity to network with your peers and develop professionally. The fee for the entire week INCLUDING accommodations, 3 meals per day, and a spectacular setting is only $350.00 (US)!
- working to develop seismic language for the building code.
- developing a masonry heater testing standard through ASTM
- A professional administrator who is actively promoting
masonry heaters with multi-media communication, coordinating, formulating and supporting
MHA members ideas, plans & goals. etc., and making sure that the organization is running efficiently.
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