PERSPECTIVE
FUELINGDEMAND Enviro boosts gas offerings in response to growing consumer demand for no-fuss hearth products. BY GREG THOMPSON
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tuart O’Connor can’t ignore the numbers. As vice president of Sherwood Industries (Victoria, British Columbia), parent company of the Enviro® family of fireplaces and stoves, O’Connor has seen huge increases in demand for gas hearth appliances. The family-owned Enviro has responded with numerous gas fireplaces, including models with a modern flair. These are relatively new for the company, which is just a year shy of its 30th anniversary. “Our gas linear line (C34, C44, and C60) has grown a lot faster than we expected,” O’Connor says. “We knew we were coming to that market very late, with many of our competitors already selling linear units. We had our work cut out for us.” Enviro engineers made up for lost time by creating “the best flame we could,” O’Connor says, while working to bring down costs as much as possible. The effort paid off, with the company delivering linear fireplaces with great value and striking aesthetics. “We knew our dealers wanted something different and of high value,” O’Connor says. “Without those attributes, they wouldn’t give us a chance.” The company plans to build on that hard-won trust with a new line of gas fireplaces, as well as two new gas inserts. The new G series gas fireplaces have three sizes to accommodate numerous design specifications. The smallest of the group, the G39, will put out 30,000 Btu and measure 39x33 inches. Joining it will be the G42 (40,000 Btu and 42x37 inches) and the G50 (48,000 Btu and 50x39 inches). Availability for these models is planned for summer 2018. “We have also designed two new luxury gas inserts, the EX32 and EX35, which were launched in May 2018,” O’Connor says. “The EX32 is 32,000 Btu and is 27 inches wide, 16 inches deep, and 19 inches tall, while the EX35 is 35,000 Btu and is 32 inches wide, 17.5 inches deep, and 20 inches
Stuart O’Connor
tall. Both units come with ember and firebox lights.” O’Connor attributes the industrywide shift toward gas, particularly over the past five years, to consumers’ desire for ease and convenience. “The industry, in general, seems to The G42 traditional be shifting away from wood gas fireplace stoves and replacing them with gas models,” he says. “Websitemodel will be coming out later this traffic analytics show that each year, year, and it’s called the Westley.” consumers are increasingly searching The seesaw nature of consumer taste is a bit more predictable, thanks to for gas products, over pellet or wood O’Connor’s reliance on hard analytics. products. On many of the renovation Having analytics allowed Enviro to shows, I would say, 90% of the time, respond quickly to strong growth in consumers are switching out wood more modern designs (such as the C stoves and fireplaces for gas units.” in the series linear units) while also recognizEnviro’s considerable boost gas category has challenged expectaing that cast-iron traditional designs tions among the company’s longtime were on the rise. customers. O’Connor reports, While he feels that pellet fireplaces “Getting dealers to think of us as a gas and stoves might not be particularly company, not just a pellet company,” hot right now, O’Connor is convinced has not been easy. It’s taken years of that the sector is not going away; that confidence has led to continued suphard work and good products to shift port and investment in the category. the market’s view—and even now, the One example is Enviro’s work with a battle continues. technology lab to design a new touch“At every sales meeting, our first screen control system. report is always what consumers are The goal is to develop a control looking for on our website; 10 years ago, it was 80% pellet, 10% wood, and system that’s current without sacrific10% gas, but now, it has completely ing ease of use for consumers. “We reversed. We’re seeing interest that’s have tried some of the European concloser to 80% gas, 10% pellet, and 10% trol systems,” O’Connor says, “and wood. It’s very exciting to see all our they can be overly complicated and a bit less consumer friendly. We’ve hard work pay off,” O’Connor says. been working hard at finding the In spite of the rise in gas-sector right balance for the system, but we demand, Enviro has no plans to neglect also want to be sure it is reliable and wood and pellet fireplaces and stoves. well tested before we offer anything Prior to the global recession of 2009, to our dealers.” Enviro sold a lot of cast-iron products. At that time, when cost became a bigWhether for gas, pellet, or wood ger concern, demand decreased. appliances, Enviro’s demographic sweet In the past few years, however, spot remains the 35-to-60 age group, O’Connor has seen a resurgence of with at least one eye on millennials who interest in cast iron. He says, “We are are starting to purchase homes. With currently developing a new smaller, that in mind, Enviro just released a new iPhone/Android app. As for the preferthree-sided, 30,000 Btu gas stove based ence shift toward gas, O’Connor says, on our successful larger Berkeley. That
58 • PATIO & HEARTH PRODUCTS REPORT | MAY/JUNE 2018
“The aging population partly explains that trend because the older generation is more likely to value the convenience of gas over pellets or wood.” As fireplace manufacturers know all too well, anticipating demand is only one piece of the puzzle. The EPA New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) have had Enviro, like many manufacturers, testing and retesting products. “Just in the past five years, we have had NSPS wood-stove and pellet-stove testing, requiring us to retest all of our models,” O’Connor says. “On the gas side, we have adapted to new safetyscreen regulations, new CSA P.4 testing requirements, new hot-air–explosion testing, net-zero regulations in some areas (such as Vancouver and California), and the phasing out of standing pilots, here in British Columbia and in other territories. It’s been a lot of work for us—developing products while also keeping up with changing requirements.” O’Connor spends his energy on quickly and efficiently adapting to regulations already passed and supporting industry efforts, where appropriate. “At the end of the day, many of these regulations—the screen requirement, for example—were created based on safety for kids (or to create more efficient products). Those are hard to argue against,” he says. “On the lobbying side, we have had some small victories, which I am sure all of us appreciated, as manufacturers, and it’s always important to try and strike that balance,” O’Connor continues. “I’m certain we can credit the hard work of groups such as the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association as representing our industry well and having a mitigating influence over some policy changes that could otherwise have been even more difficult to accommodate. Overall, I’m confident about the future, and our dealers are going to like what we have coming down the pike.”