Please note that upon earning the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® credential, your certification is valid for three years from your exam date and requires the payment of an annual maintenance fee. This fee will be invoiced annually at the start of years two and three of your three-year term. In the event that the annual maintenance fee is not paid, all rights and privileges of holding the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® credential will be considered inactive until sucha time as payment is made in full.

The annual maintenance fee is allocated toward administration of the program, marketing of the credential to the public and related industries, debt reduction, certification program development and enhancements and aggressive protection of the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® trademark.

Why did CSIA make such a big change?
What are the costs to run the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep program?
CSIA spends in excess of $182,000 every year to support and administer the CSIA Certified Sweep program on behalf of all certified sweeps (these “base costs” include proportional expenses for staffing, legal fees -- not including litigation --, facilities, equipment, marketing, supplies, etc). That represented a shortfall of approximately $70,000 each year.

Have you looked at cutting costs?
Yes, and costs have been cut.

The “Annual Maintenance Fee” allows me to maintain my certification. What do I get?
Improved marketing (marketing nationally on your behalf as well as providing you with more tools to market more effectively locally); more aggressively protecting the certification trademark (lawsuits, proactive publisher/editor notifications, quicker and more aggressive responses toward habitual violators, etc); certification program enhancements (more accessible and more affordable educational opportunities for all certified sweeps, future online access to CEU status and information, and new recognition for completed education.

How does CSIA know that there is value in the program?
Sweeps have reported as much as $20,000.00 in referrals annually from the CSIA website. CSIA receives on average at least four trademark violation reports every week (over 500 staff hours were spent on trademark violations this past year alone); on a regular basis, sweeps perceive enough value in the trademark to steal it. $20 of every fee every year will be dedicated to protecting our trademark more aggressively than we have ever been able to do before. Even with relatively limited resources, CSIA has seen traffic to the CSIA website increase more than 62% this past year (the majority of which is homeowners looking for certified sweeps). CSIA expects to increase that traffic even more moving forward.

How will this new fee be phased in?
The new $269 certification/ recertification fee went into effect January 1, 2006. The $199 annual maintenance fee goes into effect January 1, 2007, and will not apply to you unless you certified after January 1, 2006 (meaning you have a new expiration date after January 1, 2009).

Do I get a new badge every year?
You will receive a new photo ID card each year when your annual certification maintenance fee has been paid. Your photo ID card will be valid for one year even though your certification cycle remains a three year cycle. The photo ID cards will be color-coded by the year of the certification cycle (year 1 of 3, and so on) that you are in, as well as stating this certification cycle on the card. At the end of your third year, you must renew your certification by either taking another exam or by using Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that you have earned during your certification cycle.

Does the Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician credential have an annual maintenance fee now too?
No, not at this time.

Do I have to pay the fee if I renew with CEUs?
Yes, the fee structure is currently the same whether you renew your certification with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or by testing.

Where does the money go?
Simply put, the certification program was losing money. It was a matter of the program not being priced adequately for a long period of time. Those who started this program years ago made a decision to price it at a point that would encourage participation and grow the awareness through a grass roots approach. That was the right decision for the time, and it worked very well. Today there are almost 2000 CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps across the country, and the number has been steadily growing each of the past three years.

$122 Annual administration of the program (base cost)
$40 Marketing of the certification program to the public and related industries
$10 NCSG debt reduction (as the debt is reduced, these funds will be reallocated toward additional certification program development)
$7 Certification program development/enhancements
$20 Aggressive protection of the certification trademark<

Can I make quarterly payments?
No, fees must be paid in full.

What happens if I don’t pay the annual maintenance fee?
Your certification will be inactive if the maintenance fee is 30 days past due.

What does it mean if my certification is inactive?
All rights and privileges associated with your certification will be revoked, including but not limited to the use of the trademark, access to technical bulletins, Web site listing and referrals, etc.

What is the annual maintenance fee if my NCSG membership lapses?
You will not qualify for NCSG discounted pricing. Standard rates for the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep program are: $469 - Initial and renewal, plus $249 annual maintenance fees in years two and three.

What happens if I pay my employee’s certification fee and she/he leaves before the annual maintenance fee is due?
All rights and responsibilities of the credential belong to the individual CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep.

The employer should notify CSIA when the employee leaves. If the employer does not pay the fee, then the individual sweep is responsible for maintaining his/her credential. If the fee is not paid within 30 days of the due date, her/his certification will be rendered inactive. If the sweep no longer works for an NCSG member company, standard rates will apply. Remember that the certification credential is relative to the individual while NCSG membership applies to everyone in the NCSG member company.

Does this mean that if I don’t pay the maintenance fee I am no longer certified?
No, it means that your certification is inactive.

Is there any difference other than the price if I let my NCSG membership lapse?
No, your NCSG membership is independent from CSIA certification. The referral for the CSIA certified chimney sweep will continue through the CSIA website. It will, however, show that you are not currently a member of the NCSG. You will not have access to member benefits such as discounts to convention, retail items like the Successful Chimney Sweeping manual and CSIA classes or access to Supplier Discounts.

Can I pay for all three years of my certification up front?
No, there would be no benefit to you since no discounts would apply.

If I pay for my NCSG membership three years in advance along with the certification fees, can I get a discount?
NO, not at this time. The amount of your certification fees would be contingent on NCSG membership.

What do you tell consumers when they inquire about my certification if the maintenance fee has not been paid?
If a Certified Chimney Sweep does not comply with the CSIA requirements of paying the annual maintenance fee they will become inactive after 30 days of noncompliance. In this case they are removed from our website until payment is received. Upon receipt of payment and fees for reactivation, they will again become active and placed back on the website.

Why am I just now hearing about these fees?
Information has been provided in Sweeping magazine, on the CSIA website and in many mailings over this past year. You also signed an agreement acknowledging that you were aware of these costs when you took the certification exam.

How does CSIA support my credential?

• Referrals from the website
• Website (www.csia.org) growth of 71% in the last year – more people looking online for a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep
• Find a Professional Search Engine and the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Logo will appear with your certification number. The Certified Chimney Sweep credential logo also appears on the NCSG Find a Member Search Engine online when the primary contact for the company holds the credential.
• Creation of Online FAQs for homeowners
• Online Seminar that you can present to Home Inspector groups in your area.
• CSIA has a Google AdWords grant to list CSIA within the sponsored links for chimney safety related searches
• Increased Phone Inquiries from Fire Departments, Home Inspectors, Insurance Companies, Building Inspectors, Architects, Engineers and Homeowners; Those who do not have access to the website are given a list of CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps in their area.
• Press releases available to distribute to media in your area during National Chimney Safety Week. These releases are also distributed to major media outlets nationwide through a variety of methods.
• Newsletter content on chimney safety is regularly provided to realtors, insurance companies, fire departments and consumer protection agencies
• CSIA’s Affiliated Trades Committee has secured funds for FY06-07 for associate membership (when appropriate) and exhibit space with these organizations: American Society of Home Inspectors, National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (New for 06-07), National Association of Home Builders (New for 06-07), Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association, Affordable Comfort (green builders), National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers, National Association of REALTORS, Indoor Air Quality Association (New for 06-07)
• CSIA has partnered with EPA on the Great American Woodstove Changeout and is working to take information about the program to CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps in areas with Changeout programs
• CSIA’s Accepted Product Program consistently places the Call a Certified Chimney Sweep message on accepted products. Current products include: Duraflame logs, Java-Log products and the Creosote Sweeping Log. CSL’s television commercials also include the CCS message.
• CSIA’s Chimney Safety Education Brochures – All of these brochures route the homeowner back to a CCS for expert advice. Each brochure has the www.csia.org website and a toll free number for referrals.
• All CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps also receive:
  - Certified Chimney Sweep certificate
  - Certified Chimney Sweep Trademark Vehicle Decal - 6” diameter
  - Certified Chimney Sweep Trademark Uniform Patch – 4” diameter
  - Call a Certified Chimney Sweep Brochure
  - Press Release to use locally to announce CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep credential
  - CSIA Sweep Shop, NCSG Sweep Shop and CSIA Safety Brochures order forms.
  - Blank record to keep track of CEUs for renewal
  - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Trademark Ad Slick
  - Photo ID Card

Revised 2/07