Selling EnerGuide and ENERGY STAR® Appliances and Room Air Conditioners
This sales binder has been put together especially for major appliance salespeople. It is a tool kit, packed full of tips and examples you can use to increase your sales of energy-efficient major appliances. It also shows you how energy-efficient appliances can help your customers save money and protect the environment by reducing their energy use.

To determine whether an appliance qualifies to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol under the 2004 criteria, both consumers and salespeople can check the up-to-date model listings.

Effective January 1, 2004 - New ENERGY STAR Criteria for:

Refrigerators
Refrigerator-freezers
Clothes Washers

Effective as of January 1, 2004, all refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and clothes washers are required to meet strict new criteria in order to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol. Since this new criteria affects the labelling of some earlier models, it could cause confusion among consumers. As an appliance retailer or salesperson, it is important that you understand these changes and are able to explain them to your customers.

Why are the criteria changing?

As the energy efficiency of refrigerators and clothes washers improves each year, energy performance regulations in Canada and the United States have been made more stringent to ensure that only appliances that perform the best are eligible to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol.

How are the criteria being changed?

The previous criteria required that a refrigerator model be at least 10 percent more energy-efficient than the minimum standard set out in the energy efficiency regulations in Canada in order to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol. Effective as of January 1, 2004, refrigerators must be 15 percent more energy efficient than the minimum regulated standard in order to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol. This change applies only to refrigerators larger than 7.75 cubic feet.

In order to qualify to carry an ENERGY STAR designation, clothes washers must meet or exceed a modified energy factor of 40.21 L/kWh/cycle or higher. This calculation has been raised from the minimum of 35.68 in 2003 and reflects the amount of dryer energy that is required to remove the remaining moisture content from the clothing. To achieve this target, a clothes washer must have advanced design features that deliver cleaning performance using less water and energy. Unlike refrigerators, these changes are not expected to exclude any clothes washer models that currently qualify to carry the ENERGY STAR designation.

What do the changes mean for retailers?

The new criteria for refrigerators will have a big impact – up to 75 percent of the models that qualified previously to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol will be dropped from the list and manufacturers/retailers will be required to remove the ENERGY STAR symbol from these models.

There will be two exceptions to this requirement during the 6-month transition period following the introduction of the change in criteria:

• where the manufacturer has placed the ENERGY STAR symbol directly on the EnerGuide label (Note: It is a federal offense to remove the EnerGuide label from an appliance before its first retail sale), or
• where the manufacturer has placed a permanent ENERGY STAR symbol on the product and/or packaging.

Since the new requirement for clothes washers is not expected to affect any models that currently qualify for the ENERGY STAR designation, manufacturers/retailers will not be required to remove the ENERGY STAR symbol.

What do the changes mean for salespeople?

As the primary point of contact with the consumer, it is important that salespeople understand these changes to the ENERGY STAR program and are able to explain them to potential purchasers. It is also important that they are able to identify the refrigerator models that no longer qualify under the new criteria for the ENERGY STAR designation since there will be cases where they will continue carry the ENERGY STAR symbol. For the convenience of both the retail salespeople and the consumer, check the up-to-date list of appliances that qualify under the 2004 criteria.

What do the changes mean for consumers?

The change in the criteria applicable to refrigerators will dramatically reduce the number of models that qualify to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol. While this may result in a more limited selection, it will also help to make the ENERGY STAR symbol more significant. However, it is important that consumers are aware that during the transition phase, the ENERGY STAR symbol may reflect the previous criteria rather than the newly-introduced changes in 2004. It is important to confirm that a model is eligible to receive the ENERGY STAR designation by asking a salesperson or by checking the up-to-date list of qualified appliances.

How can a consumer or salesperson be sure that a refrigerator or clothes washer qualifies to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol under the new criteria?

The best way to confirm that an appliance is qualified to carry the ENERGY STAR symbol is to check the model number against the list of qualified products.

The retail sales tax rebate from the Government of Ontario is no longer in effect.

The Government of Ontario's retail sales tax rebate on the purchase of ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and freezers is no longer in effect. If you have any questions on eligibility or on the status of your refund cheque, please contact the Ontario Ministry of Finance directly.

Will these changes affect eligibility for a retail sales tax rebate from the Government of Saskatchewan?

The Government of Saskatchewan offers a provincial sales tax rebate for ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators, freezers clothes washers and dishwashers purchased on or after October 1, 2003. However, refrigerators and clothes washers purchased after January 1, 2004 must meet the new ENERGY STAR qualifying criteria in order to be eligible for the rebate. Check the up-to-date model listings to determine whether a specific model qualifies under the new criteria.