Important Information About Clothes Washer Labels

Why is the energy consumption rating for some clothes washers different on the Canadian EnerGuide label than on the U.S. EnergyGuide label (the yellow and black label)? Because the Federal Trade Commission in the United States has allowed manufacturers to start using a new energy efficiency test standard in advance of the January 1, 2004 effective date. The new test procedure won't come into effect in Canada until at least January 1, 2004.

Notice to Consumers and Salespeople
Questions & Answers About Clothes Washer Labelling

Labelling Changes for Clothes Washers

On January 1, 2004, new minimum energy efficiency requirements for clothes washers will come into effect in the United States, together with a new procedure for testing the energy consumption of these appliances. Canada will also adopt the new energy efficiency standard and test procedure effective January 1, 2004, pending approval of a proposed amendment to the Energy Efficiency Regulations.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which administers the EnergyGuide label (the black and yellow label), issued an exemption to the U.S. Labelling Rule allowing manufacturers to begin using the new test procedure in May 2003, in advance of the effective date of January 1, 2004. Manufacturers have also been authorized to include special wording on EnergyGuide labels to advise consumers that a clothes washer has been tested using the 2004 procedure and that its energy consumption rating should be compared only to other models displaying the same statement. These changes are designed to reduce the testing burden on manufacturers during the transition to the 2004 standard, which is expected to result in hundreds of new energy-efficient clothes washers being introduced to the market (manufacturers will not be required to test new models using the existing standard and procedure and then re-test the same models using the 2004 standard and procedure).

Canada will not be following the same route as the U.S. FTC because a proposed amendment to regulations under Canada's Energy Efficiency Act that will introduce the new 2004 standard and test procedure has not yet been approved. As a result, the kilowatt-hour rating on the EnerGuide label will continue to be calculated using the existing standard and test procedure until the proposed regulatory amendment comes into effect. The U.S. FTC's decision to allow early testing to the new standard, using the new test procedure, will result in situations where the kilowatt-hour rating for a clothes washer shown on the EnergyGuide label may be different from that shown on the EnerGuide label (the two labels are often displayed back-to-back or side by side). In response to this situation, Natural Resources Canada will allow manufacturers/retailers to place information near the EnerGuide label explaining the transition to the new test procedure and providing the following notice: "When tested to the 2004 standard, this clothes washer uses XXX kWh/yr"(see the sample EnerGuide label shown below).

Questions & Answers About Clothes Washer Labelling

Recently, some U.S. EnergyGuide labels for clothes washers have displayed a lower energy consumption rating (kWh/yr) than the Canadian EnerGuide label. Why?

The United States has allowed manufacturers to start using a 2004 test standard ahead of the January 1, 2004 effective date. Canada will not be modifying its EnerGuide label in the same way as the U.S. As a result, there will be instances where the kilowatt-hour rating for a clothes washer shown on the EnergyGuide label may be different from that shown on the EnerGuide label. However, Canada will allow manufacturers to post the energy consumption rating for clothes washers tested to the 2004 standard adjacent to the EnerGuide label.

What is the difference between the EnerGuide label and the EnergyGuide label?

The Canadian black and white EnerGuide label is a tool to help consumers make an energy-wise choice when buying a new appliance. It shows how much energy an appliance consumes in a year of normal service and makes it easy to compare the energy efficiency of each model to others of the same size and class. EnergyGuide is a similar labelling initiative in the United States, although the black and yellow EnergyGuide label also shows an appliance's estimated annual energy costs.

Why does Canada regulate energy efficiency standards?

Canada regulates energy efficiency standards for a wide range of energy-using products, with the objective of eliminating the least energy-efficient products from the Canadian market. Energy efficiency is an important way all sectors of the economy and individual consumers can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that have been linked to climate change and other pollutants that contribute to urban smog. Energy efficiency is also good for the economy because it saves consumers money, reduces business operating costs and contributes to Canada's competitiveness in domestic and international markets.

Why hasn't Canada implemented the new energy efficiency standard and test procedure for clothes washers?

Natural Resources Canada is issuing a proposal to amend the Energy Efficiency Regulations to harmonize our energy efficiency standard and test procedure for clothes washers with those in the United States. The amendment, if approved, will come into effect on January 1, 2004, the same date as in the United States. Until that time, the existing energy efficiency standard and test procedure must be used to determine a clothes washer's kilowatt-hour rating for the EnerGuide label.

Why has the U.S. allowed early testing to the new standard?

Appliance manufacturers are expected to introduce hundreds of new clothes washer models to the market in 2003 in preparation for the strengthened energy efficiency standard coming into effect on January 1, 2004. Under normal circumstances, each of these new models would have to be tested using the existing standard and test procedure, and then retested using the 2004 standard and procedure in order to be sold after January 1. To reduce the testing burden on manufacturers, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has exempted manufacturers from testing to both standards. Manufacturers can test new clothes washers introduced to the market after May 2003 using the 2004 standard and procedure, thus avoiding the need for two tests for each model. Due to regulatory restrictions, this approach is not possible in Canada.

How will consumers know if a model has been tested under the existing approach or using the 2004 procedure?

Manufacturers will include special wording on U.S. EnergyGuide labels to advise consumers when a clothes washer has been tested using the 2004 procedure. The label will also advise consumers to compare the energy consumption of these appliances only to other models that have been tested using the 2004 procedure. In Canada, manufacturers have been authorized to place information near the EnerGuide label explaining the transition to the new test procedure and providing the model's energy consumption rating when tested using the 2004 procedure.

Is it possible to compare the energy consumption of clothes washer models that were tested using different procedures?

No. The 2004 test procedure is expected to result in significantly lower energy consumption ratings than the current procedure, even for the same model of clothes washer. To avoid confusion, consumers should compare EnerGuide and EnergyGuide ratings for clothes washers only to other models that have been tested using the same procedure.

Are the ratings for clothes washers contained in the EnerGuide Directory still accurate?

Yes, these ratings are still accurate and can be compared to each other because they were calculated using the existing test procedure. However, you may find that an EnerGuide rating for a specific model in the directory is different from the rating on the EnergyGuide label in the store. This is because the United States has allowed early testing of clothes washers using a standard and test procedure that will not come into effect in Canada until at least January 1, 2004.

How is the energy efficiency standard being changed?

The new standard will allow less energy to be consumed by clothes washers than is currently the case. The end result is that all new residential clothes washers manufactured after January 1, 2004, will have to be 22 percent more energy-efficient than today's minimally compliant washers in order to be sold in Canada or the United States. This means that many existing clothes washer models will be eliminated from the market and will be replaced by more energy-efficient models.

What changes are being made in the new test procedure?

The new test procedure for clothes washers reflects changes in usage patterns. For example, consumers are washing fewer loads of laundry using hot water than was the case a few years ago, when the current procedure was developed. The test procedure will also take into account how much energy would be saved in the dryer by clothes washers that are designed to extract more water from the clothes due to higher spin speeds. As a result of these changes, the new test procedure will likely produce energy consumption ratings that are lower than those yielded by the existing test procedure, even for the same model of clothes washer.

Can we expect more changes in the future?

Canada and the United States are continually updating their minimum energy efficiency standards for major household appliances to help transform the market to increased energy efficiency. Planning is already under way for a new energy efficiency standard for clothes washers that is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2007. This new standard will require that all new clothes washers manufactured after that date be 35 percent more energy-efficient than today's minimally compliant clothes washer.