Proposed Amendment to Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations

BULLETIN (Update)
February 2002

Room Air Conditioners

In May 2001, Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan's) Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) issued a proposal to amend the Regulations of Canada's Energy Efficiency Act to establish higher minimum energy performance standards for room air conditioners.

The OEE circulated the bulletin to more than 55 stakeholders, including manufacturers, industry associations, dealers and user groups. The closing date for comments was June 30, 2001.

The OEE received only three written comments, all of which had a favourable response to the proposal. An earlier poll of room air-conditioner suppliers revealed widespread support for this proposal.

Since the first bulletin was issued, a market study has been completed, as has the economic impact and environmental analysis. The OEE is issuing an updated bulletin to allow stakeholders time to comment on this analysis. There has been no other change to the proposed amendment.

Room air conditioners are prescribed as a regulated product under the Energy Efficiency Regulations, which came into effect on February 3, 1995. NRCan is now proposing to amend these Regulations to establish higher minimum energy performance standards that are identical to those that were published in the U.S. Federal Register on September 24, 1997, and implemented in the United States on October 1, 2000.

Product Description

The proposed regulations apply to room air conditioners using single-phase electric power that have a cooling capacity not exceeding 10.55 kW (36 000 Btu).

In this proposal, units offering reverse cycle are explicitly covered. Two categories will be recognized separately and are defined as follows:

Casement-only: a room air conditioner designed for mounting in a casement window with an encased assembly with a width of 376 mm (14.8 in.) or less and a height of 284 mm (11.2 in.) or less.

Casement-slider: a room air conditioner with an encased assembly designed for mounting in a sliding or casement window with a width of 394 mm (15.5 in.) or less.

Energy Performance Test Procedure

The Canadian Standards Association standard CAN/CSA-C368.1-M90, Capacity Performance Standard for Room Air Conditioners (amended August 2001), is the proposed test procedure for room air conditioners prescribed under the proposed amendment.

The document can be ordered from:

Canadian Standards Association
178 Rexdale Boulevard
Toronto ON M9W 1R3
Tel.: 1 800 463-6727 (toll-free)
(416) 747-4044 (in Greater Toronto Area)
Web site: http://csa.ca

Proposed Minimum Energy Performance Standards

The proposed minimum Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) will be as specified in column 2 of Table 1.

Table 1
Proposed Minimum EER for Room Air Conditioners

Economic, Energy and GHG Analysis

NRCan uses a benefit-cost analysis to determine the economic attractiveness of improving the energy efficiency of energy-using products. The net present value, calculated by subtracting the present value of the incremental costs from the present value of the incremental benefits over the life of the product is chosen as the indicator of economic attractiveness. The base case analysis used a 7-percent social discount rate and Canada average real residential electricity prices based on NRCan's official energy supply and demand forecast (Canada's Energy Outlook 1992--2020: Update 1999). Sensitivity analyses were conducted around the discount rate (5 and 10 percent) and energy prices (low and high regional residential electricity prices).

The economic analysis showed positive net benefits for the base case in all cases studied. The sensitivity analyses around the discount rate and electricity prices yielded robust results that support the case for increasing the stringency of the minimum energy performance standards for room air conditioners.

The energy and GHG savings were estimated by comparing the forecast energy use of the market for residential room air conditioners with and without the amendment (i.e., the baseline). The proposed amendment is projected to save 0.05 PJ of energy and 7 kt of GHG emissions in 2005 and 0.26 PJ of energy and 35 kt of GHG emissions in 2020.

Effective Date

For room air conditioners covered in this proposal, the proposed effective date for the new minimum energy performance standards is July 1, 2002.

Labelling Requirements

For the purposes of energy efficiency labelling, it is proposed that the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), which will appear on the EnerGuide label for room air conditioners on or after July 1, 2002, be determined using the same CAN/CSA-C368.1 energy performance test. Categories will be as tabulated in Table 1, column 1, and labelling instructions will be issued in due time.

Verification, Reporting and Importing Requirements

NRCan proposes no changes to the verification, reporting and importing requirements currently in place for room air conditioners.

Comments Invited

This information bulletin is being issued in advance of pre-publication in the Canada Gazette to allow time for concerned parties to comment on the proposal. Comments on this proposal by February 28, 2002, would be appreciated and should be directed to:

Katherine Delves
Office of Energy Efficiency
Natural Resources Canada
580 Booth Street, 18th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0E4
Tel.: (613) 947-1207
Fax: (613) 947-0373
E-mail: kdelves{AT}nrcan.gc.ca
Web site: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/regulations