Attention Appliance Salespeople

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September 2006

New ENERGY STAR^® Criteria for Dishwashers and Clothes Washers

The purpose of this notice is to advise you that new ENERGY STAR criteria for dishwashers and clothes washers will come into effect on January 1, 2007. As a result, some clothes washer and dishwasher models that are currently eligible for the ENERGY STAR symbol will no longer qualify. This may cause confusion for consumers during the carry over of inventory and may affect the eligibility of certain models for ENERGY STAR rebate offers.

Why are the criteria changing?

The ENERGY STAR criteria for dishwashers is being strengthened because most products currently on the market are able to meet the existing requirement, which has not been updated for several years. Since the goal of ENERGY STAR is to identify products that are among the top 25 percent of energy performers on the market, the criteria for dishwashers must be strengthened to ensure that qualified models continue to offer consumers significant energy savings compared to models that only meet the minimum standard.

In the case of clothes washers, both Canada and the U.S. have regulated a new minimum energy efficiency standard to stay current with technology improvements. The new standard will come into effect on January 1, 2007, and will automatically eliminate the least efficient clothes washers models from the market (products that do not meet regulated minimum standards cannot be sold in either country). As is the case with dishwashers, the ENERGY STAR criteria for clothes washers must be strengthened to ensure that only the top energy performers on the market are eligible to bear the ENERGY STAR symbol.

How are the criteria changing?

Effective January 1, 2007, the ENERGY STAR criteria for dishwashers will change from a minimum Energy Factor (EF) of 0.58 to a minimum EF of 0.65. This will ensure that ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers exceed the minimum energy performance standard regulated in Canada and the U.S. by at least 41 percent. As well, for the first time, an ENERGY STAR criteria will be established for compact dishwashers, which will be required to have a minimum EF of 0.88 to qualify for ENERGY STAR.

The changes in ENERGY STAR criteria for clothes washers are two-fold:

• The minimum Modified Energy Factor (MEF) for ENERGY STAR qualification will increase from 40.21 L/kWh/cycle (1.42 cu. ft./kWh/cycle) to 48.45 L/kWh/cycle (1.72 cu. ft./kWh/cycle). Models that qualify for the ENERGY STAR symbol will be at least 36 percent more energy efficient than models that only meet the new regulated minimum energy efficiency standard.
  
  
• A new Water Factor (WF) criteria will be introduced to ensure that ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers are water efficient, as well as energy efficient. To be eligible for the ENERGY STAR symbol, clothes washers will be required to have a maximum WF of 1.07 L/cycle per litre of tub capacity (8.0 gal./cycle/cu. ft.). Water Factor is calculated by dividing the litres of water consumed per cycle by the litres of drum capacity. The lower the WF, the less water used per cycle.

Dishwashers and clothes washers manufactured after January 1, 2007, must meet these new criteria to be eligible to bear the ENERGY STAR symbol.

How will these changes affect products that currently qualify for ENERGY STAR?

As a result of these changes, many dishwashers and clothes washers that meet the current ENERGY STAR requirements will no longer qualify after January 1, 2007. This means there may be carry-over inventory of dishwashers and clothes washers that bear the ENERGY STAR symbol but are not qualified because they do not meet the new requirements.

Can retailers continue to use the ENERGY STAR symbol for carry-over inventory?

During the first three months of 2007 retailers will be permitted to continue to use the ENERGY STAR symbol to promote clothes washers and dishwashers manufactured in 2006 or earlier, even if the products do not meet the new criteria. After March 31, 2007, such products cannot be identified in point-of-purchase or promotional materials as being ENERGY STAR qualified.

Retailers can, however, continue to sell these products without using the ENERGY STAR symbol. Since it is against the law in Canada to remove an EnerGuide label from an appliance before its first retail sale, in cases where the ENERGY STAR symbol is included on the EnerGuide label retailers will need to:

• ask the manufacturer to provide a new EnerGuide label that does not show the ENERGY STAR symbol, or
  
  
• remove the ENERGY STAR portion of the existing EnerGuide label

How will we know whether a product qualifies under the old criteria or the new criteria?

On January 1, 2007, Natural Resources Canada will update the lists of qualified dishwashers and clothes washers on its ENERGY STAR Web site www.energystar.gc.ca to show only products that meet the new criteria. A separate list will be posted during the transition period identifying products that met the pre-January 1, 2007 criteria but no longer qualify for ENERGY STAR.

Will these changes affect ENERGY STAR rebate programs?

During the three-month transition period, retailers and salespeople should advise consumers that dishwashers and clothes washers that qualified for ENERGY STAR under the pre-January 1, 2007 criteria but do not meet the new criteria may no longer be eligible for ENERGY STAR rebates. Alternatively, check with the government or utility offering the rebate to determine whether the rebate will be honoured for old products that bear the ENERGY STAR symbol but do not meet the new criteria.

For more information

For more information, visit the “News” section of Natural Resources Canada's ENERGY STAR Web site at www.energystar.gc.ca.