Energy Efficiency Regulations

Proposed Regulations
Bulletin – February 2007

Residential Wine Chillers (or Wine Coolers)

Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan's) Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) is proposing to amend Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations (the Regulations) and add energy performance standards for residential wine chillers (or wine coolers). The Regulations apply to products imported or shipped interprovincially for sale or lease in Canada. This amendment is included in Canada's Clean Air Regulatory Agenda and the accompanying Notice of Intent as published in the Canada Gazette on October 21, 2006.

Dealers of energy using products that are imported or shipped interprovincially for sale or lease in Canada would be required to comply with minimum energy performance standards and other regulatory requirements.

The purpose of this document is to provide stakeholders with background information on the content of the proposed amendment to the Regulations so that they can submit comments before proceeding with pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I. NRCan is particularly looking to receive feedback from stakeholders on the proposed minimum energy performance standards, effective date and verification requirements and labelling, energy efficiency reporting and importing requirements. Depending on the nature of the comments received, NRCan may initiate further consultation.

This bulletin attempts to put the proposed amendment in plain language. The legal text of the proposed amendment will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

BACKGROUND

The Energy Efficiency Regulations, which came into effect in February 1995, are administered by NRCan and reference energy efficiency test standards that must be used to ensure that they comply with the minimum requirements of the Regulations.

The Regulations require maximum energy consumption performance criteria for the annual energy consumption limits as well as referencing test procedures for specific products.

Currently, there is no national performance standard available for residential wine chillers (or wine coolers). The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is in the process of balloting a draft of C300-07 Energy performance and Capacity of Household Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, Freezers and Wine Chillers (formerly CSA/C300-00, published in November 2000). This standard includes a test procedure and minimum energy performance standard levels for wine chillers harmonized with that in effect in the California. The proposal that follows references the draft CSA standard. It is intended that the Regulations will reference the finalized CSA standard.

Wine coolers are small refrigeration units designed to keep wine at 55°F (12.8°C) for serving and ageing. Wine coolers differ from other refrigerators because they operate at a higher operating temperature and are often built with a glass door to display the wine collection stored within. The wine cooler market in Canada is presently small, but the number of available models on the market, currently over 120, is an indicator that it is growing rapidly, at approximately 7% percent per annum.

Wine coolers have been subject to minimum energy performance standards in California since 1977 and NRCan is proposing to adopt California Energy Commission (CEC) levels and standards pertaining to the energy performance of residential wine coolers (California Code of Regulations, Title 20: Division 2, Chapter 4, Article 4, Sections 1601-1608: Appliance Efficiency Regulations).

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of the Regulations, NRCan is proposing to define a wine chillers or wine coolers as a household refrigerated device that has a capacity not exceeding 1100 L (39 cubic feet), which is designed for the cooling and storage of wine.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE TEST PROCEDURE

CAN/CSA-C300-07: Energy Performance and Capacity of Household Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, Freezers and Wine Chillers, will be the reference test procedure for this product.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The maximum Annual Energy Consumption limits (kWh) for residential wine coolers are calculated as follows:

Units with manual defrost (Type 19):
Annual Energy Consumption Limit = 0.48V + 267

Units with automatic defrost (Type 20):
Annual Energy Consumption Limit = 0.61V + 344
where: V is total refrigerated volume in liters

ENERGY DESIGN STANDARD FOR LIGHTING OF WINE COOLERS

In order to harmonize with California regulation, internal illumination of the wine chiller shall be only by:

1. T-8 fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts, or
2. a lighting system that has no fewer lumens per watt than a system using only T-8 fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts.

EFFECTIVE DATE

NRCan is proposing that the energy performance test procedure and energy performance standards for residential wine chillers apply to products manufactured after January 1, 2008.

The effective date of the proposed Regulations would be the date of registration of the amendment to the Regulations as published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, which is expected to be March 2008. This means that the energy performance test procedure, the energy performance standards and all other regulated requirements for the regulated residential wine chillers come into effect on that date. To further clarify: if regulated residential wine chillers are imported into Canada (or shipped between provinces), on or after the effective date of the Regulations that product's date of manufacture would be taken into account for the purposes of compliance with the Regulations.

LABELLING REQUIREMENTS

Similar to refrigerator/freezers, Type 19 and Type 20 residential wine chillers as defined in CSA/C300-07 will be labelled using the mandatory EnerGuide label for appliances as per the Regulations, Part III.

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 when used in accordance with a standardized test procedure and makes it easy to compare the energy efficiency of each model to others of the same size and class.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The same verification requirements that apply to other products regulated under the Energy Efficiency Act will apply to residential wine chillers.

These products will carry a verification mark indicating that the energy performance of the product has been verified. The verification mark is the mark of a Standards Council of Canada (SCC) accredited certification organization that administers an energy performance verification program for this product. NRCan will also accept labels issued by a province indicating that the product meets the provincial energy efficiency levels as a verification mark, provided that the provincial level is equivalent to or more stringent than the federally regulated level.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Energy Efficiency Reports
The energy efficiency report required for residential wine coolers will include the following information:

• Type;
• Total refrigerated volume;
• Internal illumination efficacy in lumen/Watt;
• Annual energy consumption in kWh.

This report must be submitted, by the dealer, to the Minister of NRCan before the product is imported into Canada or traded interprovincially.

Importing Reports
A dealer who imports these products into Canada must include the following information on the customs release document:

• Type of product
• Model number
• Brand name
• Address of the dealer importing the product
• Purpose for which the product is being imported (i.e. for sale or lease in Canada without modification; for sale or lease in Canada after modification to comply with energy efficiency standards; or for use as a component in a product being exported from Canada)

HARMONIZATION

NRCan attempts, as much as possible, to harmonize with other regulatory agencies. The proposed amendment to the regulations is harmonized with already accepted levels and standards for residential wine coolers in California since November 1977.

Inclusion of residential wine coolers to regulated products in Canada will provide consumers with additional energy efficient product selection.

COMMENTS INVITED

The information in the bulletin is being issued in advance of prepublication in the Canada Gazette to allow time for concerned parties to comment on the proposal.

Comments are invited by March 23, 2007. All correspondence should be forwarded to: