Energy Efficiency Standards for Equipment

Act: Energy Efficiency Act, S.C. 1992, c.36
Regulation: Energy Efficiency Regulations, SOR/94-651, as amended

To Whom Does This Apply?

Canadian dealers in the prescribed goods who import or ship interprovincially.

Summary

The purpose of this measure is to eliminate inefficient equipment from the Canadian market by establishing national energy efficiency standards for equipment.

Regulations under the Energy Efficiency Act prohibit imports or inter-provincial trade in energy-using products that do not meet a prescribed minimum level of energy efficiency. The products and minimum levels are specified after energy and economic analysis and consultation with stakeholders. The major stakeholders are the provincial and territorial governments, manufacturers of energy-using equipment, electric utilities and public interest groups. The choice of products and levels is based on consideration of five factors:

• maximum energy savings and reductions in CO2 emissions;
• the economic attractiveness of more energy-efficient models of a product;
• the impact on Canadian manufacturers;
• harmonization with standards set by other regulating agencies, primarily the provinces, territories and United States;
• operational matters such as consensus on testing approaches, availability of laboratory and certification facilities.

For any specified product, the minimum level of energy efficiency and the testing procedure are set out in the regulations. NRCan helps develop such standards by funding and participating in standards-writing committees under the auspices of accredited standards development organizations. A major part of the program is monitoring the industry and enforcing the regulations. This is undertaken through agreements with third-party certification agencies accredited by the Standards Council of Canada. To detect non-compliance, NRCan has implemented a monitoring program with the provinces' utilities and the Canada Revenue Agency.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this section is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. For particular questions, the users are invited to contact their lawyer. For additional information, see contact(s) listed below.

Quebec Contact(s):
See National Contact.

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National Contact(s):
Mr. John Cockburn
Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE)
Natural Resources Canada
Building No. 1, 2nd floor
1 Observatory Crescent
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0E4
Telephone: (613) 996-4359
Toll-free (information): 1-800-387-2000 (OEE Publications) 1-877-633-0733 (OEE Information)
TTY (hearing impaired): 613-996-4397
E-mail: jcockbur@NRCan.gc.ca