Canada: Energy efficiency regulation update

 

Canada has published a new Energy efficiency standard for residential, commercial and industrial products.

The Energy Efficiency Regulations, 2016, set energy efficiency standards for residential, commercial, and industrial products. They also mandate labeling for certain products to allow consumers to compare energy usage across models. These regulations are regularly updated to reflect new energy efficiency and testing standards.

The proposed amendment aims to add or update energy efficiency and testing standards for various newly and currently regulated products to align with U.S. standards. It will also expand the use of ambulatory incorporation by reference (to U.S. standards or NRCan technical standards documents) and enable NRCan to use Ministerial Regulations for more products to quickly adapt to changes and maintain harmonization when needed. Additionally, the amendment includes transitional provisions allowing voluntary early compliance for certain products. It also proposes more stringent energy efficiency standards than those in the U.S. for some products to help achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The goals of the amendment are to:

• Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from products used in homes, businesses, institutions, and industries, contributing to Canada’s net-zero emissions target by 2050, reducing the electricity system load, and helping consumers and businesses save on energy costs, thus boosting productivity and competitiveness.
• Minimize unnecessary regulatory differences within Canada and between Canadian and U.S. standards to reduce compliance burdens and support cross-border trade.
• Ensure NRCan can quickly respond to changes, maintaining harmonization with trading partners.

To find out more about energy efficiency regulations worldwide, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.