Clothes washers
May 2021
Technical bulletin on amending the standards
Webinar – Thursday, May 20, 2:00-3:00 pm EST.
On December 13, 2019, the Prime Minister of Canada issued a Mandate Letter to the Minister of Natural Resources to “make ENERGY STAR® certification mandatory for all new home appliances starting in 2022”.
Accordingly, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is considering amending the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for household clothes washers in Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations (“the Regulations”) to the efficiency criteria established by the ENERGY STAR program as they appeared on December 13, 2019, or essentially as in the ENERGY STAR Specification for clothes washers (Version 8.0), that took effect on February 5, 2018. This technical bulletin is released to initiate the consultation process and to collect stakeholder views on the requirements being considered for household clothes washers.
Input received during this stage of the process will inform the development of the amendment. NRCan has undertaken a preliminary cost-benefit analysis using Canadian market data to assess the economic and environmental impacts of amending these standards and to ensure Canadian consumers and businesses benefit from their implementation.
The Government of Canada intends to pre-publish a regulatory proposal in the Canada Gazette, Part I, within approximately one year of this bulletin.
Background
Clothes washers are currently regulated products in Canada.
Efficiency standards for clothes washers save energy, reduce water consumption and reduce overall costs for Canadians. The efficiency standards also reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and help encourage manufacturers to adopt efficient product designs.
The ENERGY STAR program is a familiar brand that identifies above-average energy performance by allowing certified products to bear the familiar ENERGY STAR symbol. It is a joint program of the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ENERGY STAR is administered in Canada by NRCan.
NRCan is considering aligning the efficiency performance standards of the Regulations for household clothes washers with the more stringent requirements established by the ENERGY STAR program. The regulation under consideration would reduce the energy use of household clothes washers sold in Canada by approximately 25% over minimum compliant clothes washers while also using 33% less water.
Product description
A clothes washer means an electrically operated clothes washer that does not require mechanical fastening to a floor or wall, is top-loaded or front-loaded and has an internal control system that regulates the water temperature without the need for user intervention after the machine is set in operation.
The size category of a clothes washer is based on its drum capacity:
- less than 45 litres (1.6 cubic feet); or
- from 45 litres (1.6 cubic feet) to 70 litres (2.5 cubic feet); or
- more than 70 litres (2.5 cubic feet)
Energy performance testing standard
NRCan is considering two acceptable standards be referenced as the energy performance test standard:
- CSA C360-13 – Energy performance, water consumption and capacity of household clothes washers, or
- Appendix J2 to Subpart B, Part 430 of Title 10 to the United States Code of Federal Regulations, entitled Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Automatic and Semi-automatic Clothes Washers.
CSA testing standards can be ordered from the CSA website. Many CSA energy efficiency standards are also available at no cost on their website. To access the standards you will first need to create an account to join the CSA Communities of Interest.
The United States Code of Federal Regulations testing standard for clothes washers is available online.
Energy performance standard
The minimum energy performance and water consumption standards under consideration for standard size household clothes washers are summarized in the table below:
| Product type
|
Energy performance standard
|
Water consumption standard
|
|---|---|---|
| Household clothes washers, front loading (>70 L) [>2.5 ft3] |
IMEF ≥ 78.2 L/kWh/cycle | IWF ≤ 0.43 L/cycle/L |
| Household clothes washers, top loading (>70 L) [>2.5 ft3] |
IMEF ≥ 58.4 L/kWh/cycle | IWF ≤ 0.57 L/cycle/L |
| Household clothes washers (≥45 L and ≤70 L) [≥1.6 ft3 and ≤2.5 ft3] |
IMEF ≥ 58.7 L/kWh/cycle | IWF ≤ 0.56 L/cycle/L |
Notes:
- IMEF is the Integrated Modified Energy Factor
- IWF is the Integrated Water Factor
The current energy performance standard for compact household clothes washers will remain unchanged.
Important dates
These modifications to the Regulations would come into force six months after the date of publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II.
NRCan is considering applying the more stringent energy performance standards to household clothes washers manufactured on or after July 1, 2023.
Labelling requirements
There is no change being considered for the labelling requirements for this product. An EnerGuide label must be attached to every new clothes washer subject to the Regulations and sold in Canada.
Verification requirements
There is no change being considered for the energy efficiency verification requirements for this product.
Equipment will continue to carry a third-party verification mark indicating that the product meets the minimum energy performance standard and that the information to be reported has been verified.
The verification mark is the mark of a Standards Council of Canada accredited certification body that operates an energy efficiency certification program for the product.
Reporting requirements
Energy efficiency report
The below information will be considered for energy efficiency reporting. Repealing the reporting requirements of maximum wash temperature and wash/rinse temperature is being considered to reduce administrative burden and to better align reporting requirements with the U.S.
- drum capacity of clothes washer, in L;
- annual energy consumption, in kWh;
- integrated modified energy factor, in L/kWh/cycle;
- integrated water consumption factor, in L/cycle/L;
- whether it is top-loading or front-loading; and
- method for payment the product has, if any.
The Regulations apply to products imported or shipped inter-provincially for sale or lease in Canada. This report must be submitted, by the dealer, to NRCan before the product is imported into Canada or traded interprovincially for the first time.
Import report
There is no change being considered to the import report requirements for this product.
Comments invited
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide stakeholders with technical detail required to comment on the requirements under consideration for this product.
Additional information on Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations including a current list of Standards Council of Canada accredited certification bodies can be found in the Department’s website.
We welcome your comments by July 31, 2021. All correspondence should be forwarded to:
Natural Resources Canada
Office of Energy Efficiency
nrcan.equipment-equipement.rncan@canada.ca
with the subject line: A17 to Efficiency Regulations - Appliances
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