ENERGY STAR Canada: Product verification testing protocol

Each year, post-market verification testing of a sampling of ENERGY STAR^® certified products helps maintain consumer confidence in the ENERGY STAR label and protect the investment of ENERGY STAR Canada participants.

All ENERGY STAR certified products are subject to post-market verification testing. Products sold in the United States are subject to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) verification testing protocol. Products sold only in Canada are subject to ENERGY STAR Canada verification testing protocol which is modelled after the US EPA processes. Products sold only in Canada will continue to be initially certified as ENERGY STAR through the US EPA.

Consistent with the disqualification procedures, product models that fail verification testing are disqualified from using the ENERGY STAR label and removed from Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Searchable product list. Model numbers of disqualified products may no longer be associated with ENERGY STAR, and the ENERGY STAR logo may no longer be associated with the products, including their packaging, websites, and associated product materials.

On this page

• Verification testing for products sold only in Canada
• Certification Bodies verification testing, roles, responsibilities and resources
• ENERGY STAR Canada only verification testing by product category
• Policy and reporting for ENERGY STAR product verification
• Disqualification procedures for ENERGY STAR products
• Additional information
• Contact us

Note: Fenestration (windows, doors and skylights) and heat/energy recovery ventilators (HRVs) and (ERVs) have unique requirements.

Verification testing for products sold only in Canada

• All ENERGY STAR certified products are subject to post-market verification testing (VT) administered by Certification Bodies (CBs), irrespective of when they were initially certified.
• ENERGY STAR Canada brand owners must be responsive to requests from CBs for information and payment for verification testing.
• The minimum percentage of unique products subject to verification testing is 10% of all products. NRCan selects up to half of these products to be tested. A CB randomly selects the remaining half from the list of these products it has certified; a brand owner’s testing rate may be higher or lower than the minimum in a given year.
• Multiple models associated with one test report and certification, such as model families or privately labelled products will be treated as one unique model for verification testing product nomination and testing results. More than one such model will not be subject to verification testing in the same year.
• Maintaining accurate product availability information with a CB may reduce a brand owner’s testing burden and make product selection and procurement easier. If a selected product is not available at the time of procurement, the CB will replace it with another selection from that brand owner, if possible.
• Verification testing must be conducted at an EPA- recognized third-party lab in North America, unless a CB has received an exception from NRCan.
• Brand owners can dispute the results of a test failure before a product is disqualified from the program as per the disqualification procedures.
• Disqualified products are listed on EPA ENERGY STAR integrity efforts.

Certification Bodies verification testing, roles, responsibilities and resources

ENERGY STAR products sold only in Canada will continue to be initially certified as ENERGY STAR through the US EPA. These products will be subject to verification testing and challenge testing by Certification Bodies (CBs) recognized by the US EPA and who have registered with NRCan.

ENERGY STAR Canada CBs and brand owners that are subject to verification testing have certain obligations to make the process run smoothly and efficiently. These responsibilities are outlined below:

Certification Body responsibilities

• Maintain EPA CB recognition status.
• Maintain accreditation to ISO/IEC 17065.
• Obtain and maintain an up-to-date CB agreement with NRCan and follow the outlined processes.
• Maintain up-to-date ENERGY STAR product availability information, including where products can be obtained.
• Determine number of products to test (products sold under multiple labels/brands and members of a model family are all eligible for testing, but only count once toward testing obligations).
• Make available a transparent fee structure for all certification services.
• Select products to test, which include up to half of the nominated products from NRCan with the remaining products selected from NRCan’s Searchable product list.
• Obtain products and have them tested in a third-party EPA-recognized laboratory.
• Administer verification testing and challenge testing and share testing results.
• Certify product performance according to the EPA Standard Operating Procedure for Certification and Verification of Products to ENERGY STAR Specifications (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• Report products tested to NRCan every six (6) months. For products that fail testing, report to NRCan within two (2) business days. (Note: Products that fail testing will be handled by NRCan consistent with the disqualification procedures).
• CBs are required to notify NRCan within five (5) business days if participants are unresponsive to or do not cooperate with verification testing related requests.
• Report certified products and corresponding data to NRCan.
• Report products not eligible for ENERGY STAR certification to NRCan.
• Report certification errors to NRCan within two (2) business days of discovery using the ENERGY STAR failure report.
• Complete and submit verification testing summary report.
• Report models that fail to meet ENERGY STAR requirements.
• Cooperate with ongoing assessments and audits from accreditors and from NRCan.
• Participate in all required meetings and conference calls with NRCan.
• Stay engaged in the development of all new and revised product specifications and test procedures.

Brand owner verification testing roles, responsibilities and resources

• Maintain an up-to-date Participant Administrative Arrangement with NRCan.
• Maintain updated contact information with the CB associated with each ENERGY STAR product. Please note that brand owners maintain responsibility for all verification testing request of their product, irrespective of if an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) facilitated the initial certification.
• Notify CBs, on an ongoing basis, about the availability of certified products so they are represented accurately on ENERGY STAR product lists including NRCan’s Searchable product list and the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Product Finder). Products that are no longer available for sale in Canada will be removed from these product lists and will not be subject to verification testing. (Please note that products are typically available in the market after production has stopped).
• Respond in a timely manner to CB requests for information regarding product availability and regarding products selected for verification testing.
• Understand the CBs fee structure for maintaining and updating ENERGY STAR certifications and verification testing.
• Provide documentation to the CB if a product model that was tested in the previous year has been selected for verification testing. The CB will select an alternate model for verification testing.
• Contact NRCan directly at energystar@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca with any questions or concerns about the verification testing process.

How to apply for Natural Resources Canada Certification Body recognition

1. Contact NRCan at energystar@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca for a Certification Body application form.
2. Read and understand the “Conditions and Criteria for Recognition of Certification Bodies for the NRCan ENERGY STAR Canada Verification Testing Program” within the application form.
3. Complete the form. All fields are required unless stated otherwise.
4. Sign the form by either:
   1. Inserting your digital signature; or
   2. Printing out the form, signing it by hand, and scanning it into PDF format.
5. Email the completed form to energystar@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
6. NRCan will review and if approved, sign and send back the form.

Note: NRCan will provide all the necessary reporting forms upon enrollment.

ENERGY STAR Canada only verification testing by product category

At the beginning of the calendar year, NRCan provides certification bodies (CBs) with nominations for verification testing in each category. The minimum percentage of unique products subject to verification testing is 10% of all products. NRCan selects up to half of these products to be tested. A CB randomly selects the remaining half from the list of products it has certified. The testing rate may be higher or lower in a given category of products; a brand owner’s testing rate may be higher or lower than the minimum in a given year.

Policy and reporting for ENERGY STAR product verification

The following guidance is the policy for CBs for the NRCan verification testing ENERGY STAR Canada program and pertains to selecting and obtaining products for verification testing, as well as reporting results to NRCan.

Product selection

All unique models on the US EPA certified product lists that are currently available for sale in Canada are candidates for verification testing. For purposes of determining unique models, Certification Bodies (CBs) should take into account both privately labelled models and product families. Privately labelled model(s) and the associated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) model should count as one unique model; however, any one of the models may be selected for verification testing. Likewise, product families only count as one model for purposes of determining unique models, but any member of the product family may be selected for verification testing.

The minimum percentage of products subject to verification testing in each category is indicated in NRCan’s ENERGY STAR Canada only verification testing by product category. This percentage is applied to the number of unique models the CB has certified in each category at the start of the calendar year. CBs should round up to the nearest integer to determine the number of models to test. CBs should also select replacement models in the event that one or more of the selected models cannot be tested that year.

NRCan will provide nominations for up to half the products the CB will verify in each category. On a rolling basis, NRCan will accept nominations for products from energy efficiency program sponsors and others to include in verification testing and provide these to CBs. CBs are responsible for tracking other factors that influence product selection. Each CB may establish its own testing schedule but will be responsible for completing all required testing by the end of each calendar year.

A model may be excused from testing when its manufacturer, ENERGY STAR product brand owner (participant), or private labeller is able to demonstrate that an identical model or model from the same family was procured for NRCan ENERGY STAR verification testing by a CB in the previous year or has already been procured by a CB for verification testing. For off the production line testing, manufacturers must provide a production schedule. CBs may decide to select alternative models for testing based on the production schedule.

Obtaining units

Since this verification testing program applies to products sold in Canada only, sample procurement of units should typically also take place in Canada. For online ordering, the product may be shipped to a US or Canadian address.

To ensure that units are available for verification testing, units must be obtained shortly following model selection. Both selection and procurement must occur when the same version of the specification is in effect so that units are not procured when they are no longer on NRCan’s Searchable product list.

CBs should attempt to procure testing samples from retail locations identified by the participants and online outlets of those retailers. Other locations selling legitimate products are allowed. However, CBs may not procure samples from otherwise unknown internet sources (i.e., grey market sources). If a CB is unable to procure the product at a retail location or online outlet, the CB shall procure the product from a warehouse in Canada following the same conditions outlined in the EPA SOP for Certification Bodies (PDF, 1.1 MB) (see Verification Test Model Procurement Decision Tree). CBs should consult with NRCan if they need to obtain a product directly from a warehouse that is located outside Canada.

If a selected model is not available for commerce in Canada, there are two options. If it is part of a product family, the CB should determine if another member of the family is available in the market and select that one for testing. Otherwise, the model should be removed from NRCan’s Searchable product list and the following actions taken:

1. The participant responsible shall reconfirm availability of ALL its certified models.
2. CB will select another model for testing from that participant.
3. CB will consider flagging the participant for testing in subsequent years if there are ongoing issues with availability of selected models.

Testing

Verification testing is required to take place at an EPA-recognized third-party laboratory in North America unless prior approval is granted by NRCan. The selected product should be verified against the same requirements used during initial certification.

CBs should refer to the EPA Third-Party Certification Directives, product specifications, and other resources for information on product-specific verification testing and certification requirements. CBs should contact NRCan with questions on how these policies apply to a particular test.

Off the production line considerations

As stated in the Conditions and Criteria for Recognition of Certification Bodies for the ENERGY STAR program, off the production line procurement is only appropriate when procuring products from the shelf or obtaining them from a warehouse is not feasible. Examples include products that are prohibitively expensive to purchase and/or transport, are made-to-order, or are otherwise unavailable through normal retail channels. Verification testing of such products may take place at EPA recognized first party manufacturing locations under CB-witnessed conditions. Based on these examples, the following list of ENERGY STAR product categories are eligible for off the production line procurement and/or witnessed testing:

• all commercial food service products
• imaging equipment products with speeds greater than 50 ipm (images per minute)
• laboratory grade refrigerators and freezers
• light commercial HVAC
• enterprise servers
• telephony with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capabilities
• uninterruptible power supplies with output power > 10,000 watts
• vending machines

For other product categories, CBs should obtain NRCan approval before procuring or testing units off the production line.

Reporting

All objections to or noncompliance with testing should be referred to NRCan within five (5) business days of the CB notification of the objection.

CBs shall report failures within two (2) business days of the CB determination of a testing failure to energystar@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca using the subject line “FAILURE” followed by the participant’s name(s) and model number(s). This report must include a spreadsheet with basic information on the testing failure.

Twice per year (January and July), CBs shall provide a summary of models tested using the Excel forms provided by NRCan during the previous six (6) months. This summary will include the participant’s name(s) model name(s), model number, CB internal reference number and high-level test results, as well as information about where the units were obtained and tested. If units were not obtained off-the-shelf and/or tested in a third-party laboratory, the CB shall provide an explanation. The summary shall also include a list of models selected for testing that were not tested, along with the reason.

Disqualification procedures for ENERGY STAR products

Basis for product disqualifications

Product disqualifications are the result of performance testing failures. A testing failure occurs when a product model fails to meet the requirements of the ENERGY STAR technical specifications.

Determining disqualifications

1. CBs are required to report testing failures to NRCan within two (2) days of determining a testing failure. Upon NRCan's review of the information, NRCan may determine that a product with a testing failure does not warrant disqualification for reasons such as: CB administrative error, lab administrative error, brand owner administrative error, or a de minimis performance deviation. In such cases, NRCan may decide that no further action will be taken.
2. When NRCan believes a product may warrant disqualification, NRCan will notify the brand owner at the email address provided by the brand owner and provide twenty (20) calendar days for a written response. That response may include the submission of additional relevant information to NRCan and should be submitted as a “dispute” if challenging the product’s pending disqualification. Where applicable, NRCan will consult with the US EPA regarding the appropriate application of test methods. NRCan will review submitted information from the brand owner and determine if any additional product testing and/or analysis is necessary. NRCan will provide the time necessary to resolve questions of potential noncompliance when a brand owner acts in good faith and as deemed necessary by NRCan.
3. NRCan will make a final determination of product status and inform the brand owner of its decision.
4. When NRCan notifies a brand owner at the conclusion of a dispute review that a product will be disqualified, the brand owner may immediately notify NRCan of a decision to appeal that determination. NRCan will consider new information at that time, or conduct a more detailed examination of testing, where warranted.
5. NRCan will make a final determination of product model status and inform the brand owner of the results.

Case management

• All matters for which NRCan notifies a brand owner of a testing failure are assigned a case number.
• Brand owners, component suppliers and other involved parties are asked to reference the case number in communications with NRCan.
• A case tracking sheet is developed and maintained to document each case.

Brand owner product control measures

Brand owners can request a standard response form for submitting product control measures for disqualified products and have twenty (20) days from time of notification in which to submit them.

In all instances, where a product has been disqualified, the brand owner is required, at a minimum, to:

• immediately cease shipment of units displaying the ENERGY STAR label.
• immediately cease labelling associated units as ENERGY STAR certified.
• remove ENERGY STAR references from related marketing materials, spec sheets and websites.
• cover or remove all ENERGY STAR labels on units within the brand owner’s control.

Additional measures may be required for certain cases. The following factors are considered in developing such requirements:

• consumer investment
• last date of product manufacture
• last date of shipment
• quantity of units produced
• estimated sell-through period of product type
• scope and depth of product distribution
• preventative measures adopted

Product control measures are based on and apply to the model number of the disqualified product. Where a product has been modified after initial certification but not recertified with a new model number, control measures apply to all units with that model number, irrespective of product modifications that may have occurred during the period in which it was a certified product.

Under no circumstances may a new ENERGY STAR product be recertified using the model number of a previously disqualified product.

A failure to submit thorough and timely product control measures may affect a brand owner’s benefits.

Stakeholder notification

1. Product List update: when a determination to disqualify is made, NRCan will direct the associated CB to withdraw ENERGY STAR certification for the model(s).
2. Once the product has been removed from the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Product Finder/NRCan’s Searchable Product List, NRCan will coordinate with the EPA to post the model on its list of disqualified products on US EPA ENERGY STAR integrity efforts. This list provides consumers and utilities with information regarding models that no longer meet product standards.

Additional information

• US EPA Standard Operating Procedure for Certification and Verification of Products to ENERGY STAR Specifications (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• US EPA Frequently Asked Questions

Contact us

Have questions or concerns about the verification testing process? Contact NRCan directly at energystar@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca