Wine chillers - March 2017

(Miscellaneous refrigeration products)

Technical bulletin on amending existing standards

Webinar – March 2017

On March 4, 2017, Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency issued a Notice of Intent to amend Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations (the Regulations) to align wine chillers with standards of the United States (within the product category “miscellaneous refrigeration products”). This technical bulletin has been released to initiate the consultation process and to collect stakeholder views on the requirements being considered for wine chillers.

Input received during this stage of the process will inform the development of the Amendment 15 proposal. In addition, the department will undertake a cost-benefit analysis using the best-available Canadian market data to assess the economic and environmental impacts of these updated standards for miscellaneous refrigeration products 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 two years of this bulletin.

Background

In 2014, the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council committed to align new and updated energy efficiency standards and test standards for energy-using equipment, to the extent practicable and permitted by law.

In Canada, wine chillers manufactured as of January 1, 2008 are subject to Regulations, limited to stand alone wine chillers, defined as Type 19 and Type 20 in the residential refrigerator category.

On October 28, 2016, the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) issued a final rule, which introduced minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for Miscellaneous Refrigeration Products (MRP). The MRP product definition includes wine chillers (called “wine coolers” in the U.S) but expands the scope from what is currently regulated in Canada.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is considering aligning with this new product category scope, MEPS and testing standards of the U.S. DOE. Under this proposal Canada would introduce MRP as a new product category that will include the currently regulated wine chillers and expand the scope to include other products that are combinations of wine chillers with refrigerators or/and freezers). New energy performance levels will also be introduced for this product category.  If implemented, this proposal would ensure the Regulations for MRP are aligned with those of the U.S. DOE.

Product description

MRP are residential refrigeration products designed for the cooling and storage of wine and other food and beverages items. MRP would continue to cover residential wine chillers (previously residential refrigerators types 19 and 20) but also cover combinations of chillers with refrigeration products such as chiller-refrigerator, chiller-refrigerator-freezer, or chiller-freezer.

Energy performance testing standard

NRCan is considering referencing the following energy performance testing standard:

• Appendix A to Subpart B, Part 430 of Title 10 to the United States Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), entitled Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, and Miscellaneous Refrigeration Products

• CSA C300-15 (wine chiller portion) - Energy performance and capacity of household refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, and wine chillers may be considered as an alternative test procedure when the revision is completed.

Energy performance standard

NRCan is considering a maximum annual energy consumption (AEC) for MRP as found in the U.S. C.F.R. Title 10 Subpart C, Sections 430.32(aa)(1) and 430.32(aa)(2)

Proposed MEPS for MRP
Product type	Maximum AEC (kWh/yr)
Cooler
Built-in compact	7.88AV1 + 155.8
Built-in
Freestanding compact
Freestanding
Combination cooler refrigeration products
Cooler with all-refrigerator—automatic defrost	4.57AV + 130.4
Built-in cooler with all-refrigerator—automatic defrost	5.19AV + 147.8
Cooler with upright freezers with automatic defrost without an automatic icemaker	5.58AV + 147.7
Built-in cooler with upright freezer with automatic defrost without an automatic icemaker	6.38AV + 168.8
Cooler with upright freezer with automatic defrost with an automatic icemaker	5.58AV + 231.7
Built-in cooler with upright freezer with automatic defrost with an automatic icemaker	6.38AV + 252.8
Compact cooler with all-refrigerator—automatic defrost	5.93AV + 193.7
Built-in compact cooler with all-refrigerator—automatic defrost	6.52AV + 213.1

¹AV is adjusted total volume in cubic feet and is calculated according to Appendix A

Important dates

These regulations would come into force six months after the date of publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II.

NRCan is considering that the updated standards would apply to MRP manufactured on or after October 28, 2019.

Labelling requirements

Wine chillers currently sold in Canada must bear an EnerGuide label. NRCan is considering continuing this requirement and expanding it to include all products included in the scope of the MRP product category. 

Verification requirements

There is no change proposed for the energy efficiency verification requirements for wine chillers.

NRCan proposes that wine chillers and the expanded scope of MRP will carry a third-party verification mark indicating that the product meets the MEPS and that 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 energy efficiency report required for MRP would include the following information:

• name of product (i.e. miscellaneous refrigeration product)
• brand name
• model number
• name of the manufacturer
• name of the certification body whose verification mark would be affixed to the product
• its type
• the volume of its cooler compartment, in litres
• the volume of its fresh food compartment, if any, in litres
• the volume of its freezer compartment, if any, in litres
• the volume of its ice-making compartment , if any, in litres
• its ice freezing capacity, if any, expressed in kilograms per 24 hours
• its adjusted volume, in litres
• its annual energy consumption, expressed in kilowatt hours

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 inter-provincially for the first time.

Import report

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

• name 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)

Comments invited

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide stakeholders with technical detail required to comment on the requirements under consideration for MRP.

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 April 21, 2017. All correspondence should be forwarded to:

Natural Resources Canada
Office of Energy Efficiency
580 Booth Street
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E4
E-mail: nrcan.equipment.rncan@canada.ca