Televisions
May 2024
Technical bulletin on amending the standards
Webinar – Friday, May 31, 1:00-2:00 pm EDT
In April 2024, the Office of Energy Efficiency at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) updated its Forward Regulatory Plan which identifies its intention to amend Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations (the Regulations) to harmonize the testing standard and prescribed information for televisions with of the United States, and to better reflect the current state of the market. Specifically, NRCan intends to limit the application of passive standby and off mode energy efficiency standards to those televisions which do not have internet connection capabilities.
This technical bulletin has been released to initiate the consultation process and to collect stakeholder views on the requirements being considered for televisions.
Input received during this stage of the process will inform the development of the next amendments considered.
The Government of Canada intends to pre-publish a regulatory proposal in the Canada Gazette, Part I, in 2025.
Background
In Canada, televisions manufactured as of May 1, 2011, are subject to the Regulations. Currently, only passive standby mode and off mode operating conditions are regulated for energy efficiency standards. With the advent and ever-increasing popularity of smart televisions, these requirements are no longer sufficient, as most televisions tend to maintain network connectivity when they are in lower power modes waiting for a command.
Televisions consume a significant amount of energy, and the larger the screen size, the more energy it will consume. The energy efficiency standards for televisions save energy and reduce energy costs for Canadians. The efficiency standards also reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and help encourage manufacturers to adopt efficient product designs.
In 2021, NRCan and the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) signed the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Department of Natural Resources of Canada and the Department of Energy of the United States of America Concerning Cooperation on Energy, which acknowledges that both countries will collaborate on new and updated energy efficiency and testing standards where feasible and appropriate.
On March 15, 2023, the U.S. DOE published a final rule concerning the test procedure for television sets, which updated the testing standard to ensure the test procedure is more representative of the average energy use of television sets.
NRCan is considering amending the Regulations to generally harmonize, to the extent possible, with the testing standard and information requirements of the U.S. DOE. Nonetheless, NRCan currently regulates televisions for standby and off mode power and is considering maintaining these requirements for products without network connected functionality to avoid backsliding.
Product description
The current NRCan definitions are as follows:
Television means an analog or digital product, with or without an internal tuner, that is designed primarily for the display and reception of a terrestrial, satellite, cable, Internet Protocol TV or other broadcast or recorded transmission of analog or digital video and audio signals and includes
- (a) a combination television system in which a television and one or more other devices are encased as a single unit in the television casing; and
- (b) a component television that has two or more separate components and that is marketed and sold as a television under one model or system designation.
- (c) a television that is marketed exclusively for commercial use and is without an internal tuner; or
- (d) a television that is marketed primarily for use as a computer monitor.
NRCan is considering harmonizing the definition of television with the definition of the U.S. DOE:
Television set or TV means a product designed to produce dynamic video, contains an internal TV tuner encased within the product housing, and that is capable of receiving dynamic visual content from wired or wireless sources including but not limited to
- Broadcast and similar services for terrestrial, cable, satellite, and/or broadband transmission of analog and/or digital signals; and/or
- Display-specific data connections, such as HDMI, Component video, S-video, Composite video; and/or
- Media storage devices such as a USB flash drive, memory card, or a DVD; and/or
- Network connections, usually using Internet Protocol, typically carried over Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
NRCan intends to harmonize its scope with that of the U.S. DOE, which covers television sets that have a diagonal screen size of at least fifteen inches; and are powered by mains power (including television sets with auxiliary batteries but not television sets with main batteries).
Testing standard
NRCan is considering harmonizing the testing standard for televisions with that of the U.S. DOE using an ambulatory incorporation by reference to an NRCan technical standards document that would reproduce:
- Appendix H to Subpart B, Part 430 of Title 10 to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, entitled Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Power Consumption of Television Sets
This would enable NRCan to maintain harmonization with the U.S. DOE.
Energy efficiency standard
As the U.S. DOE does not currently prescribe an energy efficiency standard for televisions, NRCan is considering to generally harmonize with the United States by reducing the scope of its standby energy efficiency standards to only those televisions that do not have network connection functionality.
The energy efficiency standards under consideration are summarized in the table below.
| Energy efficiency standard | Period of manufacture |
|---|---|
Televisions without network connection functionality must be capable of entering standby mode or off mode.
Power consumption of televisions without network connection functionality must be, as applicable,
|
On or after September 11, 2023 |
Descriptive text of efficiency standards table for accessibility:
The table describes the proposed energy efficiency standards for televisions. Table consists of two columns. The first column contains the energy efficiency standards and the second column describes the period of manufacture.
The energy efficiency standard in the first column is as follows:
Televisions without network connection functionality must be capable of entering standby mode or off mode. Power consumption of televisions without network connection functionality must be, as applicable:
- less than or equal to 1 watt in standby mode with information display active;
- less than or equal to 0.5 watts in standby mode with information display inactive;
- less than or equal to 0.5 watts in standby mode without information display; and
- less than or equal to 0.5 watts in off mode.
The period of manufacture for these televisions would be on or after September 11, 2023.
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 new standards to televisions manufactured on or after September 11, 2023.
Regulatory pathway
NRCan is considering amending the Regulations through Governor in Council amendment.
The considered changes would be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, followed by a public comment period. The exact date for final publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II will depend on the number and nature of comments received during the public comment period. Final publications are typically within a year of their initial public comment period. These changes and the timing of publication are subject to decision-making authorities under the Energy Efficiency Act.
Labelling requirements
NRCan is considering introducing EnerGuide labelling requirements for televisions. The primary measurement on the EnerGuide label would be the energy consumption per year in kilowatt hours (kWh/year).
The intent is that an EnerGuide label must be attached to every new television sold in Canada.
Verification requirements
NRCan would require that the products carry a third-party verification mark indicating that the product meets the energy efficiency standards 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 for televisions would include the following information:
- Name of product (i.e. television)
- Brand name
- Model number
- Name of the manufacturer
- Name of the certification body whose verification mark would be affixed to the product
- Whether a mathematical model was used to generate any of the product specific information
- Diagonal screen size in inches (in) or centimeters (cm)
- Screen width in inches (in) or centimetres (cm)
- Screen height in inches (in) or centimetres (cm)
- Screen resolution in “pixels (horizontal) x pixels (vertical)” format
- Power consumption in On Mode in watts (W)
- Power consumption in Standby Mode in watts (W)
- Standby power configuration, namely “Standby with Smart Wake Enabled,” “Standby with Internet Connection,” and “Standby without Internet Connection”
- Annual Energy Consumption in kilowatt hours per year (kWh/y)
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
There would be no change to import reporting.
Comments invited
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide stakeholders with the technical detail required to comment on the requirements under consideration for televisions.
It is important to NRCan that we engage the public and stakeholders on amendments to the Regulations. If you are aware of any manufacturer, importer, retailer, utility provider, small business, consumer group, organization, or representative of a specific group(s) of the population (including, but not limited to, women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, socio-economic status, residency, housing status, etc.), Indigenous peoples/communities, and/or other person or group that may be interested in participating in the amendment discussion and/or may be negatively impacted by this proposal, please forward them or their representative this bulletin. Please click here to register to our mailing list which is used to notify stakeholders of upcoming amendments, technical bulletins, webinar registrations, official publication in the Canada Gazette, etc.
Additional information on Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations including a current list of Standards Council of Canada accredited certification bodies can be found on the Department’s website.
We welcome your comments by September 13, 2024. All correspondence should be forwarded to:
Natural Resources Canada
Office of Energy Efficiency
580 Booth Street
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E4
Email: EEregulations-reglementEE@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
E-mail subject heading to be:
Bulletin – televisions – téléviseurs – May 2024 mai
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