NRCan welcomes comments on Proposed Amendment 13

Proposed Amendment 13 to the Energy Efficiency Regulations has been published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. Pre-publication of the Energy Efficiency Regulations, 2016 has initiated a 75-day comment period, which will end on July 14, 2016. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) welcomes formal, written comments at any point throughout the 75-day period, but encourages stakeholders to submit comments as soon as possible to allow for early analysis of any potential changes to the proposal.

NRCan is moving forward with amendments to the Energy Efficiency Regulations.

All comments will be taken into consideration in the development of final regulations that will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The final publication date will depend on the number and nature of comments received during the comment period.

The proposed Energy Efficiency Regulations, 2016 would (a) increase the stringency of minimum energy performance standards for 20 currently regulated product categories; (b) make minor changes to standards or reporting requirements for 8 currently regulated product categories; and (c) repeal and replace the Regulations to remove references to obsolete and out-of-date standards and to improve the organization of the regulatory text, making it easier for stakeholders to find and understand the requirements that apply to them.

To assist stakeholders in reviewing product-specific requirements, it is suggested that stakeholders first review the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement and then: see sections 1 to 11 for the general information applicable to all products; and go to the section number(s) provided below for the start of the product-specific regulatory text.

Amendment 13 will update existing energy efficiency standards for 20 product categories to align with requirements in force or soon to be in force in the U.S. or to align sizing with the U.S. standard. Products included in the updates include: (residential) Section 108: room air conditioners; Sections 124, 132, 203, 211: central air conditioners and heat pumps; Section 374: gas-fired storage water heaters (align all sizes of tanks in Canada with the standard in the U.S. that applies only to tanks with rated storage volumes less than 208 litres); and Section 378: oil-fired storage water heaters. On the commercial and industrial side, Sections 120 and 199: packaged terminal air conditioners and heat pumps; Section 140: chillers; Section 636: commercial refrigeration (self-contained); and Section 653: commercial ice-makers are among the products impacted.

Minor updates to scope, reporting and compliance requirements for eight currently regulated product categories, include Sections 116 and 195: large commercial air conditioners and heat pumps; Section 257: gas furnaces; and Section 265: gas fireplaces.

Finally, the amendments propose to repeal and replace the Energy Efficiency Regulations with a new and easy-to-read format and update standards that are incorporated by reference.