Energy Efficiency Labels
Energy Star®Energy Star®, an international program adopted by Natural Resources Canada, is a government/industry partnership that offers businesses and residential consumers energy efficient solutions. It is a simple way for consumers to identify products that are among the most energy efficient on the market by fixing the Energy Star ®label to the product.
To be able to display the Energy Star® symbol, products must meet or exceed technical specifications designed to ensure they are among the most energy efficient in the marketplace. Requirements vary from one category to another, and an Energy Star® model must be from 10 to 50 per cent more efficient than a conventional model.
Energy Star® currently includes the following residential product categories:
- major appliances
- heating, cooling and ventilation
- lighting products
- electronics
- windows and doors
- office equipment
The use of energy efficient products can also help save the environment. In Alberta, fossil fuels are the major source of generating electricity and the burning of fossil fuels is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By choosing energy efficient products, less electricity needs to be produced, therefore reducing GHG emissions. Home heating equipment in Alberta burns natural gas and directly produces GHG emissions, so using Energy Star® equipment lessens the emissions.
EnerGuide
EnerGuide is also a Natural Resources Canada initiative that helps consumers purchase the most energy efficient equipment on the market by comparing the energy efficiency of residential energy using products.
The EnerGuide label is a tool to help make an energy wise choice when buying a new appliance. The label shows how much energy a particular item of equipment consumes in a year of normal service and compares the energy efficiency of each model to others of the same size and class. The EnerGuide label is black and white and should be clearly posted on every new electrically powered refrigerator, freezer, electric range, cooktop and oven, dishwasher, clothes washer, electric dryer and room air conditioner.
Major electrical household appliances and room air conditioners sold in Canada must meet minimum energy efficiency standards and are required to display an EnerGuide label. Information on the EnerGuide label is the result of extensive testing, based on Canadian Standards Association (CSA) test procedures. The EnerGuide energy consumption rating is an average measure of how much energy individual appliances typically consume when used at different temperature and/or speed settings.
Energy Star® or EnerGuide?
Energy Star® complements the EnerGuide Program. The EnerGuide label indicates how much energy is used annually and the Energy Star® label indicates a high efficiency model. For some products, Energy Star® goes beyond EnerGuide and identifies specific models that meet or exceed premium levels of energy efficiency. The Energy Star® label may be displayed alongside the EnerGuide label or the Energy Star®symbol sometimes appears on an EnerGuide label.
When you see the Energy Star® and EnerGuide labels together, you can be confident that the product is among the most energy efficient available.
