The EnerGuide Label

Shoppers and retailers use the information on the label to calculate and compare energy performance.

The EnerGuide label is not a "seal of approval." It simply states verified facts about the energy performance of the unit and affirms that the unit meets Canada's minimum energy efficiency standards.

Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations require that the EnerGuide label appear on all new major electrical household appliances, except for dehumidifiers, until their first retail sale. They also require that all appliances be verified using standardized test procedures by a third-party verification agency approved by the Standards Council of Canada to prove that they meet Canada's minimum energy efficiency standards.

If a new appliance does not have an EnerGuide label, ask your retailer for EnerGuide information. Sometimes the labels fall away from the appliance, get torn off or are misplaced.

What is a kilowatt hour?

The power utility measures electrical consumption in kilowatt hours (kWh). One kWh is the amount of electrical energy supplied by one kilowatt over a one-hour period. For example, a 100-watt light bulb over 10 hours uses 100 × 10 = 1000 watt hours, or 1 kWh. A three-minute hot shower uses about 1 kWh of energy.

Using energy-efficient appliances saves kilowatt hours.

• Saving 50 kWh is enough to run your dishwasher 35 times.
• Saving 100 kWh is enough to give you four free loads of laundry a week for a year!

The EnerGuide label with the ENERGY STAR symbol

The ENERGY STAR symbol and information may be incorporated into an EnerGuide label. The label identifies appliances that meet ENERGY STAR technical specifications and are therefore among the most energy-efficient performers.

Example of an EnerGuide label with the ENERGY STAR symbol

The "second price tag" - calculating lifetime operating costs

The first price tag is familiar - it is the sticker price - the dollars you pay for the appliance. The second price tag is equally important - it is the operating cost - the dollars you pay to the power company to operate the appliance.

Here is an easy way to calculate the second price tag.

Multiply the estimated annual energy consumption - the large kWh per year number on the EnerGuide label - by the cost of electricity (see the rate on your utility bill).

The result of this calculation is an estimate of how much it will cost you to operate the appliance for one year.

Now multiply this annual electricity cost by the estimated life expectancy of the appliance, as noted in the table below, to calculate the estimated total operating cost.

This method is useful for comparison only. It is not accurate for estimating the actual cost because it does not take into account the rise in energy prices over the lifetime of the appliance. And there are other variables such as changes in the way you use the appliance.

Life expectancies of major appliances (in years)

Note: These numbers are industry-average only.

Second price tag savings: a comparison

Let's use the EnerGuide label to compare two standard clothes washers.

Model X, with the most efficient energy consumption rating, uses 95 kWh per year.

Model Y, with the least efficient energy consumption rating, uses 492 kWh per year.

Model X uses at least five times less electricity than model Y. What does this mean in actual dollars when the average electricity cost is 10 cents per kWh?

Subtract the cost of Model X to calculate the difference: $689 - $133 = $556

If you owned Model X, you would save at least $556 over the lifetime of the appliance. This is a low estimate because that 10-cent energy rate will rise over the years and the differences between models will increase. Clearly, your most economical choice is also energy-wise and environmentally sound.

Changes to Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations

Dehumidifiers

On October 1, 2012, the criteria for standard and high-capacity dehumidifiers (the minimum energy factor and capacity bins) will be as follows:

Capacity		Minimum energy factor (L/kWh)
(L/day)	(pints/day)
Standard-capacity dehumidifiers
≤ 16.6	≤ 35	1.35
16 to ≤ 21.3--> > 16 to ≤ 21.3	35 to ≤ 45--> > 35 to ≤ 45	1.5
21.3 to ≤ 25.5--> > 21.3 to ≤ 25.5	45 to ≤ 54--> > 45 to ≤ 54	1.6
25.5 to > 25.5 to < 35.5	54 to > 54 to < 75	1.7
High-capacity dehumidifiers
≥ 35.5	≥ 75	2.5

[Previous] [Table of Contents] [Next]