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Energy Consumption of Major Household Appliances Shipped in Canada – Trends for 1990-2003


Introduction

This report outlines changes in the energy use and distribution of major household appliances from 1990 to 2003. It is based on the shipments of the six major household appliance categories in Canada: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, electric ranges, clothes washers and electric clothes dryers. The data are collected through the co-operation of the Canadian Appliance Manufacturers Association (CAMA).

This trend analysis is associated with the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Regulations authorized under the 1992 Energy Efficiency Act. The Regulations ensure that new appliances imported into Canada, or manufactured in Canada and shipped from one province or territory to another, comply with federal minimum energy performance standards (MEPS). For more information on the Energy Efficiency Regulations, consult the Guide to Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations (ISBN 0-662-26948-9, Catalogue No. M92-98/1998E) or visit our Web site at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/regulations.

Readers should also note that the quantity and profile of new appliances closely reflect Canadian purchases. Most retailers rely on a distribution strategy that responds quickly to consumer demand (just-in-time inventory). In fact, retailers keep inventory as low as possible. For this reason, we believe that the shipment data in this report closely reflect the purchasing behaviour of consumers.

Each chapter in this report covers a specific type of appliance:

  • refrigerators (Chapter 1)
  • freezers (Chapter 2)
  • dishwashers (Chapter 3)
  • electric ranges (Chapter 4)
  • clothes washers (Chapter 5)
  • electric clothes dryers (Chapter 6)

Finally, Chapter 7 discusses the overall energy savings achieved from improvements in these appliances.

The chapter dealing with refrigerators is more detailed. Even though there is much diversity in the types and sizes of refrigerators, we have grouped them together to calculate the average annual unit energy consumption for all refrigerators by model year. However, because size is so important in such analysis, we advise the reader to also look further at the analysis of distribution of refrigerators by average annual unit energy consumption per cubic foot.

Note that even though the MEPS did not come into effect until 1995, the baseline year used for all estimates of energy savings was 1992. This is because energy efficiency began to improve almost immediately after the Energy Efficiency Act came into force in 1992, thanks to market forces such as the regulations expected from the Act and U.S. regulations.

Appendix A describes the database preparation process conducted by Electro-Federation Canada and the methodology used by the analysts to summarize the data. Specific definitions of the various types of appliances are given in Appendix B. Finally, detailed tables are provided in Appendix C.