Energy Consumption of Major Household Appliances Shipped in Canada – Trends for
1990–2006

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Introduction

This report outlines changes in the energy use and distribution of major household appliances from 1990 to 2006. It is based on the shipments for that period 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).

Note that the quantity and profile of appliance shipments closely reflect Canadian purchases. Most retailers rely on a distribution strategy called just-in-time inventory, which responds quickly to consumer demand. In fact, retailers keep inventory as low as possible. For this reason, the Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) believes that the shipment data in this report closely reflect the purchasing behaviour of consumers.

While this report deals exclusively with shipment data, the OEE also has reports that provide additional information about appliances, such as the Survey of Household Energy Use (SHEU). This national survey collected data on energy consumption and factors affecting energy consumption, such as the age of household appliances and their use. Some of the findings of SHEU are related to the analysis and discussions in this report.

Each of the following chapters 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)

Chapter 7, “Summary of Major Household Appliances,” discusses the overall energy savings achieved from improvements to these appliances.

Appendix A, “Methodology,” describes the database preparation process conducted by Electro-Federation Canada and the methodology used by the analysts to summarize the data.

Appendix B, “Definitions,” contains definitions of the types of appliances in this report.

Appendix C, “Questions and Answers About Changes to ENERGY STAR^®,” provides information about changes to the ENERGY STAR Initiative in Canada.

Appendix D, “Detailed Tables,” provides detailed data supporting the various charts and figures in this report.

This report also provides regional/provincial shipment data, as well as “channel” data, which compares retail shipments and builder shipments described as follows:

• Retail shipments include shipments from Canadian manufacturers to Canadian retailers and other consumers.
• Builder shipments include shipments to Canadian home builders, motels, governments, trailer manufacturers and property management.

Note that these data show the region/province to which the appliances were originally shipped. It is possible that some appliances were eventually sold in a different province. The extent of this redistribution is unknown but believed to be small.

This trend analysis is associated with the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Regulations (the 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 about the Energy Efficiency Regulations, consult the Guide to Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations found on the Web site at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/regulations.

Additionally, this trend analysis is also associated with the ENERGY STAR Initiative in Canada, which was officially introduced in 2001. The international ENERGY STAR symbol is a simple way for consumers to identify products that are among the most energy efficient on the market. Only manufacturers and retailers whose products meet the ENERGY STAR criteria can label their products with this symbol. For more information about ENERGY STAR qualified products, visit energystar.gc.ca.

Note that the baseline year used for all estimates of energy savings was 1992 even though the MEPS did not come into effect until 1995. This practice is followed because energy efficiency began to improve almost immediately after the Energy Efficiency Act came into force in 1992.

Because 1992 was the baseline year used in this report’s calculations, and to ensure that cumulative energy savings were not over-estimated, a retirement factor was included in the past three years’ analysis. This factor takes into account the aging of appliances based on their life expectancies, as set out in the EnerGuide Appliance Directory.¹¹ See Appendix A, “Methodology,” for more information about this retirement factor.

As previously mentioned, the improvement in the energy efficiency of the major household appliances can be attributed to

• the significant research and development carried out by the members of CAMA
• the MEPS contained in the Energy Efficiency Regulations and amendments to the MEPS
• the initiatives authorized under the 1992 Energy Efficiency Act, namely, the EnerGuide for Equipment program
• the ENERGY STAR Initiative in Canada

How Appliances Work¹²

Refrigerators and Freezers

Refrigerators and freezers keep food cold by removing heat from the air in the refrigerator or freezer cabinet. This is accomplished by using a fluid – called the refrigerant – that absorbs heat as it circulates through coils in cabinet walls. The heat is pumped away and rejected outside the cabinet.

The cooling system in a refrigerator or freezer relies on the vapour compression cycle, in which the refrigerant changes from liquid to vapour and back to liquid again while circulating in a closed system, absorbing or discharging heat as it changes phase. In a typical refrigerator, the compressor circulates the refrigerant through two sets of coils in one continuous loop. One set, the evaporator coils, cools the refrigerator as the working fluid absorbs heat and vaporizes. The other set, the condenser coils, is typically located under or in back of the unit and gives off absorbed heat as the working fluid condenses.

An insulated cabinet with well-sealed doors is critical to maintaining the temperature difference between the cool refrigerator interior and ambient air.

Increases in energy efficiency mean less energy required per unit volume, but total energy use will also depend on other factors, particularly the size of the unit. All other things being equal, the bigger the refrigerator, the more energy it will use. Each cubic foot of additional refrigerated space adds approximately 20 to 30 kilowatt hours to annual energy use. Configuration of the refrigerator and the ratio of freezer to fresh food storage space are also important. For example, models with side-by-side refrigerator and freezer compartments generally use more energy than units with top freezers.

Other features or uses can also impact energy use. Making ice, either in trays in the freezer or with automatic ice makers, can increase energy use by 15 to 20 percent. Through-the-door ice and water dispensers can increase energy consumption by approximately 10 percent.

Antisweat heaters that prevent condensation on the outside of the refrigerator cabinet in humid weather boost consumption as well. However, in many models, a power-saver switch is available. This switch controls the warming coils that prevent condensation.

Installation can also play a role in energy use. An older refrigerator that is surrounded by cabinets or has little clearance will use more energy because there is less air flow to carry heat away from the condenser coils. Most newer models employ fan-cooled condensers, which are less affected by air circulation around the product. Installation next to a heat source may also cause the unit to use more energy.

The great strides in the energy efficiency of refrigerators have been accomplished by a combination of fairly straightforward technical improvements – primarily more efficient compressors, thicker insulation, better door seals, and improved condensers and evaporators – and more sophisticated technologies, including microprocessor controls and sensors. There are, however, many promising options for improving efficiency even further.

Several advanced insulation concepts are pushing the envelope beyond conventional levels. An additional benefit to these insulation materials is that they allow appliance manufacturers to reduce energy consumption without reducing internal volume or changing the outer dimensions of the appliance. In some cases, usable volume in the refrigerator or freezer compartments can be increased.

The use of separate compressors to cool the fresh food and freezer compartments may reduce overall compressor energy use because each compressor can be optimized to the conditions of the compartment it serves. While the compressor is the heart of a refrigeration system, it must be linked to other improvements in performance. The use of better insulation and door gaskets, for example, reduces the cooling load of the compressor.

With respect to stand-alone freezers, smaller units use less energy, and chest freezers are more energy efficient than uprights because little cold air escapes when you open the top-mounted door. While chest freezers take up more floor space than uprights, experts say they are 10 to 25 percent more efficient because they are better insulated and air does not spill out when the door is opened. Also, the weight of the door helps seal the unit. Upright freezers are available in two types: manual-defrost and self-defrost. Manual-defrost freezers are slightly cheaper to buy and operate. However, self-defrost freezers eliminate the need for you to defrost them. Also, they contain interior shelves and shelves on the door.

Dishwashers

There are several design and technology options available to increase the efficiency of conventional dishwashers, including hot water conservation, motor efficiency improvements and drying efficiency improvements.

Close to 60 percent of all energy used by dishwashers is used to heat the water. Dishwashers require the highest temperature of any household appliance – an average recommended operating temperature of 60°C (140°F). For most dishwashers sold in North America, hot water supplied from the household water heater is heated an additional 15°C to 20°C by an electric booster heater of 500 to 1000 watts. Booster heaters help ensure wash quality and facilitate heated drying.

Dishwashers with advanced sensors and fuzzy-logic control can automatically select the type of cycle needed, the water level and the time required to get dishes clean, potentially reducing energy use.

Designing a dishwasher with a lower recommended water temperature is one way to reduce energy consumption. Another way is to reduce the amount of hot water used, which can be accomplished by reducing the level of fill and decreasing wash and rinse times.

Approximately 8 percent of the energy consumed by a typical dishwasher is used to run the motor in the pump. Typically, split-phase motors are used, which have an efficiency of approximately 50 percent. The heated drying mode in dishwashers uses an electric heating element and sometimes a fan to accelerate the drying of the load. This function consumes approximately 9 percent of the total energy used by an average dishwasher.

Much of the energy-conservation potential related to dishwashers relies on the user. No matter how efficiently a dishwasher is designed to function, its performance depends on proper installation and operation. For example, a dishwasher uses the same amount of water and energy whether it is empty or full. Using alternate wash cycles, such as energy-saving, low-temperature or shorter cycles, whenever appropriate, helps conserve energy.

Electric Ranges

Consumer behaviour has more impact on energy use in cooking than in most other areas of appliance use. Efficiency options are limited in most cooking technologies. Educating the consumer to choose wisely holds more potential for cooking efficiency improvements than do most technological advancements.

Consumer cooking habits can dramatically improve cooking efficiency – more than most technological advances can. Cooking energy can be reduced by using smaller appliances, by choosing cookware wisely and by heating the minimum amount necessary for the minimum time necessary. From the users’ preferences for appliances to how often they peek in the oven, the users’ actions do impact cooking energy.

Cookware choice also impacts energy use. Choosing flat-bottom cookware instead of warped-bottom cookware saves a significant amount of energy on electric elements. Further energy can be saved by using insulated cookware, while the most efficient choice is a pressure cooker.

Most of the trends in electric ranges are not being driven by energy efficiency. Instead, manufacturers are seeking to make their appliances easier to clean, more elegantly styled, and simpler and quicker to use.

Ovens are inherently inefficient because the heat takes a circuitous path from the heating element to the food. The coil or burner radiates energy, which is absorbed partly by the cooking vessel but mostly by the oven walls. The walls then conduct heat to the air, which finally cooks the food. Self-cleaning ovens generally have extra insulation built into the walls to resist the 450°C (850°F) temperatures generated during self cleaning.

Clothes Washers

Clothes washers clean clothes by using mechanical, chemical and thermal energy. When placed in water, soil is dislodged from fibres by motion and friction and is carried away by the water. Laundry detergent chemicals, many of which are activated by heat, help emulsify oil and grease and the dirt they bind. In some products, enzymes break down proteins and other materials so they can be removed by water.

The most significant improvement in the energy efficiency of clothes washers is occurring through a shift to horizontal-axis washers and advanced vertical-axis machines. Many of the advanced horizontal- and vertical-axis machines now use a high spin speed to reduce the remaining moisture content of laundry, thereby reducing the amount of dryer energy needed.

In horizontal-axis machines, clothes are tumbled in a rotating tub so that the clothes are plunged into a shallow pool of water and then pulled out again. Some machines recirculate water through the washer by pumping water to the top of the washer tub and spraying it over the clothes, thus reducing water consumption by 20 percent.

Washing-machine motors and controls account for only a small portion of the overall energy required to launder clothes. A larger portion of energy goes into heating the water used in the wash and rinse cycles and drying the washed clothes. Efficiency gains come from reducing the water needed to clean clothes effectively and increasing the speed of the spin cycle so that less energy is needed for drying.

Increasingly, clothes washers are equipped with automatic controls that determine water level and temperature based on electronic sensors located within the machine. Additional research will be needed to determine how these controls affect consumer behaviour and, as a result, water and energy consumption.

Electric Clothes Dryers

Most residential electric clothes dryers in North America are evaporative dryers. These dryers operate by circulating air, drawn from the household living space and heated by electricity, through a rotating drum containing wet clothes, then venting the moist exhaust air, usually to the outdoors. The level of heat is regulated by a thermostat – all dryers have a temperature sensor in the exhaust that cycles the heat off and on to prevent overheating. Dryer shut-off at the end of a cycle is controlled by a timer, temperature sensor or moisture sensor.

In conventional dryers, the most direct way to save energy is through shorter drying cycles – the less time the dryer is on, the less energy it uses.

How a dryer is operated and maintained makes a difference in how much energy it uses. For example, a dryer filled to one third of its capacity requires approximately 25 percent more energy than when fully loaded to dry each pound of clothes. With small loads, heated air can bypass the clothes and leave the drum without contributing to the drying process. Also, drying several loads consecutively prevents losing the heat. Most complaints concerning poor drying performance can be traced to clogged lint filters and exhaust systems.

Energy Efficiency Regulations and Minimum Energy Performance Standards

Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan’s) wide range of energy efficiency initiatives includes standards, labelling programs and Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations.¹³

The Energy Efficiency Act of 1992 gives the Government of Canada the authority to make and enforce regulations on performance and labelling requirements for energy-using products, including major household appliances, imported into Canada or shipped across provincial or territorial borders.

The Regulations came into effect in February 1995, following extensive consultations with provincial/territorial governments, affected industries, utilities, environmental groups and others. The Regulations refer to national consensus performance standards developed by accredited standards-writing organizations, such as the Canadian Standards Association. Such standards include testing procedures that must be used to determine a product’s energy performance. Regulated products that fail to meet the MEPS identified by the Regulations cannot be imported into Canada or traded interprovincially.

NRCan works with stakeholders to improve standards development and approval processes and to accelerate the market penetration of high-efficiency equipment.

Amendments to the Regulations also include labelling improvements so consumers have the latest information about the most energy-efficient products on the market. This way, Canadians can tap into huge potential savings in energy and money, and they will benefit from the improved air quality that results when emissions are reduced. In preparing amendments to the Regulations, NRCan analyses the impact of the proposed amendment on society, the economy and the environment. Table 7.1 in Chapter 7 lists the amendments made to the MEPS for the various appliances since they were introduced. For more information about the Energy Efficiency Regulations, visit the Web site at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/regulations.

Canada's Energy Efficiency Act and Energy Efficiency Regulations support several labelling initiatives. These initiatives require that an EnerGuide label be displayed on major electrical household appliances, showing the consumer the estimated annual unit energy consumption of the product in kilowatt hours and comparing it with the most efficient and least efficient models of the same class and size.

EnerGuide directories with energy ratings for major appliances are published each year and distributed to consumers, retailers and appliance salespeople. Up-to-date searchable lists of models are also available on the NRCan Web site at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/pub/appliances/2007.

As well, the Regulations are consistent with, and build on, the ENERGY STAR Initiative in Canada. The internationally recognized ENERGY STAR symbol is a simple way for consumers to identify products that are among the most energy efficient on the market. The ENERGY STAR program began in the United States (U.S.), through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and has expanded internationally. NRCan’s OEE signed an administrative arrangement with the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy to become the official custodian of the program for Canada. Canada became the fifth country to join the ENERGY STAR program, with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan. The European Union is now also a signatory of ENERGY STAR.

¹¹ Natural Resources Canada, EnerGuide Appliance Directory 2006 (Ottawa: March 2006), p. 13.
¹² Source: Taken directly from E Source Residential Appliances Atlas, (E Source TA-RA-01: November 2001).
¹³ Source: Natural Resources Canada, Improving Energy Performance in Canada, Report to Parliament Under the Energy Efficiency Act for the Fiscal Year 2006–2007 (Ottawa: 2008), p. 11. Available: oee.nrcan.gc.ca/Publications/statistics/parliament06-07/pdf/parliament06-07.pdf.

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