Canada Regulatory Update- Amendment 13
As part of the regulatory process to implement minimum energy performance standards under Canada’s Energy Efficiency Act, Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) issues bulletins to announce intentions regarding standards for new products and revisions to existing products. These bulletins cover reporting requirements, minimum energy performance levels, labelling and verification requirements that will come into effect for products manufactured after a specified date.
Traditionally, after stakeholder consultations by webinars, additional bulletins, stakeholder meetings etc . are held, the proposals are pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. This allows for an additional 75-day comment period. The pre-published regulations are revised if necessary and proceed to final approval and publication in Part II of the Canada Gazette.
On October 12, 2011 Amendment 11 was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II and will come into force six months after publication, on April 12, 2012.
Amendment 12 has been pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on April 16, 2011 and does not affect our industry product mix.
Over the last two years OEE has issued bulletins concerning Amendment 13 that affect products that are provided by the HVACR industry. The products affected include the following:
Product Effective Date
- Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps January 1, 2012
- Electricity Reporting Requirements for Air Handlers January 1, 2012
- Air Source Heat Pumps – Reporting Cold Climate Performance tiered
- Higher Efficiency Requirements for Chillers January 1, 2011
- Commercial Packaged Gas and Oil-Fired Boilers tiered
- Line-Voltage Thermostats January 1, 2012
- Higher Efficiency Requirements for Water Heaters tiered
Currently, Amendment 13 has not been pre-published in the Canada Gazette Part 1, even though most products affecting our industry contained in the amendment have proposed effective dates which are quickly approaching. Members should take note that effective dates proposed in the bulletins are not approved until the regulatory process described above has run its course HRAI has been informed by NRCan that they plan to publish a consolidated document in the near term which will provide an update concerning any changes to the regulations contained Amendment 13 based on stakeholder feedback.
Source : HRAI
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