Canada Eyes 2008 Energy Regulations for Consumer Electronics

Natural Resources Canada (NRC) is “investigating” standby power limits for digital converter boxes and other consumer electronic products, said an NRC official. NRC is eyeing curbs on compact audio devices’, TVs’ and DVD players’ and recorders’ power use, Nathalie Peloquin, senior standards engineer, told us. Standards could take effect in 2008, she said. NRC, which implements Canada’s Energy Efficiency Act & Regulations, is participating in a U.S. EPA proceeding to develop energy standards for converter boxes.

NRC imposes new rules only after consultation, cost- benefit analysis and a 75-day comment period, plus other stages, said Peloquin. Regulations see review by the Dept. of Justice, Privy Council Office and Treasury Board Secretariat before final approval by the Treasury Board, a cabinet committee. Funded by NRC, the Canadian Standards Assn. (CSA) is devising 4 tests for CE products, including converter boxes and cable and satellite set-top boxes, Peloquin said. CSA standards are voluntary, but can be adopted as mandatory by federal, provincial or municipal authorities.

Five provinces have energy efficiency rules, but “don’t necessarily regulate all of the products that the federal government does,” Peloquin said. If provincial regulations conflict with federal law, the entities collaborate to bring the controls into harmony “where possible,” she said The federal Energy Efficiency Act & Regulations cover import of CE products for sale or lease in Canada, plus shipments from the province of manufacture to other regions, she said.

NRC administers Canada’s Energy Star program, under an agreement with the U.S. EPA. Besides generally accepting as its own the voluntary standards developed by EPA’s Energy Star operation, NRC works with the EPA to develop specifications and monitors Canadian use of Energy Star, she said. Products covered by regulations should meet those requirements before seeking to qualify for Energy Star, Peloquin added. Canada doesn’t endorse all products endorsed by the U.S. program, she said. Each product is evaluated for the relevancy of its energy level to Canada, Peloquin said. A product subject to mandatory Canadian controls and with the same energy level as its Energy Star program sets isn’t endorsed by the voluntary program, but must meet the mandate. In regulatory matters, Canada requires that all products be 3rd party certified, she said, but products meeting U.S. EPA qualification criteria can self-certify, she added.

Of U.S. standards efforts’ influence on NRC rulemaking, Peloquin said NRC scrutinizes U.S. standards work and has an “effective working relationship” with the U.S. Dept. of Energy. In comments to the U.S. EPA, NRC said it wants to have converter box regulations within next 2 years. Canada doesn’t have a DTV conversion deadline, Peloquin said. The approach set out by the Canadian Radio-TV & Telecom Commission relies on “market forces rather than setting a deadline,” she added.