Proposal to amend O. Reg. 509/18 (Energy and Water Efficiency - Appliances and Products) under the Electricity Act, 1998 (“Efficiency Regulation”)

The Ministry of Energy and Mines (the Ministry) is proposing amendments to O.Reg. 509/18, Energy and Water Efficiency – Appliances and Products (Efficiency Regulation) which, if approved, would fully harmonize Ontario requirements and efficiency metrics for five products through rolling incorporation by reference to the federal Energy Efficiency Regulations made under Canada’s Energy Efficiency Act (NRCan standards), in the manner outlined below. 

Rolling incorporation (RI) of NRCan standards would allow for automatic updates to product scope, test standards and efficiency requirements of these products in the Efficiency Regulation if, and when changes/updates are made to the NRCan standards.

Ontario’s proposed compliance dates for these changes are aligned with NRCan SOR/2025-110 and outlined below for each product.

A. Expand RI of NRCan standards for four currently regulated products with no changes to applicable efficiency requirements. 

1. Portable air conditioners: January 1, 2026
2. Air compressor: July 1, 2026.
3. Pump, pool, dedicated purpose: January 1, 2026.
4. Thermostat for room electric space heaters: January 1, 2027.

B. Create a new General Service Lighting (GSL) category and harmonize with NRCan through RI.  New GSL would include four existing lighting products and also lamp types not currently regulated in Ontario, such as LED and OLED lamps. Compliance dates for all GSL product types would fully align with NRCan’s compliance dates.

The proposed updates would also set new efficiency requirements for the following lighting products regulated in Ontario to harmonize with new GSL efficiency standards set by NRCan: 

• Lamp, fluorescent, self-ballasted compact, and ballasted adapter.
• General Service Incandescent Reflector Lamps.
• Lamp, incandescent, candelabra and intermediate screw.

There would be no changes to efficiency standards for the following lighting product since this product is already harmonized with NRCan’s new GSL efficiency standards:

• Lamp, regulated incandescent.

C. Other housekeeping changes to the Efficiency Regulation. These changes could include updating references to include the most relevant or most recent editions of test standards for products with no changes to the existing efficiency requirements, or update/clarify product names.

Environmental Impact

The proposed changes, if approved, would result in increased standards for GSLs, thereby reducing energy use, and GHG emissions in the province.

According to NRCan’s analysis of the national environmental impact of the revised GSL standards that Ontario is proposing to align with, the changes could lead to a cumulative reduction of approximately 1.8 TWh of electricity by 2050 when scaled to Ontario’s population. In addition, the proposed amendments may lead to further energy savings and reduced GHG emissions in the future, whenever NRCan updates their standards. 

Analysis of Regulatory Impact

There are no anticipated compliance costs associated with the proposed amendments for currently regulated products, since aligning with NRCan standards would not result in changes to the applicable efficiency requirements for these products. The proposed amendment may reduce compliance or administrative costs for manufacturers if, and when NRCan updates their requirements for the affected products in the future, as it would reduce the need for manufacturers to dedicate resources to reviewing both regulations and comparing their requirements to ensure compliance. It would also avoid the possibility of having duplicate testing standards for these products, which would otherwise have to be tested separately to meet both NRCan’s and Ontario’s requirements if they are not updated to harmonize concurrently.

For the proposed new products (LEDs and OLEDs in GSL) and those with efficiency requirements that would be increased when incorporated in the new GSL category, there would be no additional costs for testing certification and labelling for manufacturers as Ontario’s standards would be harmonized with NRCan’s. Manufacturers are already incurring costs for testing, certification, and labelling to comply with the NRCan and aligning Ontario’s requirements would not add any additional costs.

In addition, the NRCan’s GSL standards are also aligned with the existing US Department of Energy (DOE) standards which reduces barriers to trade with no market impact for Ontario Manufacturers.