GI-2026-25-reg4: Regulations Amending the Energy Efficiency Regulations, 2016 (Amendment 19)

If you manufacture, import, or distribute energy-using products in Canada — from home appliances like fridges and dishwashers to commercial equipment like electric motors and computer room air conditioners — you will need to ensure your products meet new or tightened efficiency standards, with most requirements kicking in between 2027 and 2032 depending on the product. Approximately 7,929 businesses are affected, including an estimated 7,313 small businesses, with average compliance and administrative costs of about $94 per small business annually (annualized over 2027–2036). Most products covered by Amendment 19 are manufactured outside Canada by multinational companies, so Canadian importers and distributors bear the primary burden of sourcing compliant products, filing updated energy efficiency reports with NRCan before first import or interprovincial shipment, and coordinating third-party verification through Standards Council-accredited certification bodies. For some product lines — particularly residential gas clothes dryers, pool pump motors, and commercial gas-fired storage water heaters — a meaningful share of current non-compliant stock will face incremental technology cost increases that may not be fully recovered through energy savings over the product's lifetime, meaning some buyers could pay more without proportionate bill savings.