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

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The Role of the Members of the Canadian Appliance Manufacturers Association

Canadian Appliance Manufacturers Association (CAMA) members understand the important roles they must play in minimizing the effects that household appliances have on the environment.¹⁶ Developing, producing and marketing more energy-efficient products to aid in reducing consumer energy use and harmful greenhouse gas emissions is one of these roles.

Energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR^® qualified refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers and freezers are major drivers of reductions in Canadian energy use. CAMA members also acknowledge the importance of recycling and properly disposing of white goods and their packaging.

The recycling rate for end-of-life appliances in Canada is considered to be high due to the number of municipal recycling initiatives and the significant level of valuable materials that comprise most household appliances, such as steel, aluminum, copper, zinc and plastics. However, it is difficult to put a number on overall national or regional recovery rates because there is no national mechanism for tracking the recovery and recycling of white goods.

As previously noted, according to the 2003 Survey of Household Energy Use,¹⁷ in 2003, approximately 765 000 Canadians did not dispose of their previous refrigerator when they acquired a new one. As the issue is truly a North American concern, CAMA has formed a joint working group with the United States Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers to develop new solutions to a growing issue.

The significant reduction in appliance energy consumption over the years has resulted from the combined efforts of the appliance industry, governments, retailers and consumers. The minimum efficiency standards have contributed to a decrease in peak electricity demand and an increase in cost savings to consumers. The benefit to society of more efficient appliances will increase as the existing stock of major appliances in Canadian homes is replaced.

CAMA and its member companies take environmental issues seriously. They have taken significant steps to minimize the impact household appliances have on the environment while meeting consumer needs. Examples of improvements by the appliance manufacturers, in conjunction with their material and component suppliers, are as follows:

• Refrigerators and freezers – improved condensers, compressors, evaporators, fan motors, door seals and foam insulation
• Dishwashers – better insulation, spray arms and filtering systems; and the availability of an air-dry cycle
• Electric ranges – improvements in insulation and venting
• Clothes washers – upgraded sensors, motors and mixing valves; the promotion of a cold water wash; and the addition of front-loading clothes washers to manufacturers' product lines
• Electric clothes dryers – automatic termination controls eliminating excessive drying and more effective water extraction in the washing machine, resulting in a shorter drying time.

¹⁶ Source: Canadian Appliance Manufacturers Association, a division of Electro-Federation Canada, 180 Attwell Drive, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 (www.electrofed.com).
¹⁷ Natural Resources Canada, 2003 Survey of Household Energy Use, Detailed Statistical Report (Ottawa: 2006), p. 59. Available: oee.nrcan.gc.ca/Publications/statistics/sheu03/pdf/sheu03.pdf.

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