ENERGY STAR® is an internationally recognized symbol of energy efficiency, backed by the government. It is an endorsement symbol that lets consumers and businesses know the most energy-efficient products and homes on the market to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations.
Major appliances, consumer electronics, computers, office equipment, heating and cooling products that display the ENERGY STAR® symbol have been tested and have been found to meet or exceed high energy efficiency levels. The ENERGY STAR® symbol helps consumers quickly and easily identify products that save energy and are at the top high efficiency performers in their categories.
The EnerGuide label provides information on the energy performance of products, allowing the buyer to compare energy performance ratings for different models, while ENERGY STAR® complements EnerGuide by going one step further and identifies products that meet or exceed the high levels of energy efficiency. EnerGuide labels are mandatory on all major electrical household appliances and room air conditioners sold in Canada, regardless of whether they are good energy performers. The label provides information about energy performance rating of the particular model on which it appears, as well as a bar scale that makes it easy to compare the model to others of the same size and class. When the ENERGY STAR® symbol appears on a product or its packaging or literature, with or without the EnerGuide label, it means that the product is among the most energy efficient available.
ENERGY STAR® for New Homes initiative promotes energy efficiency guidelines that enable new homes to be approximately 25% more energy efficient than those built to minimum provincial building codes. The increased efficiency of these homes translates into reduced energy costs for homeowners. This initiative is also designed to encourage energy-efficient practices that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By identifying and promoting energy-saving products, the initiative helps protect the environment and lowers energy bills at the same time.