Articles Codes & Standards
NRCan inviting comment on national fenestration standards

Natural Resources Canada has released a discussion paper to kick off consultations about the future direction of federal energy standards for windows, doors and skylights. The agency is seeking industry input on the best way to measure the energy efficiency of these products (especially windows), labelling requirements and enforcement strategies. Stakeholders can submit comments to NRCan until Nov. 30.

The discussion paper includes a thorough discussion of U-factor versus ER and comes down on the side of U-factor as the metric most likely to be useful as national measure of energy efficiency. It also asks for input on what information should be included on a removable label. Finally, stakeholders are asked to comment on whether they feel they will be able to comply with the proposed 2022 standards. A framework for a suveillance and compliance regime is laid out.

Each section of the paper includes questions that industry stakeholders are invited to answer.

The input gathered will be used to develop federal government regulations under the federal Energy Efficiency Act. These rules will apply to fenestration products crossing provincial boundaries both within and from outside the country. Products sold in the province where they are made will not be affected.