While our elected officials advocate “energy sobriety,” it is not easy to determine the consumption of household appliances because retailers very rarely place EnerGuide labels on their products.
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However, most common appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers require these labels.
An EnerGuide label Sylvain Larocque
The Journal visited seven stores in Montreal this week and found that EnerGuide labels on home appliances are rarely found in showrooms.
Invisible labels
At the Tanguay branch (formerly Brault & Martineau) in Anjou County, there were virtually no EnerGuide labels on the equipment. Some of them were hanging on the racks of some dishwashers and a few others were hanging on the bottom of the washing machines, in the bag that also contained the instructions.
Similar observation at two Corbeil stores (Anjou and Plateau Mont-Royal) and at the Galeries d’Anjou branch of retailer The Brick, owned by Ontario giant Léon.
The Rona and Meubles RD stores in Anjou fared slightly better, as some of the appliances on display bore the label.
However, it was the Home Depot warehouse in La Petite-Patrie that was the most compliant: more than half of the household appliances accessible to customers had EnerGuide labels; These were attached to the front of the devices or hung inside with tape.
Of the stores we visited, the Home Dépôt warehouse in Petite-Patrie in Montreal was the most compliant with EnerGuide labeling regulations. Sylvain Larocque
“It still matters to consumers. If they want to shop more responsibly and also want to be minimally informed about what one model will cost compared to another,” emphasizes Patrick Bonin, head of the climate-energy campaign at Greenpeace Canada.
The environmentalist regrets that the federal government is not applying the EnerGuide program, which was launched in 1978, with greater vigilance. He also wonders why retailers aren’t required to show consumption data for devices sold online. .
“We have to ensure that regulations are followed, that fines are imposed and that people are beaten,” he emphasizes.
Patrick Bonin Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal
Ottawa knows it
The Trudeau government is aware of the problem. The last survey it commissioned on the subject in 2019 “showed that approximately 61% of devices bore the required labels, with significant variation across product types,” said Department of Defense Natural Resources spokesman Michael MacDonald. to.
In an email to the Journal, Corbeil acknowledged that in his stores “most of the time the labels are stuck [ÉnerGuide] are not recognizable at first glance” because they can be stored “in a drawer” or “in the technology bag”.
“This practice appears to be common in the industry and we are not aware of any consumer complaints to date,” the Amiel Group company continued.
However, according to the latest 2021 federal guidelines, the EnerGuide label must be visible “at first glance” and cannot be found “in the device’s “instruction manual.” In addition, it is prohibited to remove a label before delivering a household appliance to the customer.
“Our stores generally carry the EnerGuide label on household appliances,” said Rona spokeswoman Valérie Gonzalo. We will ensure that the display is now on the outside of the devices.”
“Léon and The Brick remember politics [à l’égard d’ÉnerGuide] to all stores to ensure they are compliant,” the company said
Every kWh counts
Hydro-Québec notes on its website that the energy efficiency of household appliances has improved greatly in recent years. The average consumption of a set of six household appliances fell by 37% from 2000 to 2016.
Despite everything, Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon wants to convince Quebecers to reduce their consumption in the face of expected electricity shortages, even suggesting that they turn on their dishwashers in the middle of the night.
“Every kilowatt hour counts,” remembers Mr. Bonin. We know that at the current pace we will lack the power to decarbonize. We talk about nuclear power, we talk about it [nouveaux] Dams, many alternatives when it comes to achieving energy efficiency first, and that starts with the choice of consumption.”
In numbers
- Average electricity consumption of six household appliances (refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, freezer, washing machine and dryer): 2331 KWh/year
- Average cost per year: $187 (at 8 cents per kWh)
Source: Hydro-Québec
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