New Customs Reporting Requirements for Certain Energy Using Products

NRCan Mar 19, 2012

On April 12, 2012, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) will begin enforcing new minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and associated reporting and compliance requirements on five new products. These rules are coming into force under Amendment 11 to the Energy Efficiency Regulations. In conjunction with this, Canada Customs will begin collecting additional import data on these goods. The new products are:

a. standby for electronic products;

• compact audio products;
• television (TV) and TV combination units (and reporting only of TV on mode);
• video products;

b. external power supplies; c. digital TV adaptors; d. electricboilers; e. single package vertical air-conditioners and heat pumps.

At the same time, NRCan will Increase the stringency and/or scope of existing minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for seven currently regulated products.

Dealers (importers) who are importing regulated energy-using products into Canada must submit, (through their customs broker), the following five data elements to Canada Customs:

a. name of product; b. model number; c. brand name, if any; d. address of the dealer who is importing the product; and e. purpose of the importation (for sale or lease in Canada without modification, for sale or lease after being modified to comply, or for use as a component in any other product to be exported from Canada).

Other NRCan Requirements

Under the Energy Efficiency Regulations, dealers (importers, manufacturers) must:

a. ensure the prescribed product meets the energy efficiency standard specified in the Regulations; b. ensure the regulated product bears an energy efficiency verification mark; c. ensure an energy efficiency report has been filed with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) for the prescribed product; d. provide the necessary import information to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), when importing regulated energy-using products; e. ensure an EnerGuide label or lighting product label is affixed to the product (if prescribed by the Regulations).

The energy efficiency report must be submitted by the dealer to NRCan before the product is imported into Canada or shipped inter-provincially. This report needs to be submitted only once, i.e. before it is first imported or shipped inter-provincially.

Please understand that NRCan’s Energy Efficiency Regulations continue to apply to these products if they are incorporated into or sold with a larger unit or machine, i.e. end-use product, even when that unit or machine is not a regulated product. For example, a laptop which comes with an external power supply; or a pump containing a regulated motor; or fluorescent fixtures which contain regulated ballasts.

Although data elements required upon importation are mandatory for regulated energy-using products, if dealers provide NRCan, prior to importation, with energy efficiency reports and details on both the end-use product and the regulated energy-using productsthat are incorporated into or will be imported with the end-use product, the CBSA will accept the required five data elements for the end-use product only.

Please refer to the Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations Web site for information on existing NRCan reporting requirements for all dealers who import regulated energy using products (information must be provided directly to the OEE before importing regulated products).

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