Energy Consumption of Major Household Appliances Shipped in Canada, Trends for 2000-2020
The Energy Consumption of Major Household Appliances Shipped in Canada, Trends for 2000–2020 outlines changes in the energy consumption and other characteristics of major household appliances shipped in Canada between 2000 and 2020.
The report is based on the shipments of the six major household appliance categories: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, electric ranges, clothes washers, and electric clothes dryers. The data are collected with the cooperation of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers Canada (AHAM). Throughout this report, the term “appliance” should be interpreted as “major household appliance“.
All Appliances
Summary of shipment data for the six major household appliances
Key facts
- An average set of major appliances Footnote 1 consumed roughly 2,299 kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/yr) in 2020. That set of appliances consumed almost half as much in 2020 as a set in 2000.
- In 2020, 67% of shipped refrigerators, 92% of shipped dishwashers, 73% of shipped clothes washers and 61% of shipped electric clothes dryers were ENERGY STAR® certified.
- To illustrate the significance of energy efficiency improvements on overall energy consumption, this report quantified energy savings from all shipped appliances in Canada between 2000 and 2020. In 2020, the estimated energy savings equalled 61.83 petajoules Footnote 2 (PJ).
- See the complete list of
Learn more about the improvement in energy consumption
- increased awareness leading to consumer demand for energy-efficient products
- more stringent energy performance standards
- research and development by manufacturers
- EnerGuide and ENERGY STAR® initiatives increasing awareness to Canadian consumers
Refrigerators
Key facts
- Increasing consumer preference for larger models – In 2000, only 2.5% of shipped refrigerators were 24.5 cu. ft. or larger, whereas in 2020, 17.2% of them were in that volume category.
- Continuing reduction in unit energy consumption (UEC) – Although refrigerator volumes increased between 2000 and 2020, the average UEC of refrigerators dropped by 25%. Footnote 1
Freezers
Key facts
- The market share of upright freezers decreased to 36.5% in 2020, compared to 46% in 2019. Footnote 1 When compared to other freezers, their average annual unit energy consumption (UEC) improved the most during the period 2000-2020. Footnote 2
- Since 2010, compact chest freezers have had the largest share of shipped freezers (almost 42% in 2020). Compared with full-size chest and upright freezers, compact chest freezers consumed the least amount of energy overall because of their small size. Footnote 3
Dishwashers
Key facts
- The market share of energy-efficient dishwashers increased. In 2000, 77% of shipped dishwashers consumed at least 600 kWh/yr. By 2020, 99% of them consumed fewer than 300 kWh/yr. Footnote 1
- Reduction in water consumption is continuing. From 2000 to 2020, water consumption in dishwashers decreased by 53%.
Ranges
Key facts
- Ranges with larger UECs lost significant market shares during the period of 2003-2009. For example, the market share of electric ranges with average annual UEC of 600 kWh/yr – 899 kWh/yr decreased from 82.1% in 2013 to 4.3% in 2009.
- The share of this category regained some market shares between 2009 and 2020, increasing from 4.3% in 2009 to 20.3% in 2020.
Washers
Key facts
- The average annual unit energy consumption (UEC) of clothes washers decreased 84% between 2000 and 2020, Footnote 1 partly because of the increased demand for front-loading units, which are more energy-efficient than top-loading clothes washers. In 2020, the average UEC of clothes washers was 136.5 kWh/yr. Footnote 2
- The average tub capacity of clothes washers increased 43% from 2000 to 2020 Footnote 3 . However, the average energy consumption per litre of tub volume decreased at a much faster rate (89%) during the same period. Footnote 4
- In 2000, 87% of all clothes washers consumed at least 600 kWh/yr. By 2020, 85.3% consumed fewer than 200 kWh/yr. Footnote 5
Dryers
Key facts
- In May 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the introduction of ENERGY STAR certified residential clothes dryers. ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers use innovative energy-saving technologies to save more electricity than conventional clothes dryers.
- The average drum capacity of clothes dryers increased 14% from 2000 to 2020. Conversely, the average energy consumption per drum litre decreased by 43%.
- Consumers are now drying more clothes per load and each load is consuming less energy.
Data tables
These data were collected through the co-operation of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers Canada (AHAM Canada).
Please click on ‘More’ below to access the data tables.
On June 28, 2017, a suite of amendments to the Energy Efficiency Regulations came into force, which relate to major household appliances. Through these amendments, testing procedures for measuring energy efficiency were updated to better reflect usage patterns in homes and to more accurately represent the real world energy use of these products.
For example, for refrigerators and freezers, test procedures were modified to better capture the energy used by defrost cycles, a common feature for these products. The dishwasher test procedure was modified to better account for energy use in standby and off modes.
Any major household appliances tested prior to these amendments would not include these new procedures, which could lead to differences in measured ratings. Consequently, energy consumption figures for 2017 onward are not directly comparable to previous years’ data.
The Office of Energy Efficiency at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has changed the base year related to its National Energy Use Database (NEUD) from 1990 to 2000, beginning with the release of 2018 data. This rebasing is to ensure that NEUD reflects developments in trends and structures of Canada’s energy end use and efficiency across sectors. It also synchronizes Canada’s energy use data reporting with changes recently made by the International Energy Agency. While new estimates are no longer made available for years prior to 2000, data with the new base year are expected to better service the development, implementation and monitoring of government policies, programs and projects; evidence-based decision making; industrial and market analysis and projection; and energy use literacy, education and stakeholder engagement.