Electronic devices continue to draw power while in "standby mode," in which they are turned off but still plugged in. (Emily Chung/CBC)

The federal government can now set limits on the amount of power that electronic devices such as computers and televisions can draw while they're turned off.

The government was given the power to set those standards in amendments to the Energy Efficiency Act that gained royal assent Thursday, said a news release from Natural Resources Canada.

The amendments expand the government's powers regulate the energy efficiency of products, allowing it to:

• Set energy efficiency standards not just for products that use energy, but other products that affect energy consumption, such as windows and doors. The government can now also set standards for devices that regulate energy consumption, such as thermostats.
• Require reports on what products are covered in Canada's standards and how stringent Canada's standards are compared to other countries and other jurisdictions in North America.
• Set standards to reduce the amount of energy consumed by electronic devices when they are turned off but still plugged in.

Natural Resources Canada estimates that on average, of the total electricity consumed by home electronics, 40 per cent is consumed while they are off, and appliances in "standby" mode can account for up to 10 per cent of an average household's electricity costs.

New limits by 2010

Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency proposes to set standards limiting the amount of power consumed by electronics on standby mode to two to four watts in 2010 and to one to two watts in 2013.

The Paris-based International Energy Agency had urged countries in 1997 to adopt the one watt limit by 2010.

The new limits are expected to apply in Canada first to:

• Stereos and other compact audio players.
• Televisions.
• Video players and records such as VCRs and DVD and Blu-Ray players.
• Printers.
• Multifunction devices that can work as printers, copier, scanners, fax machines.

"It will take a while before we get to this point where we can use the new powers in the act to define broadly standby power limits, so that's why we're proceeding on this five-product basis right now," said John Cockburn, director of the equipment division in Office of Energy Efficiency, Friday.

Before more general limits can be set, the office still needs to do further consultations and analysis and define what types of devices, such as some medical devices, should be exempt from the regulations.

The Energy Efficiency Act previously allowed the government to set energy efficiency standards for certain products, but until the new amendment passed, the government could not make specific standards for power consumption in special modes such as standby.

In Canada, energy use for smaller appliances such as televisions, computers and DVD players increased by 105 per cent between 1990 and 2005, Natural Resources Canada statistics show.

The department noted that more than offsets the decrease in energy use from major appliances such as dishwashers, which have grown more efficient.

This past Wednesday, the International Energy Agency issued a new report urging countries to adopt policies requiring electronic devices to be more efficient.

Such devices currently account for 15 per cent of power consumption worldwide, but their share is growing quickly, the agency said. Without those new policies, energy consumed by such devices are expected to double by 2022 and increase threefold by 2030.

"This will jeopardize efforts to increase energy security and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases," said a news release from the agency.