How to show ENERGY STAR and energy ratings on a window company website

The short answer

Show energy ratings on a window company website the way the product label shows them: model by model, with the actual values, and a certification statement only where that exact model is certified in Canada. Avoid broad claims such as “our windows cut your heating bill” unless you have test results that back them up.

Homeowners do look for these numbers. NRCan tells them windows, doors and skylights can account for up to 25% ¹ of a home’s energy loss. This guide explains what the label shows, the ENERGY STAR criteria in Canada, the rules that apply to sellers and a product page layout that stays within them. Manufacturers should also read our page for local window and door manufacturers.

What the label shows

Every ENERGY STAR certified window, door and skylight in Canada carries a removable temporary label. It lists the model’s performance values, namely U-factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), Energy Rating (ER) and Visible Transmittance (VT), along with the brand, frame type, operator type, glazing description, model code or NRCan reference number and the test standard ⁴ .

Two of those numbers matter most to homeowners:

• U-factor measures heat transfer through the product. NRCan’s plain explanation: the lower the U-factor, the more efficient the product ² .
• Energy Rating is a single unitless number that balances heat loss, air leakage and potential solar gain, for products installed vertically in low-rise homes ³ . Higher is better.

The label is the best source for your website because it is specific. The same window series can have different values with double or triple glazing, a different gas fill or a different low-e coating. That is why a value belongs next to a model and glazing option, not in a banner across your site.

The ENERGY STAR criteria in Canada

NRCan’s technical specification for windows, doors and skylights is Version 5.0, effective January 1, 2020. It sets one national set of thresholds ³ :

ENERGY STAR Canada Version 5.0 thresholds

Product	Qualifies with
Windows and doors	U-factor of 1.22 W/m²·K or lower, or an Energy Rating of 34 or higher
Skylights	U-factor of 2.29 W/m²·K or lower

You don’t need to publish the thresholds on every product page. A short explainer page that describes them, linked from your product pages, helps homeowners read the numbers you do publish.

What NRCan says certified products achieve

NRCan publishes average efficiency figures for certified products compared with typical ones: windows about 20% ¹ , doors about 15% ¹ and skylights about 35% ¹ more efficient, and ENERGY STAR Most Efficient windows and sliding glass doors up to 55% ¹ .

Chart data as a table

Item	Value
Windows	about 20%
Doors	about 15%
Skylights	about 35%
Most Efficient windows	up to 55%

These are general program figures. It is fair to quote them with the source on an explainer page. It isn’t fair to turn them into a promise that a particular homeowner’s bills will drop by a fifth, because savings depend on the house, the climate, the installation and what was there before.

The rules that apply to sellers

Certified means certified and registered

A product must meet the specification, and the model must be registered with NRCan, to be promoted as ENERGY STAR certified in Canada ³ . A series being certified in the United States is not the same thing, and not every model or glazing option in a series may qualify. NRCan also tells homeowners to check the searchable product list ² , so claims on your site may well be checked.

The name and symbol are controlled

To use the ENERGY STAR name and symbol in Canada, a Participant Administrative Arrangement with NRCan must be signed, and misuse can end that arrangement ⁴ . Manufacturers sign these. If you are a dealer or installer, use the symbol only as your manufacturer’s rules allow, and when in doubt, use plain text on the model page.

Performance claims need tests

Under the Competition Act, a claim about a product’s performance must be based on an adequate and proper test done before the claim is made, and that includes words, images and design on a website ⁵ . The Bureau’s own example is an energy-savings figure from a test in a mild climate being applied to the whole country. Label values are tested; your own marketing lines should not go further than they do.

Laying out a product page

A spec table per product type keeps values tied to models. The layout below shows the columns, not real values. Fill it from the labels or manufacturer sheets for the models you actually sell.

Example layout for a casement window page

Column	What goes in it
Model	The manufacturer’s model name or code
Frame	Frame material, as on the label
Glazing	Layers, gas fill and low-e coating, as on the label
U-factor	The label value, with units
Energy Rating	The label value
ENERGY STAR	“Certified in Canada” only if the model is registered; otherwise leave blank
Checked	The date you last confirmed the values

Add a short paragraph above the table that explains U-factor and Energy Rating in one sentence each, and a line saying the values come from the manufacturer’s label for that configuration.

Doors and patio doors

Entry and patio doors need the same care, with one more complication: a door is often sold with sidelites, a transom or different glass inserts, and those change the numbers. Show values for the configuration you are describing, and say which one it is, for example a steel slab with one sidelite and a small glass insert. If a configuration has no label values available, leave the cells empty rather than borrowing numbers from a similar door.

Keeping the values current

Manufacturers update product lines, glazing packages and certifications, and the specification itself can change. Add a “checked” date to each table and review it when your supplier sends new product information, or at least once a year. Remove a certification statement as soon as a model drops off the list, and replace a discontinued model rather than leaving it on the page with old values.

An explainer page for the numbers

One short page can carry the background so product pages stay tidy. Cover what U-factor and Energy Rating mean, the current ENERGY STAR thresholds in Canada, how to read the label on a delivered window, and a link to NRCan’s product list and rebate directory so homeowners can check for themselves. Date the page, cite NRCan, and link to it from every model table. It also gives your sales team one place to send a homeowner who asks what the numbers mean.

Wording to use and avoid

Examples

Use	Avoid
“With triple glazing, this model’s Energy Rating is the one printed on its label, shown in the table.”	“Our windows are the most efficient on the market.”
“ENERGY STAR certified in Canada: see the model table.”	An ENERGY STAR symbol in your site header.
“NRCan says certified windows are about 20% more efficient than average.” With the source.	“New windows will cut your energy bill by 20%.”
“Ask us which models qualify for rebates in your area.”	“Every window qualifies for the rebate.”

What to do next

1. List the models you actually sell, with glazing options.
2. Collect the label or manufacturer sheet for each, and note the date.
3. Check certified models on NRCan’s searchable ENERGY STAR product list.
4. Ask your manufacturer how dealers and installers may use the name and symbol.
5. Remove any site-wide savings claim you can’t back with a test.
6. Add a model table to each product page and a short explainer page for the numbers.

Our managed plan builds product pages with model tables from the values you supply; we copy them exactly and don’t add claims. See what’s included and pricing.