ENERGY STAR Canada's Version 6 Fenestration Draft Is Coming: What Window and Door Suppliers Should Watch

For suppliers selling windows and doors into Canada, it is the most concrete signal in more than a year about where the program is heading.

The Version 6 update was put on hold in 2025. In June of that year, Natural Resources Canada issued a program bulletin saying it had paused development of Version 6, citing uncertainty about the future of the U.S. ENERGY STAR program, which ENERGY STAR Canada operates under a bilateral agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At the time, Fenestration Canada reported that Version 5 remained fully in effect, with no changes to product eligibility, labelling, or certification.

That backdrop is why the latest comments matter. A completed draft means the pause has ended, even though the draft itself has not yet been published and its contents have not been described publicly.

Jamie Hulan, a senior director at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), presented the update. The key points:

The program has changed departments. As of July 31, 2026, the Office of Energy Efficiency moved from Natural Resources Canada to ECCC. Hulan described this as a transitional period and said the program's mandate, roles, responsibilities, and stakeholders remain in place during the transition.

The Version 6 draft is ready but not public. Hulan said publication will happen in the near future and encouraged participation once it is out: "We put drafts out there to drive the conversations we need to have." Information on how to submit comments is expected soon.

Demand-side programs continue to rely on certification. The Canada Greener Homes Grant offers $125 for ENERGY STAR certified models and $250 for ENERGY STAR Most Efficient models. Hulan said windows and doors were the second most popular retrofit after heat pumps, with about 150,000 households installing them through the program. Homes certified under ENERGY STAR for New Homes, about 100,000 so far, must have ENERGY STAR certified windows and skylights.

A mandatory label is on hold. A regulated, standardized fenestration label was explored in 2024, then paused in 2025 and removed from the regulatory plan, reflecting the complexity of the Canadian market and uncertainty about ENERGY STAR's future. Hulan still described labelling as an important first step for influencing the market.

Imported and domestic products may be treated differently. Federal rules do not reach products that stay within a single province, and Hulan said this creates "a risk of creating an uneven playing field in the market" between imported products, which fall under federal reach, and domestic products that never cross provincial lines.

The reporting does not describe the Version 6 criteria, climate-zone requirements, U-factor or solar heat gain targets, comment deadlines, or effective dates. It also does not address curtain wall systems; the ENERGY STAR Canada fenestration specification concerns windows, doors, and skylights. Any assumption about stricter or looser performance levels would be speculation until the draft is released.

Watch for the draft and the comment process. Once published, the draft will show what performance levels and test requirements Version 6 may introduce, and the comment window is the opportunity to respond.

Keep current certification and test records in order. Because grant eligibility and new-home certification are tied to ENERGY STAR status, certified products have a commercial advantage, and documentation that can be verified directly with the certifying body matters.

Do not assume Version 6 requirements yet. Until the draft and transition dates are published, Version 5 is the reference point for products already in the market.

Plan product development with both outcomes in mind. If a tighter specification follows, glazing and frame configurations that perform near the current limits may need review.

Track the label question separately. A mandatory label is paused, but it is described as still on the policy agenda, and its treatment of imported versus domestic products could affect market access.

No. As of the FGIA Fall Conference, a draft is complete but not yet published. Fenestration Canada's 2025 update said Version 5 remained fully in effect, and no change to that position has been reported.

The reporting concerns the ENERGY STAR Canada fenestration specification for windows, doors, and skylights and does not mention curtain wall. Curtain wall projects should be reviewed against the energy code and project requirements that apply to them.

It changes which department administers the program. The official presenting the update said responsibilities and stakeholders stay in place during the transition, but the timing of publications such as the Version 6 draft is worth monitoring.

Program changes like this tend to arrive in stages: a draft, a comment period, then a transition date. For suppliers, the practical takeaway is to be ready to read the draft when it appears and to keep certification and testing documentation current in the meantime.

FOWALL will continue tracking regulatory developments across North American markets and reporting on what they mean for window, door, and curtain wall specification and sourcing.