Preface

This is the first edition of AHAM 7007/CSA SPE-7007/UL 7007, Sustainability standard for household microwave oven appliances. This is a non-consensus document; it will be processed in accordance with procedures accredited by ANSI and SCC with the intent of being published as a consensus document.

The environmental performance of microwave oven home appliances is commonly evaluated on the environmental attributes of electricity consumption during use. This Standard takes a broader, multi- attribute, and more holistic approach to assessing the environmental impacts of microwave oven home appliances. The multi-attribute approach was developed using life cycle assessment (LCA) information along with other key factors such as hot-spot or hot-button analyses influencing product environmental performance. This approach, detailed in Annex A, determined the environmental attributes of microwave oven appliances for inclusion in this Standard.

All parties have agreed that this Standard will be updated at the time a new U.S. Department of Energy or Natural Resources Canada minimum energy standard change occurs or within five years from the date the AHAM-CSA Group-UL Preliminary Requirements Standard is published. Many of the measurements included within this Standard are unique and have not been conducted on other appliance categories. The Task Force that drafted this Standard expects to learn much from the application of this first edition in the coming years. The use of this Standard, self-assessment by microwave oven manufacturers, and external third-party assessment will be used to improve the Standard in drafting the second and subsequent editions.

This Standard was written specifically for products placed on the market in the United States and Canada. At the present time, a number of the calculations are based on systems specific to North America.

Scope

1.1
This Standard covers microwave oven appliances for households included within the scope of the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) minimum energy performance requirements. This includes the following product category: electric microwave oven (see Clause 3 for a definition of "electric microwave oven").

1.2
This Standard does not include directions for conformity assessment or the use of a mark/seal of conformity assessment.

1.3
The values given in SI units are the units of record for the purposes of this Standard. The values given in parentheses are for information and comparison only.

1.4
In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard; and "can" is used to express possibility or capability.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (nonmandatory) to define their application.