US

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has ordered three manufacturers to stop sales of 61 models of heat pump and one air conditioner for failing to meet energy efficiency standards.

Last week, Aspen Manufacturing, Summit Manufacturing and Advanced Distributor Products were told to halt distribution of the non-compliant models and contact all previous buyers.

The heat pumps and air conditioners, which are covered by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, have to meet minimum energy conservation standards.

But the certification information given to the DOE revealed that the 58 heat pumps and one air conditioner manufactured by Aspen Manufacturing failed to meet the federal standards by up to 7%. One of Summit Manufacturing’s heat pumps failed the energy use standards by about 16%, while two models manufactured by Advanced Distributor Products were 1-2% below the required level.

The DOE says it will take all necessary steps to ensure that consumers can buy products that meet federal energy efficiency standards.

“As a part of this Administration’s commitment to energy efficiency, we will continue to rigorously enforce the Department’s energy efficiency requirements that save money for consumers and reduce unnecessary energy use,” says DOE general counsel Scott Blake Harris.

Late last year, the DOE rapped LG’s knuckles for failing to meet comply with test procedures for some of its fridge-freezers and earlier this year AeroSys was ordered to stop distributing two of its heating and cooling products.

For further information:
www.energy.gov

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