On June 3, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a notice of noncompliance for three manufacturers of evaporative coils: Summit Manufacturing, Aspen Manufacturing, and Advanced Distributor Products (ADP). In response, all three companies stated that there were errors in the data used by DOE to evaluate their compliance with federal energy conservation standards, and that they did not distribute any noncompliant models to consumers.
According to DOE’s press release, the department determined that 61 heat pump models and 1 air conditioner model manufactured by Summit, Aspen, and ADP did not comply with federal energy conservation standards. DOE determined that these models were noncompliant based on certification information submitted by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) on behalf of the manufacturers. But the manufacturers responded that some of the information in the AHRI database was entered incorrectly by the companies, which made it appear that they were selling noncompliant units.
As part of its action, DOE ordered the manufacturers to stop selling the cited units, and to notify all of their customers that had been sold those units. Currently, the manufacturers are in the process of confirming that they did not distribute any noncompliant models to customers and communicating with DOE to clarify their compliance with federal energy standards.
Steve Yurek, president and CEO of AHRI, said, “We are disappointed that despite our continuous efforts, the Department of Energy continues to issue notices of noncompliance to manufacturers for alleged violations of federal minimum efficiency standards when a simple inquiry would clarify the issues.”