Falsified Specifications in Illegal Heat Pumps in North America

A: Yes — unambiguously. In Canada, every heat pump must be independently certified by an SCC-accredited body, reported to NRCan, and listed in the NRCan Searchable Product Database before a single unit crosses the border. Not one of the units documented in this report satisfies any of those three prerequisites. In the US, units must be certified and registered in the DOE Compliance Certification Management System (CCMS) before distribution. As of the report's publication in March 2026, none of these units are listed in the NRCan database, and only two models appear in the DOE CCMS — both with fabricated data.

A: In Canada: the Energy Efficiency Act, the Energy Efficiency Regulations 2016, and the Competition Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34). In the US: the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), 10 CFR Parts 429 and 430, the FTC Act Section 5, the Lanham Act, and — for brands that filed false data with the DOE — 18 U.S.C. § 1001, the federal statute that makes knowingly false statements to the federal government a criminal offense. The violations include fabricating test data, filing false certifications with regulators, misclassifying products, failing to register products before import, and engaging in deceptive advertising to consumers and professionals.

A: In Canada, fines of up to $200,000 per offense under the Energy Efficiency Act, and Competition Act penalties of up to $10,000,000 for a first violation, $15,000,000 for subsequent violations, or three times the value of the benefit derived — whichever is greater. NRCan can also compel product recalls, require compensation to all purchasers, and seize inventory. In the US: DOE civil penalties of up to $575 per violation, per day, per model; FTC civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation; forced recalls; injunctive relief; and criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 for false statements to federal agencies.

A: No. Heat Pump Fraud Watch confirmed in writing with AHRI that no such logo exists and that its use is not permitted under any circumstances. AHRI does not issue pending certification marks of any kind. Ortech, which displays this logo, is deliberately creating the false impression that independent verification is underway or imminent. This constitutes a false representation under the FTC Act, the Lanham Act, and the Competition Act, and provides AHRI itself with grounds to pursue action for the unauthorized use of its name and branding.