The Findings — Part 03
Fraudulent Ratings: DOE/ NRCan Ratings For Double Duct Heat Pumps
Both the USA and Canada have very specific rating requirements. While both the USA and Canada agree that the units cannot be classified as PTHPs, Canada allows them to be classified as Room Air Conditioners, whereas the USA does not.
Room Air Conditioner | PTAC/ PTHP | Heat Pump | SPVHP* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
USA | No | No | Yes | No |
Canada | Yes, but only until May 26, 2026 | No | Yes | Yes |
* Only relevant to the Vertical Stack
Room Air Conditioner
In the USA, these units do not meet RAC requirements and may not be classified as such. While in Canada, these units do meet the definition of a Room Air Conditioner (“RAC”), it is critical to note that, effective May 26, 2026, 9.3 CEER will no longer meet the minimum legal requirements. New regulations will require a CEER of 13.7, representing a 47% increase in efficiency over previous requirements. This new requirement is impossible for any of these units to meet, meaning that after May 26, 2026, the CEER rating will not apply to these units.
Room Air Conditioner as defined by NRCan: “..a single-phase electric air conditioner that has a cooling capacity of 10.55 kilowatts (36,000 Btu/h) or less. It does not include a packaged terminal air conditioner, a portable air conditioner, or a single package vertical air conditioner.” These units meet the definition of Non-louvered reverse cycle under 14,000 BTU and require a minimum CEER of 9.3. | Room Air Conditioner as defined by DOE 10 C.F.R. § 430.2 “... a consumer product, other than a “packaged terminal air conditioner,” which is powered by a single-phase electric current and which is an encased assembly designed as a unit for mounting in a window or through the wall for the purpose of providing delivery of conditioned air to an enclosed space…” These double duct heat pumps meet none of these criteria: they sit entirely inside the room, use no sleeve, and were never designed for through-the-wall installation. Because they fail every defining element of RAC, the use of CEER is prohibited. https://www.regulations.doe.gov/certification-data/CCMS-4-Air_Conditioners_and_Heat_Pumps_-_Room_Air_Conditioners.html |
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Heat Pump
These units meet the definition of a Heat Pump across North America. They require a minimum of 13.4 SEER2 and 5.4 HSPF2 (Canada) and 6.7 HSPF2 (USA). It is critical to point out that SEER is not the correct legal rating. SEER is not the same as SEER2, and not only is SEER non-compliant, but it also indicates that the test data is fake, as no real lab would give a SEER rating instead of SEER2. Learn more about the difference in How is SEER2 Different from SEER.
Heat Pump as defined by NRCan: "...a single-phase or three-phase air-to-air central heat pump that is a single package unit and that has a cooling capacity of less than 19 kW (65,000 Btu/h), but does not include a single package vertical heat pump." https://spl-lpi.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/en-US/product/?product=HP.SinglePackageSingle | Central Air Heat Pump 10 C.F.R. § 430.2 Definition: “ means a product, other than a…packaged terminal heat pump, which is powered by single-phase electric current, air-cooled, rated below 65,000 Btu per hour… and is a heat pump... central air conditioning heat pump may consist of: A single package unit.” https://www.regulations.doe.gov/certification-data/CCMS-4-Air_Conditioners_and_Heat_Pumps_-_Central.html |
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PTAC/PTHP
These units do not meet the definition of PTHP in the USA or Canada because they lack the core characteristics of a PTAC or PTHP. They lack an unencased refrigeration system, making PTHP classification impossible.
as defined by NRCan: “ ..packaged terminal heat pump means a factory-built packaged heat pump that consists of a separate unencased refrigeration system and uses reverse cycle refrigeration as its primary heat source. (thermopompe terminale autonome)..” https://spl-lpi.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/en-US/product/?product=HP.PackagedTerminal | 10 C.F.R. § 430.2 Definition: …means a wall sleeve and a separate unencased combination of heating and cooling assemblies …intended for mounting through the wall, .. It includes a prime refrigeration source, separable outdoor louvers, forced ventilation, and heating availability. “Packaged terminal heat pump” means a packaged terminal air conditioner that utilizes reverse-cycle refrigeration. https://www.regulations.doe.gov/certification-data/CCMS-4-Air_Conditioners_and_Heat_Pumps_-_Package_Terminal.html |
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Illegal Misclassification by These Brands
Since these products cannot be PTHPs, the PTHP efficiency tables, the PTHP minimum EER and COP thresholds, and all PTHP-specific testing procedures are legally inapplicable.
Several units produced by Nordica, Zymbo, and Wuxi Hammer, including DesignLine, Exinda, Silktech, Kinghome, and others, continue to publish PTHP classifications with EER and EER2, showing their lack of legal knowledge and, worse, confirming that these units are not tested at an independent lab. No certified independent lab would rate these units as a PTAC or PTHP.
Others, like Williams, Multi MFG, and Inspiron Air, will publish SEER instead of SEER2 and COP instead of HSPF2. These wrong ratings underscore the fakeness of their data, as SEER is not the same test as SEER2, and if the test is done correctly, when you have an SEER2 for cooling, you have an HSPF2 for heating, never a COP.
Finally, Mits Air, Forest Air, and Techno take different paths; they just don't publish any ratings at all. They just publish the capacity BTU and input power—no CEER, no SEER2, nothing at all.