DOE halts sales of Air-Con air conditioners for failing energy standards

The U.S. Department of Energy is flexing its regulatory muscles when it comes to inefficient products.

The agency on Thursday announced that it has filed notice (.pdf) against Air-Con International, which makes air conditioners. Regulators say some of the company's AC systems fail to meet minimum energy efficiency standards for appliances.

The proposed penalty for the transgression? The maximum penalty of more than $230,000, for an estimated 2,000 units on the market.

"Nothing is more important to our enforcement efforts than removing products from the market that violate our minimum energy efficiency standards," DOE general counsel Scott Blake Harris said in a statement. "The sale of these products is unlawful, imposes unnecessary costs on American consumers, and wastes energy."

To date, almost 70 products have been removed from the market for non-compliance since 2009.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com