• Together with the National Revenue Administration and the Trade Inspection Authority, we inspected 36 heat pump models.
• As many as 94 percent of them failed to meet the formal requirements.
• Thanks to joint efforts, 463 devices did not reach the Polish market.

Heat pumps are devices that use renewable energy sources – they extract heat energy from the air or the ground and transfer it to a home heating system. The popularity of pumps among consumers is influenced by their ability to reduce heating costs, and the fact that consumers are also increasingly looking for solutions that have less negative impact on the environment.

Joint operations at the border 

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), the Trade Inspection Authority (IH), and the National Revenue Administration (KAS), collaborated on a joint project to inspect 564 heat pumps manufactured outside the European Union to prevent non-compliant equipment from being introduced to the market.

– We are committed to eliminating non-compliant products as soon as possible. Thanks to our cooperation with the National Revenue Administration, we were able to inspect the devices before they were approved for marketing. As a result, heat pumps with irregularities will not reach consumers – says Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK. 

Together with the National Revenue Administration and the Trade Inspection Authority, we inspected 36 heat pump models. We inspected heat pumps imported into Poland by sea, road, and air transport at customs branches throughout the country. Most pumps were transporter to the border by sea. We have verified whether the devices have correctly prepared energy efficiency labels, product data sheets, technical documentation, and whether they have the CE marking and declaration of conformity. If irregularities were found, the National Revenue Administration inspectors seized the devices at the border. 

- The goal of the joint effort was to keep non-compliant heat pumps off the market. Ensuring consumer health and safety is an important non-fiscal task of the National Revenue Administration and an area of ongoing cooperation between the National Revenue Administration, UOKiK, and the Trade Inspection Authority. Every year, joint coordinated actions are carried out to stop goods at the border, ensuring that only safe and compliant goods reach the Polish and EU markets, stresses Małgorzata Krok, Deputy Head of the National Revenue Administration

Heat pumps – results of inspections 

Irregularities were found in 94 percent of the inspected heat pump models. Most were related to documentation: missing or incorrectly prepared EU declarations of conformity and product data sheets. As a result, the consumer does not have sufficient data to make an informed purchase decision, nor does he or she know whether the manufacturer declares compliance with EU requirements. Details are available in the inspection report and list of inspected devices.

Thanks to a joint project of UOKiK, the Trade Inspection Authority, and the National Revenue Administration, we have stopped 463 heat pumps at the border that do not meet applicable safety requirements. In the end, 101 pumps were approved for marketing – 62 of them after corrective actions, such as completing documentation. 

– UOKiK is monitoring the market for renewable energy devices (RES), including heat pumps. We analyse the signals and practices used in the market. Thanks to a joint action with the National Revenue Administration, heat pumps that did not meet formal requirements did not enter the market. These are not the only actions undertaken by UOKiK concerning this market. For the past few months, we have also been examining how contracts are concluded, their terms and conditions, and the information provided to consumers opting for this heating system – explains Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.

Additional actions undertaken by UOKiK on the RES market

The President of UOKiK is currently conducting 18 investigations concerning heat pumps. These are mainly preliminary investigations and concern unlawful provisions of contract templates, failure to respect the right to withdraw from an off-premises contract, failure to provide relevant information necessary for consumers to make a purchase decision (including warranties, expected effects of system operation, audit results), and misinformation regarding the nature, scope and value of funding. 

Are you buying a heat pump? 

• Check the data on the energy efficiency label and product data sheet – you can find them on the product and on the vendor’s website – they will help you choose a product that will meet your needs.
• Make sure that the label includes the details of the supplier, i.e. the manufacturer or importer – this will make it easier to claim rights in the case of a defect in the device.
• Enter the name of the model you are interested in the EPREL database, that is, in the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, in the Space heaters/Combination heaters category – you will find additional information there.
• Report irregularities in the labelling of heat pumps to the Trade Inspection Authority.