PARTICIPANTS:
Click here for a list of participants

How to become a certified manufacturer
• Read the program Procedural Guide which explains the obligations of licensees in the program
• Fill out the license agreement which all companies must enter into with AHAM to begin participation in the program
• Request a production survey by emailing cert@aham.org. This form should be completed and returned with the signed license agreement when you are ready to join the certification program.

The AHAM Certification Programs have been an important part of the AHAM service since the Association’s inception. Certified appliances carry an AHAM Certification seal on the unit or its packaging. This seal assures all persons that rated product characteristics are accurate, and measured against standard test methods. The Programs provide a uniform and commercially practical verification of certain performance criteria for each product. An independent laboratory under contract to AHAM provides the verification testing. Each product is measured against its appropriate ANSI/AHAM standard. Standards are first developed in detail by the industry and then submitted for approval by ANSI.

Participation in the certification programs is voluntary is open to U.S. and Canadian manufacturers and resellers as well as foreign manufacturers and importers who market Room air conditioners in the U.S. All manufacturers who distribute goods in the U.S. may participate in the certification programs, whether or not they are AHAM members. Through the random testing of the units, the AHAM certification program verifies the manufacturers claimed values of performance.

Each manufacturer submits its certified values to the testing laboratory for incorporation into a directory of certified products. Manufacturers, distributors, buyers, sales people, consumers, utility companies, consultants, researchers and others use these directories.

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FEES & PRODUCTION SURVEY
Certification participation is separate and independent of AHAM membership and is funded solely by companies participating in the program. A manufacturer can be a Room Air Conditioner Certification Program Licensee without being an AHAM member company. Please email cert@aham.org to request a fee schedule and production survey to be emailed to you when you are ready to join the certification program.

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CERTIFICATION SEAL
Upon receipt of your signed license agreement and payment, AHAM will forward you the Graphics Standards CD containing the necessary art work for the AHAM Room Air Conditioner Certification Seal for use on the product and on the packaging. Upon certification, the AHAM certification seal must be affixed to each certified room air conditioner under the Program. The certified capacity and ampere ratings are listed on the nameplate of each unit.

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REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
As a certified participant, you company will receive the additional benefit of having your company’s federal and state reporting regulations satisfied through AHAM submissions of your certified data.

FTC - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accepts the AHAM Directory of Certified Room Air Conditioners in lieu of manufacturers having to submit annually individual data submission reports in accordance with Section 305.8 of the Appliance Labeling Rule. Licensees in the AHAM Program annually receive authorization forms to be completed and sent to FTC allowing AHAM to act as agent for this submittal. On an annual basis, AHAM and its contracted 3rd party certification laboratory, Intertek/ETL Semko, compile for the FTC the requested data from the Room Air Conditioner Certification Program and submit this information to the FTC by May 1 on behalf of the participants. This action fulfills the participants' FTC reporting requirements for Room Air Conditioners.

DOE - Effective August 1, 1993, the Room Air Conditioner Program added the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) as a certified value. The Department of Energy (DOE) accepts AHAM’s Directory data as the manufacturers’ submission to meet the requirements of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA). Compliance forms are distributed to new licensees to complete and return to the DOE, naming AHAM their third-party reporter.

CEC - California Energy Commission (CEC) requests that each manufacturer submit to it various data, as specified in section 1606 of the CEC’s Appliance Efficiency Regulations (California Code of Regulations, title 20, sections 1601-1608). (This is often referred to as "certification."). Data submittal is a prerequisite to having the data included in the CEC’s database of energy efficient appliances which may be valuable for purposes of utility incentive programs. The CEC allows for third parties to submit the requested data on behalf of the manufacturers. In order for the CEC to accept third party (AHAM) submittal of the requested data, manufacturers that are participants in the AHAM Room Air Conditioner Certification Program must submit a Declaration with each submittal of data to AHAM. The Declaration is maintained on file at AHAM and at Intertek ETL/SEMKO and made available to the CEC upon request.

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ANNUAL VERIFICATION TESTING
On an annual basis, as part of the Certification Program, INTERTEK ETL/SEMKO will randomly selects basic models (see the Procedural Guide for the details on sample selection formula) from the Licensee’s regular production and test them to verify that they perform within the tolerances of the Program. Should that rating prove to be incorrect, a re-rate would be required according to the guidelines in the Room Air Conditioner Certification Program Procedural Guide.

For more information, please contact us at cert@aham.org or 202-872-5955.

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AHAM STANDARDS
By providing an objective and standardized verification of your product's performance, AHAM gives consumers, retailers and the home appliance industry a standard they can trust. The program furnishes uniform product comparison information, regularly verifies the results and reduces confusion at the point of purchase about product performance claims. AHAM conducts three certification programs for each category - room air cleaners, room air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. The Room Air Conditioner certification standard is known as ANSI/AHAM RAC-1-2003.

The ANSI/AHAM RAC-1-2003 Standard is available for purchase by visiting www.aham.org.

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ABOUT AHAM
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is an organization that certifies the testing results of home appliances such as room air conditioners, dehumidifiers and room air cleaners. Since 1967, we've used outside labs to test products, and today manufacturers use AHAM-certified ratings on a variety of appliances. This makes comparing products easier for consumers and gives them a consistent product standard they can trust. AHAM also serves as an advocacy group for manufacturers, representing industry interests in legislative and regulatory matters.

To find out more about AHAM, or for membership information, visit www.aham.org

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