Three Criminally Charged for Selling and Installing 'Illegal Uncertified Residential Boilers'

Violation of Mandatory Installation Regulations for Eco-Friendly Condensing Boilers ... Up to 1 Year Imprisonment or Fine Up to 10 Million Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Starting from April this year, the installation of eco-friendly boilers for households has been made mandatory. On the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit announced that it has criminally charged three sellers for the first time for violating this installation obligation. They are suspected of illegally distributing general boilers that have not been certified by the Ministry of Environment.

An eco-friendly boiler refers to a boiler certified by the Ministry of Environment that uses a high-efficiency burner to reduce nitrogen oxide (Nox) emissions to one-eighth of that of a general boiler, combining low-NOx boilers and condensing boilers that condense high-temperature exhaust gases to recover latent heat and reuse it to preheat fuel. According to the new law, boiler businesses must now replace or newly install boilers in each household only with Grade 1 eco-friendly boilers.

However, if it is impossible to install a Type 1 boiler, such as when there is no drainage outlet to discharge condensate generated by the eco-friendly boiler, a Type 2 boiler may be installed. In this case, the installer must submit a confirmation to the local autonomous district office, and if it is difficult to judge, installation can proceed after an on-site inspection by prior application.

From April 3 to May 8, Seoul conducted joint crackdowns with autonomous districts for about a month and identified three companies that violated the regulations, all of which were proven guilty.

The Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit explained, "All three criminally charged sellers claim that they had no choice because homeowners demanded cheaper boilers, but even if such demands exist, businesses must comply with boiler installation guidelines and install eco-friendly condensing boilers."

These companies also installed uncertified household boilers instead of eco-friendly boilers despite conditions allowing for eco-friendly boiler installation. Since eco-friendly condensing boilers generate condensate requiring drainage outlets, these companies did not install eco-friendly boilers even though there were drainage outlets in the boiler rooms or they could be created by drilling once through the boiler room's metal door.

Manufacturing, supplying, or selling uncertified products is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.

Park Jae-yong, head of the Seoul Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, stated, "We plan to continuously investigate with city gas suppliers, autonomous districts, and others to prevent uncertified general boilers from circulating in the market," emphasizing, "Not only boiler manufacturers, sellers, and installers but also users must strictly follow the household eco-friendly boiler installation standards when newly installing or replacing household boilers to save fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.