International Exposition Co. (IEC), producer and manager of the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), recently announced the recipients of 2013 AHR Expo Innovation Awards.
A panel of judges made up of ASHRAE members evaluated products that will be exhibited at the 2013 AHR Expo, which will be held Jan. 28-30 in Dallas, based on innovation, application, value to the user, and market impact, giving awards in 10 categories:
• Building Automation: CopperWatcher LLC for CopperWatcher Model CW-3, an air-conditioning copper-theft-deterrent system.
• Cooling: Rheem Manufacturing Co. for the H2AC rooftop unit featuring eSync integration technology, an integrated air and water system for full-service restaurants.
• Green Building: Titus for Solar Plexicon, a displacement-ventilation diffuser with light-powered energy-harvesting capabilities.
• Heating: ClimateMaster Inc. for the Trilogy 40 Series geothermal heat pump.
• Indoor Air Quality: Energy Wall LLC for Energy Wall, a high-efficiency heat- and moisture-recovery plate exchanger, air purifier, and dehumidifier.
• Plumbing: Navien America Inc. for the NPE-240A NG condensing tankless gas water heater.
• Refrigeration: Danfoss for the ADAP-KOOL AK-PC 781 integrated pack controller.
• Software: NexTraq for NexTraq Web-based GPS fleet-tracking software.
• Tools & Instruments: Fluke Corp. for the Fluke 805 vibration meter.
• Ventilation: American Aldes Ventilation Corp. for Zone Register Terminal-2 (ZRT-2).
The award recipients will receive placards to display in their booths, as well as an etched-crystal award to be displayed at their headquarters. They will be honored during a ceremony at the Dallas Convention Center Jan. 29. One will be selected to receive the 2013 AHR Expo Product of the Year Award.
Honorable mentions were awarded to:
• Building Automation: American Auto-Matrix for the vSTAT mobile application, CAN2GO (SCL Elements Inc.) for the TE2 wireless terminal equipment controller, LUDECA Inc. for the VIBCONNECT RF wireless condition-monitoring system, Strobic Air Corp. for the Tri-Stack Smart System, and WattStopper for Digital Lighting Management.
• Cooling: Carrier Corp. for WeatherExpert 48LC and 50LC single packaged commercial rooftop units, Danfoss for the VZH inverter scroll compressor, MITS Air Conditioning Inc./Aermec for the NRP AERMEC air-to-water heat pump, Motivair Corp. for the Chilled Door active rear-door heat exchanger, and Trane for the Series S CenTraVac water-cooled oil-free centrifugal chiller.
• Green Building: Emerson Climate Technologies for the Copeland Scroll FFAP condensing unit, International Wastewater Heat Exchange Systems Inc. for the Sewage SHARC combination sewage filter and heat exchanger, RGF Environmental Group Inc. for the PTAC PHI Cell HVAC air-purification system, Spartan Peripheral Devices for the ME8400 Thermopyla Series self-powered control valve with bidirectional communication, and Tate for the EcoCore access floor panel incorporating microencapsulated phase-change materials.
• Heating: American Combustion Technologies for the SLE ultralow-NOx burner, LG Electronics for the Art Cool Gallery with Inverter heat-pump system with picture frame, WaterFurnace International Inc. for the 7 Series 700A11 variable-capacity geothermal heat pump, and Wilo USA LLC for the Wilo Stratos GIGA high-efficiency inline circulator.
• Indoor Air Quality: Best Living Systems LLC for the PerfectFit Filter, Carlisle HVAC Products for Spray-Seal job-site duct sealant, Smart Fog Inc. for the TS100 in-duct humidifier, and Triatomic Environmental Inc. for the Fresh-Aire UV miniature ultraviolet-light system.
• Plumbing: Grand Hall/Eternal Hybrid for the Eternal GU100 hybrid water heater, Midsun Specialty Products Inc. for the Perfect Pitch tool for condensate/waste-piping installation, and Pro Hydronic Specialties for the AFL Series automatic flow-limiting device.
• Refrigeration: Emerson Climate Technologies for the Copeland Discus semi-hermetic compressor and Sporlan Division–Parker Hannifin Corp. for the Secondary Fluid Valve (SFV) and Controller.
• Software: Browning/Emerson Power Transmission Solutions for the Toolbox Technician mobile application for HVACR technicians and FieldAware for FieldAware cloud-based software for field-service management.
• Tools & Instruments: Emerson Climate Technologies for the Emerson SureSwitch relay CoreSense protection module and Goodway Technologies Corp. for the CoilPro HiFlo portable thick-coil-washing system.
• Ventilation: Titus for the EOS solar-powered energy-harvesting diffuser.
Honorable-mention recipients will receive placards to display in their booths.
The AHR Expo Innovation Awards are sponsored by ASHRAE; the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute; and IEC.