A record 170 entries were received for the 2011 AHR Expo Innovation Awards competition.
Recognizing innovation, application, value to user, and market impact, awards were given in 10 categories:
Building Automation: ecobee for the ecobee energy-management system.
Cooling: Advantix Systems for the DuCool DuTreat liquid-desiccant air conditioner/dehumidifier.
Green Building: Daikin AC (Americas) Inc. for the Altherma air-to-water heat-pump system.
Heating: LG Electronics for the V2 Injection air-to-water heat pump.
Indoor Air Quality: Triatomic Environmental for the Fresh-Aire UV APCO in-duct air purifier.
Plumbing: ITT Residential and Commercial Water for the ecocirc hot-water circulator.
Refrigeration: Emerson Climate Technologies Inc. for the Copeland Discus digital compressor.
Software: CAN2GO (SCL Elements Inc.) for the CAN2GO embedded BAS IP Web interface.
Tools: Neutronics Inc. for the Ultima ID Pro HVACR refrigerant analyzer.
Ventilation: Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions for the CITY MULTI dedicated outside-air system. One of the 10 category winners will be named 2011 AHR Expo Product of the Year Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. in New Product Technology Theater A at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Winning companies receive placards to display at their booths during the AHR Expo, as well as an etched-crystal award to be displayed at their headquarters. Twenty-seven products were awarded honorable mention:
Building Automation: American Auto-Matrix for AspectFT Web-based HVAC energy control, Honeywell International Inc. for the WebVision controller, Reliable Controls Corp. for the MACH-ProWeb BACnet building controller, and Tek-Air Systems Inc. for the IAQ-TEK outdoor-air-volume measuring system.
Cooling: Baltimore Aircoil Co. for the FXV closed-circuit cooling tower, Bard Manufacturing Company Inc. for the Variable Capacity Environmental Control Vertical Package Unit, Danfoss for the MPHE heat exchanger, and Motivair Corp. for the Chilled Door rack-cooling system.
Green Building: Auburn Manufacturing Inc. for the Evergreen Cut ’n Wrap Insulation Kit, Columbus Industries Inc. for the Micro Shield minipleat filter, ecobee for the ecobee Smart Thermostat, Knauf Insulation for Earthwool 1000 pipe insulation, LG Electronics for the LG Multi V Plus II Integrated VRF Inverter Heat Pump, and Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions for the CITY MULTI hydronic heat exchanger.
Heating: Daikin AC (Americas) Inc. for the Daikin Inverter ducted heat pump, Mayekawa/Mycom for the Eco Cute transcritical CO2 heat pump, and Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions for the CITY MULTI H2i Y-Series INVERTER-driven heat pump.
Indoor Air Quality: ClimateMaster Inc. for the ClimaDry II reheat option and Daikin AC (Americas) Inc. for the Quaternity heat-pump split system.
Refrigeration: Danfoss for the ERC102 refrigeration controller.
Software: Davis Business Solutions Inc. for Davisware GlobalEdge business-management software and Honeywell International Inc. for the EnviraLINK HVAC-controls remote-access system.
Tools: Ludeca Inc. for the Vibxpert II portable vibration analyzer/data collector, RAMS Sheet Metal Equipment Inc. for the RAMS 2014 auxiliary machine for roll forming, and Sensortechnics Inc. for the LBA micro-airflow differential-pressure sensor.
Ventilation: Panasonic Home & Environment Co. for the WhisperComfort spot energy-recovery ventilator and Ziehl-Abegg for the FE2owlet fan with ECblue motor.
A panel of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) members evaluated all submissions.
The nearly $13,000 in entry fees will be donated to a charitable organization in the Las Vegas area.
The Innovation Awards competition is sponsored by ASHRAE; the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute; and International Exposition Co.
For more information on the AHR Expo Innovation Awards, go to www.ahrexpo.com.