AHR Expo Announces 2026 Innovation Award Winners

WESTPORT, CT — The AHR Expo has announced the winners of the 2026 AHR Expo Innovation Awards, recognizing 10 standout products and technologies that represent the industry’s most forward-thinking developments.

Each year, the awards honor manufacturers that are redefining performance, efficiency and design across air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and related categories.

Innovation Awards Spotlight HVACR’s Cutting Edge

“The achievement of an Innovation Award winner is a meaningful distinction in HVACR,” said Mark Stevens, Show Manager. “We’re proud to showcase the commitment and recognize the hard work of these manufacturers and their collective teams who are bringing new and inventive solutions to market. The Innovation Awards not only highlight these accomplishments, but also act as a benchmark for excellence, honoring the creativity and dedication shaping our industry’s future.”

Entries are judged by an independent panel of ASHRAE members, who evaluate submissions based on design innovation, creativity, application, and potential market impact. Hundreds of entries are reviewed each year, reflecting the industry’s growing focus on smarter, more sustainable solutions.

Advancing Efficiency, Performance and Compliance

“It is a positive indicator that each year we see more and more manufacturers meeting industry challenges with creativity and innovation,” Stevens added. “The winning products, along with all the finalists, demonstrate HVACR’s preparedness to respond to critical demands and challenges with innovative solutions to support energy efficiency, compliance, cost-efficiency and an overall improvement to equipment performance.”

Innovation Fuels Workforce Development

Proceeds from award entry fees are reinvested in the AHR Expo Workforce Development program, now in its fourth year. The initiative supports student engagement and training in the HVACR trades through field trips to the show, curated industry introductions, hands-on lab equipment, and monetary donations to local student programs in the host city.

The 2026 program will once again help connect the next generation of professionals with manufacturers and mentors during the Las Vegas event. More details are available at ahrexpo.com.

2026 AHR Expo Innovation Award Winners

Building Automation
Winner: Honeywell – Connected Solutions (Booth C1840)
A cloud-based suite that gives building owners and service providers remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy optimization, and lifecycle management—all through a single, unified platform.
Finalists: Boldr, Boldr Mini Split Controller Pro Pack; eDelta Inc./eTrapp, eTrapp

Cooling
Winner: Daikin Applied Americas Inc. – Magnitude® WME-C Quad (Booth C4916)
The first dual-circuit, series counterflow chiller delivering up to 3,000 tons of capacity with Daikin’s magnetic bearing compressor technology for unmatched efficiency and uptime.
Finalists: BAC (Baltimore Aircoil Company), Immersion Cooling Tank with Cortex™ Technology; Gree Electric Appliances, G-Storm 200Hz Ultra High-Speed Compressor

Heating
Winner: Copeland – Heating-Optimized Modulating Vapor Injection Portfolio (Booth C3607)
Combining advanced vapor injection with two-stage, tandem, and variable-speed compression, this portfolio delivers scalable, high-efficiency performance for next-generation commercial heat pumps.
Finalists: Danfoss, PSG Heating Scroll Compressor; Trane, Trane® 17 Multi-Speed Heat Pump with WeatherGuard™

Indoor Air Quality
Winner: Sharp Corporation – Airest (Booth SL1919)
The world’s first mini-split heat pump with built-in MERV 14 filters, capturing over 99.9% of dust while heating, cooling, and purifying air simultaneously.
Finalists: CASPR Technologies, CASPR Medik; Friedrich Air Conditioning, FreshAire® PTAC

Plumbing
Winner: IDC Fluid Control – LeakStop III (Booth SL1225)
An automated leak detection system that monitors continuous water flow and automatically shuts off supply when a preset threshold is exceeded.
Finalists: GE Appliances Air & Water Solutions, Smart HQ Wireless Leak Detect System; Milwaukee Tool, Roll Groover (2927)

Refrigeration
Winner: Copeland – Transcritical CO₂ Scroll Compressor with Dynamic Vapor Injection Technology (Booth C3607)
Engineered for small-footprint distributed CO₂ systems, this compressor uses DVI technology to improve efficiency and simplify transcritical design.
Finalists: DORIN USA, CD700 Range – CO₂ Transcritical Compressors; Quest Climate, M-CoRR (Multi-Coil Refrigeration Recovery)

Software
Winner: Rebar – Rebar (Booth SL2331)
The first AI-powered takeoff platform built for HVAC, Rebar reads construction plans, identifies mechanical pages, and produces precise takeoffs in minutes.
Finalists: HVAC Solutions, Inc., AGILE-MEP; PhaseAlpa, LLC, AlphaTakeoff

Sustainable Solutions
Winner: Blue Frontier – BF-DOAS (Booth SL3720)
A refrigerant-free cooling and dehumidification system that’s 300% more efficient than conventional methods and integrates thermal storage for flexible, high-efficiency operation.
Finalists: Conifer, Cypress: Rare-Earth-Free IE5+ EC Motor for NEMA Frames; SHARC Energy, SHARC Series (660, 880, 1212 coming soon)

Tools & Instruments
Winner: CSG Compressors (Houston & American Hermetics) – SAMMi (Booth SL3122)
An AI-powered monitoring and dispatch system that detects issues before breakdowns, automatically alerts technicians, and enables proactive maintenance.
Finalists: NAVAC Inc., Flex-X Manifold Gauge; Uniweld Products, Inc., Uniweld SmarTech® FUSION Pro Kit

Ventilation
Winner: ABB Motors and Drives – ACH580 Variable Frequency Drives (Booth C1707)
This VFD enables control of up to six EC Titanium motors, optimizing energy efficiency and simplifying installation for advanced HVAC applications.
Finalists: Honeywell, Critical Spaces Control Drives; Senva Inc., ECMSet Pro

Experience Innovation in Las Vegas

The overall 2026 Product of the Year will be announced during the AHR Expo in February, recognizing one of the 10 category winners for exceptional leadership in HVACR innovation.

“As the industry continues to face workforce challenges alongside rising equipment demand, ever-changing regulations and the need for more innovative solutions, the AHR Expo Innovation Awards will continue to play a critical role in showcasing the pulse of industry advancement,” said Kim Pires, AHR Expo. “Participation in the Awards—and the distinction of being awarded a win—is a key indicator to the wider industry that your company is leading the way for the future of HVACR.”

The 2026 AHR Expo will be held February 2-4 in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on the AHR Expo Innovation Awards and to register for free, visit ahrexpo.com.