The AHR Expo announces the winners of its 2027 Innovation Awards. Held every year during the show, the Innovation Awards highlight innovative HVAC/R products, systems, and technologies across 10 categories.
The 10 categories include: building automation, cooling, heating, indoor air quality, plumbing, refrigeration, software, sustainable solutions, tools & instruments, and ventilation.
Below are the 2027 winners that will be on display during the expo:
Building Automation: LumenRadio for its W-BACnet Compact MS/TP cable replacement for building automation retrofits without running RS484 wiring. This product features snap-on installation, Bluetooth commissioning, auto-baud detection and LumenRadio’s interference-resistant wireless mesh.
Cooling: Thermal Energy HQ for its SkyRadiance, which sends heat to the cold sky via its infrared spectrum. The combination of a passive radiative cooling film with Thermal Energy HQ’s patented fluid management system creates a unique and capable active cooling solution.
Heating: Eco-Logical LLC for its Omni split-system heat pump water heater that moves refrigerant, not water, to the outdoor heat pump, eliminating indoor cooling, noise, and condensate associated with HPWHs. Available in 120 & 240 -volt 50-gallon and 240-volt 80-gallon models, it delivers up to 4.23 UEF and the highest cold-climate SCOP. Equipped/ low GWP R513A.
Indoor Air Quality: Kingspan Insulation LLC’s KoolDuct System is a rigid phenolic pre-insulated ductwork system that is UL 181 listed as a Class 1 Air Duct. It integrates thermal insulation, air-leakage control and acoustic performance into a single lightweight assembly that helps improve HVAC efficiency, indoor air quality and installation productivity.
Plumbing: Milwaukee Tool for its M18 brushless pipe threading oiler for portable threading. The M18 features a durable steel frame that attaches quickly and securely to a pipe vice, helping contain messes.
Refrigeration: Chemours for its two-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling fluid, HFO-1336mzz(E), which utilizes AI and high-performance computing.
Software: Rebar for its AI MEP operating system built for the trades: HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, covering full mechanical takeoff, pricing, bid management, and project management in one place.
Sustainable Solutions: SPX Cooling Tech for its MarleyWaterGard Filtration System. This parent-pending membrane filtration system preconditions cooling tower makeup water, enabling operation at higher cycles of concentration (COC).
Tools and Instruments: Belimo U.S. Inc. for its FSKN Remote Inspection Module, which facilitates testing of actuated life safety dampers without the need for costly visual inspections.
Ventilation: EffectiV for its BREEZ Architectural Duct Diffusers, which transforms exposed ductwork into a precision-engineered architectural air diffuser. Every perforation—its size, angle, quantity, and placement—is customized for the room to deliver uniform airflow, strong heating and cooling performance, low sound, and low pressure requirements.
The 2027 AHR Expo takes place in Chicago from Jan. 25 to 27.