LAS VEGAS - Nearly $13,000 in entry fees from the 2011 AHR Expo Innovation Awards competition will be donated to Opportunity Village, a Las Vegas organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities. The not-for-profit organization is using the money to buy and install 76 programmable thermostats that are estimated will save over $26,000 in annual energy costs for two of its locations.

Every year, AHR Expo donates the competition entry fee money to a local charitable organization in the city the show is being held. To date, nearly $75,000 have been donated to several charitable organizations throughout the country. This year’s competition received 170 entries, an all-time record.

“We are delighted that the entry fees are going to help such a worthy organization save thousands of dollars on energy costs,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company (IEC), which produces and manages the AHR Expo. “The Innovation Awards provide several benefits: They help promote innovation in the HVACR industry, they recognize innovative companies, and of course, they benefit charitable organizations.”

Now in its ninth year, the AHR Expo Innovation Awards are jointly sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); and IEC.

Publication date: 02/21/2011