The 2019 Dealer Design Awards are a platform to present the latest and greatest products the HVAC industry has to offer. For the past 16 years, The NEWS has honored HVAC design excellence. The contest was established to honor exemplary manufacturing, design, and implementation. It has consistently delivered on that promise, displaying some of the most innovative and conveniently installed, maintained, and serviced products ever created.

A total of 79 product applications were filed this year, and our panel of contractor judges had a tough task narrowing the field down to gold, silver, and bronze winners across 13 categories.

Below, a quick-reference chart identifies all 2019 Dealer Design Award winners at a glance. Take a look at each category to learn more about the Dealer Design Awards’ class of 2019.

When a company wins a Dealer Design Award, one of the things it receives is a press release template that includes a quote from Mike Murphy, publisher of The NEWS. This year’s comment:

“These awards give us a unique opportunity to recognize the outstanding research and development efforts that go into many of the products serving the HVACR industry, and the awards issue gives our readers an opportunity to read about innovative installation and service solutions.”

That might sound pretty straightforward, but in reality, the truths in those words run deeper than a typical press release soundbite. The 2019 awards, featuring the best of a pool of 79 entrants, proved no exception.

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One standard question for applicants: How many years of research went into the design of this product?

A surprising number could cite around five years of research. The work on one product started eight years ago.

Of course, there’s no point in working on a product for most of a decade if it isn’t something that people will want to buy. Companies deployed a wide range of ways to gauge contractor interest — customer visits, in-depth phone surveys, old-fashioned focus groups. The “voice of the customer” is a phrase that came up frequently. Dig into this year’s winners, and you should see features big and small that reflect contractor feedback.

That’s the connection that makes the DDAs worthwhile each year. And if a manufacturer didn’t fully get that message with the question about research in the entry form, they did when we asked the next one.

“Name three specific features that were designed with a technician’s daily job in mind.”

It’s not enough to be super energy-efficient, or to offer some technological breakthrough. These awards look for what will make a technician’s job easier day to day through improved use, installation, and serviceability — and what will improve a contractor’s relationship with a customer.

The NEWS would especially like to thank its panel of volunteer judges, a group of HVAC contractors representing different regions and business focuses. As chance would have it, they wound up delivering not only a couple of ties for bronze medals, but an exceedingly rare three-way tie for gold in the Testing & Monitoring Products category.

From residential to commercial, from controls to accessories and hand tools, read on to find out which manufacturers won a DDA this year. It’s nice that they get to put a plaque in their office, but it’s more important that you get to put something better in your trucks.

Commercial Equipment

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Victaulic

QuickVic™ SD Installation-Ready™ System

Time and money go hand in hand, especially when it comes to Victaulic’s QuickVic™ SD Installation-Ready™ System. And that magic pairing — the speed of the press system, along with the material savings of the Carbon steel pipe — is what pushed the QuickVic over the victory line, scoring it the Gold award in the HVAC Commercial Equipment category.
www.victaulic.com

Silver

Tecumseh Products Co. LLC

Tecumseh ARGUS

Winning Silver is the Tecumseh ARGUS from Tecumseh Products Co. LLC. A year’s worth of research and design were invested in this air-cooled low- and medium-temperature condensing unit. Ideal for walk-in coolers and freezers, the unit was designed for HFO-blend refrigerants — specifically R-452A, R-448A, and R-449A. It exceeds the Department of Energy’s Annualized Walk-In Energy Factor (AWEF) requirements by up to 15 percent in the capacity range of ½ to 6 hp.
www.tecumseh.com/en/na/

Bronze

LG Electronics USA

LG Multi V™ 5 with LGRED°

Earning a Bronze award is LG Electronics USA and its flagship air-source VRF system, the LG Multi V™ with LGRED°. It is available from 6 to 42 tons, with a choice of three-phase 208-V to 230-V, 460-V to 480-V, or 575-V electrical power as heat recovery/heat pump outdoor units. Newly upgraded for 2019, the Multi V 5 features an expanded operating range, providing continuous heating performance at ambient conditions down to minus 22°F and cooling up to 122°F, thanks to the LGRED° (Reliable to Extreme Degrees) heating technology.
www.lghvac.com

Bronze

Ruskin Rooftop Systems

enERVent Models MCV500 and MCV1000

Also earning a Bronze award is Ruskin Rooftop Systems’ enERVent Models MCV500 and MCV1000. Ideal for ceilings and small spaces, both models exceed 50 to 60 percent total energy recovery effectiveness with 0.5 percent cross-contamination. They feature a compact 16-inch chassis and a polymer-based energy recovery core with no moving parts for easy maintenance and long-lasting comfort.
www.ruskin.com

Light Commercial Equipment

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

LG Electronics USA

LG Multi VTM S 5-ton Heat Recovery Unit

LG won the Gold award for its Multi VTM S 5-ton heat recovery unit, a compact outdoor unit that provides zone control for up to 12 indoor units and 984 feet of total piping. The Multi V S has a compact design (the chassis occupies less than 3½ square feet), requires single-phase power, and as a heat recovery system, the Multi V S can deliver simultaneous heating and cooling within the same system, increasing energy efficiency by redistributing rejected heat to areas that need it.
www.lghvac.com

Silver

Goodway Technologies

GDS-100 Industrial Descaling System

The GDS-100 Indistrual Descaling System won the Silver award in the Light Commercial Equipment category. With a 50-gallon horizontal vented tank, this portable clean-in-place pump system removes limescale, calcium and mineral deposits, rust, and other contaminations from HVAC and process manufacturing equipment.
www.goodway.com

Bronze

Aaon

V3 Series 96% High Efficiency Gas Heater Air Handling Unit

Aaon’s V3 Series 96% High Efficiency Gas Heater Air Handling Units earned the Bronze award. The units are available from 450 to 4,400 cfm, and are constructed with double-wall rigid polyurethane foam panels for durability during installation and servicing.
www.aaon.com

Commercial Controls

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Lennox Industries Inc

ComfortSense 7500 Commercial

The CS7500 helps send alarm notifications to the electromechanical units to reveal an issue that might previously have gone unnoticed. The FDD feature is designed to immediately advise users of an issue with their system and that the unit requires service. The CS7500 has a dedicated input for economizer fault detection, which helps technicians identify that the economizer is not operating correctly and allows them to take action quickly.
www.lennox.com

Silver

KE2Therm Solutions

KE2 Evap-RE2 Contactor Panel

The KE2 Evap-RE2 Contactor Panel by KE2 Therm Solutions replaces the thermostat, defrost time clock, defrost termination device, fan/heater contactors for the evaporator, and fan delay mechanism on walk-in coolers and freezers, and also serves as an electronic expansion valve controller, electronic evaporator pressure regulator controller, fan/heater amperage monitor, data logger, and communications platform — all in one package. And that’s why it took home the Silver award this year.
http://ke2therm.com

Bronze

Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions

ProAct™ Connect+

Connect+, designed for multi-site management, assists supermarket and convenience store operators with continuously monitoring and controlling HVACR systems to help them meet financial, regulatory, and brand management objectives. It’s an evolution of an Emerson platform called Site Manager, which has been around for more than 10 years. The upgrade included making the interface more user-friendly — “democratization of software,” so more people can use it, Chapek said — as well as making it work two and a half to three times faster, and adding the security and cloud-based capabilities of a modern offering.
www.emerson.com/en-us

Residential Equipment

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Goodman Mgf. Co.

AlumaFin7

Today’s growing trend of high-density single- and multifamily homes often means cramped spaces for HVAC systems. Energy efficiency in a compact size and corrosion-resistant package helped Goodman Mfg. Co. take home the Gold award for the AlumaFin7 evaporator coil in the Residential HVAC category of this year’s Dealer Design Awards.
www.goodmanmfg.com

Silver

Rheem Manufacturing

Rheem® Ultra Low NOx Gas Furnace

Taking Silver in the HVAC Residential Equipment category was the Rheem® Ultra Low NOx Gas Furnace. Research began in 2009, and it was of the longest-running projects Rheem has ever taken on, according to Ryan Teschner, product manager.
www.rheem.com

Bronze

Lennox Industries

Lennox CBA38MV Multi-position, Variable Speed Air Handler

Lennox took Bronze for its CBA38MV multi-position, variable speed air handler. “Our air handler that we already had [was] the quietest, most efficient air handler in the market,” said Brandon Chase, senior product marketing manager for cooling products. “We’ve kept that claim, and we added to it by providing an aluminum coil, which we call Quantum Coil; it’s a proprietary aluminum coil solution that we’ve tested for years.”
www.lennox.com

High Efficiency Residential Equipment

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

WaterFurnace

5 Series 504W11 Hydronic Geothermal Heat Pump with OptiHeat Technology

WaterFurnace struck Gold with its 5 Series 504W11 Single-Stage Hydronic Geothermal Heat Pump with OptiHeat Technology, which is designed for use in high-temperature water-to-water applications. This heat pump features OptiHeat vapor injection technology, which allows it to deliver up to 150°F leaving hot water, making it an ideal solution for baseboard or cast-iron radiation heating.
www.waterfurnace.com

Silver

Rheem

Prestige® Series EcoNet-Enabled Variable-Speed Heat Pump

Winning Silver is Rheem’s Prestige® Series EcoNet® Enabled Variable-Speed Heat Pump, which is a product redesign that includes many added features and benefits. This redesign took 14 months and came about through a combination of contractor demand and company innovation.
www.rheem.com

Bronze

Enertech Global

Guide Series GeoComfort Variable-Speed Water-to-Water

Claiming Bronze is Enertech Global for its Guide Series GeoComfort Variable-Speed Water-to-Water Geothermal Heat Pump, which was two and a half years in the making.
enertechusa.com

Residential Controls

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Rheem

EcoNet^® Smart Thermostat

Gold-winning Rheem Mfg. Co. spent three years researching and developing its next-generation EcoNet® Smart Thermostat, which builds off the company’s extensive work in sensor technology that began in 2012. “Unique to the category, it is the only thermostat smart enough to optimize the performance of a home’s HVAC and water heating appliances,” said Carson Burrus, controls product manager at Rheem.
www.rheem.com

Silver

Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions

50X57 Universal Single-Stage Furnace Control for ECMx Blower Motors

Emerson won Silver for its 50X57 Universal Single-Stage Furnace Control for ECMx Blower Motors, which provides control of the gas valve, flame-sensing circuit, and the furnace blower in both air conditioning and heating modes. The universal control, which was in development for a year, is a response to the furnace fan efficiency ruling (FER), which prohibits permanent-split capacitor (PSC) blower motors in new furnaces beginning July 2019.
www.emerson.com/en-us

Bronze

Goodman Mfg. Co

ComfortBridge™ Technology With CoolCloud™ App

Taking Bronze is Goodman Mfg.’s ComfortBridge™ Technology With CoolCloud™ app, which spent almost four years in the making. This solution moves the control board from the thermostat and places it securely in the gas furnace or air handler, allowing for the use of any 24-V single-stage thermostat to work with Goodman and Amana brand high-efficiency systems.
www.goodmanmfg.com

Components & Accessories

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Emerson Professional Tools

Ridgid Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit

The Ridgid Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit received the Gold award in the Components and Accessories category for this year’s Dealer Design Awards. The kit makes ¾-inch branch connections on black steel pipe without a flame, eliminating the need to schedule a fire watch. It is designed for adding gauges or ¾-inch pipe in chilled water, compressed air, industrial gas, and low-pressure steam applications.
www.ridgid.com/

Silver

Danfoss

Danfoss Connecto Power Connection Kits

The Danfoss Connecto Power Connection Kits take the Silver due to their ability to enable simple, reliable, and safe installation of electric heating cables. They are designed to be used with Danfoss’ RX-C roof and gutter de-icing cables, as well as the PX pipe freeze protection cables.
www.danfoss.com/

Bronze

RectorSeal LLC

TripleGuard Smart

First up is the TripleGuard Smart — a cloud-based leak monitoring, detection, and prevention system that guards against property-damaging infrastructure water-source leaks in residential and commercial real estate. Should a leak occur in a residential or commercial location equipped with TripleGuard Smart, the program will identify the leak and proactively stop water flow to the area in order to prevent water damage. Users can access their water control remotely or on-site through their smartphones or a computer, relying on the real-time data that the mobile application and website provide.
www.rectorseal.com

Bronze

Marketair

EasyCollar

And last but not least is the Easycollar by Marketair, which is a prefabricated collar designed to improve the appearance of ductless cassette air handlers in shallow ceilings. Cassette air handlers typically protrude from ceilings shallower than 18 inches, so the EasyCollar masks those jutting cassettes with a prefabricated fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) sleeve to change the previously unaesthetic appearance to a highly professional one.
www.marketair.com/

Electronic & Hand Tools

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Navac Inc.

Cordless Vacuum Pump

The victor in the fight for this year’s Electronic and Hand Tools title had, as it turns out, already made an impression on someone in the HVAC media before the judges were done. Gary McCreadie of “The HVAC Know It All” podcast weighed in about the Navac NP2DLM Cordless Vacuum Pump after it emerged as the category’s Gold medal winner.
navacglobal.com

Silver

Emerson

Ridgid Press Booster

“A revolutionary press tool” is how the award application for Emerson’s Ridgid Press Booster describes the product, and the judges shared the high regard for it, as it took the Silver. Made to use with Viega^® MegaPress^® XL Jaws and Rings, it is designed to let contractors make fast, flameless connections in under 25 seconds when working with steel pipe systems from 2½ to 4 inches.
www.ridgid.com

Bronze

JB Industries

Spark-Proof Dual Voltage Platinum Vacuum Pump

JB Industries earned the Bronze award this year, thanks to its Spark-Proof Dual Voltage Platinum Vacuum Pump. A voltage selector switch (115 V/230 V) and removable, interchangeable power cords provide flexibility for technicians, who can also use the unit with flammable A2L refrigerant gases, such as R-32 and 1234yf. In the event that flammable refrigerant gases are present, the pump design will prevent sparking and/or ignition.
www.jbind.com

Testing & Monitoring

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Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Amprobe

IRC-120 Thermal Camera

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a camera that can identify hot spots, leaks, and other equipment issues before they become major problems should be worth significantly more than that. The Amprobe IRC-120 thermal camera aims to live up to that assignment and takes one of three Gold medals in this year’s Testing & Monitoring Equipment category. The handheld camera provides point-and-shoot functionality and rugged design where technicians need quick and accurate identification of a variety of issues.
www.amprobe.com

Gold

Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions

Sensi Predict™

Using a full complement of ten Wi-Fi-enabled smart sensors, the Sensi Predict® from Emerson earned its own Gold medal this year. The Sensi Predict works to keep contractors and homeowners fully informed and up to date on a system’s performance through analysis that can extend overall system life.
climate.emerson.com/en-us

Gold

Testo North America

testo 400

Rounding out this category’s trio of Gold medal winners, the testo 400 from Testo North America uses smart-touch technology to provide airflow, IAQ, and comfort measurement. The universal instrument made a strong first impression with Fausto Sepulveda, supervisor for the sales department and field supervisor at Reliable Energy, Paramount, California.
www.testo.com/en-US/

Contractor Services & Software

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Gold

Bacharach Inc.

Parasense Refrigerant Management Software

Beyond installation and commissioning, managing equipment is increasingly important to the HVAC industry. Part of this growing trend is thanks to the Contractor Services and Software Gold winner, Parasense Refrigerant Management Software. The new system from Bacharach Inc. offers refrigerant tracking and management tools to reduce operating costs and ensure legislation compliance. The product offers a wide range of features, including a refrigerant review dashboard for enterprise management, automatically applied leak rate calculations, a compliance calendar for task scheduling, and a full regulation workflow system that distills regulations into clear processes, procedures, and tasks. Building on 30 years of product development, this software is accessible from a desktop, laptop, or phone — direct from the cloud.
www.mybacharach.com

Silver

Dwyer Instruments Inc.

Hydronic Application Software (Hydronic App)

Doing the job of three traditional meters in one, the Hydronic Application Software (Hydronic App) from Dwyer Instruments Inc. won the Silver award. Used in conjunction with the Hydronic Balancing Kit, Series 490W, this app allows users to measure the differential pressure and flow across the selected valve. It also allows technicians to read and calculate the flow directly, eliminating the need for flow chart or slide wheel calculations. With this product, the technician is only required to pick the circuit setter from the list; the app applies the formula and displays the flow automatically.
www.dwyer-inst.com

Bronze

Data-Basics Inc.

DBAnalytics™ Business Intelligence Web Portal

This year’s Bronze winner — DBAnalytics Business Intelligence Web Portal — offers companies the ability to visualize performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, diagnose inefficiencies, and make informed, data-driven decisions. Created by Data-Basics Inc., advanced analytics users can create an unlimited number of customized key performance indicators, and administrators can customize dashboards and user-specific security access for any number of unique employees across the organization. As a component of the SAMPro Enterprise ERP system, the product has the power to securely access all interdependent business data collected and stored in the ERP database. Without data silos, it can accommodate multi-company data, single or multiple business locations, or nationwide organizations on a macro level. As a web portal, users can securely access their customized dashboards remotely from any internet-enabled device.
www.databasics.com

Indoor Air Quality

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Product

Gold

Fresh-Aire UV

Mini UV LED - LED Disinfection System

Back in 2014, when Fresh-Aire UV began the research that would lead to the Mini UV LED - LED Disinfection System, LED technologies for conventional lighting and manufacturing applications were improving rapidly. But LEDs for disinfection? Not so fast, said Aaron Engel, vice president – business development at Fresh-Aire UV.
www.freshaireuv.com

Silver

RGF Environmental Group Inc.

Element Air Tower Air Purification System

In grow facilities, bacteria and mold can continuously breed within the environment and on plants. That’s why RGF Environmental Group Inc. won a Silver award for the Element Air Tower Air Purification System, which uses photohydroionization® (PHI) technology to reduce airborne microbes and odors by 99 percent.
www.rgf.com

Bronze

Aprilaire

MERV 16 & MERV 13 with Carbon Replacement Filters

Aprilaire took Bronze for its MERV 16 Replacement Filter and MERV 13 with Carbon Replacement Filter, which fit into currently installed Aprilaire air cleaners. As homeowners become more knowledgeable and interested in IAQ, largely driven by smart devices and apps, having an interchangeable part allows contractors to solve specific customer air cleaning requirements on a regular service or maintenance call, said Chris Chase, senior product manager for air cleaners, Aprilaire.
www.aprilaire.com

Ventilation Products

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Gold

Greenheck

Vari-Green^® Drive Model 100+ with Companion App

Greenheck won Gold for its Vari-Green Drive^® Model 100+ with companion app, which was in development for more than two years. The factory-mounted, wired, and programmed variable-frequency drive was specifically designed to bring demand-controlled operation to larger fans and motors. The companion app allows a user to take advantage of the advanced features and functions such as input/output terminal configuration, startup reporting, and troubleshooting help, all without the need of an onboard keypad or screen.
www.deltabreez.com

Silver

Delta Electronics

BreezSignature SIG80-110ELED Bathroom Fan

Delta Electronics earned Silver for its BreezSignature SIG80-110ELED bathroom fan. Starting in 2015, Delta worked with different contractors to gather input for a new feature: a dimmable edge-lit LED light on the Delta Breez Signature bathroom fan series. After the successful debut of its fan with a dimmable edge-lit LED light, many home improvement stores and customers reached out with positive feedback, but they also wanted an adjustable color temperature feature to complement the style of modern bathrooms.
www.deltabreez.com

Bronze

Aaon

H3 Series Energy Recovery Wheel Air Handling Unit

Aaon took Bronze for its H3 Series energy recovery air handler, which was in development for about a year. The company has been working on implementing energy recovery wheels in all its products for more than 20 years, and the H3 Series completes the availability in the full Aaon air handling unit product line. This proven technology balances indoor air quality and energy savings, helping to satisfy both ASHRAE 62 and ASHRAE 90.1 standards.
www.aaon.com

Miscellaneous

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Gold

Heat Transfer Products Group

EcoNet^® Enabled Unit Coolers with EcoNet Command Center

Miscellaneous might refer to products that can be more difficult to categorize, but it isn’t hard to identify what this year’s Gold winner does for customers and technicians. The EcoNet® Enabled Unit Coolers from Heat Transfer Products Group are intelligent, electronically operated evaporators for walk-in coolers and freezers, designed for both energy efficiency and easier installation.
www.htpg.com

Silver

Fluke Corp.

Fluke Pack30 Professional Tool Backpack

How many pockets are too many pockets? With the silver-medalist Fluke Pack30 Professional Tool Backpack, the manufacturer bets that for the mobile technician, “too many” is more than 30. Fluke used a combination of on-site visits, “shadow” research, phone calls, and online polling to develop this winner’s mix of features.
www.fluke.com

Bronze

JB Solutions

Humidicycle

Developed by technicians in the industry, the Humidicycle from JB Solutions picks up a Bronze award in this year’s contest. These techs saw a need and an opportunity for recycling the massive amounts of water wasted by flow-through humidifiers on residential HVAC systems. The system intercepts the waste water leaving the humidifier, sends it to the 3-gallon mounted storage tank, and pumps it back into the humidifier tray for reuse.
https://www.j-b.solutions/

Bronze

RectorSeal LLC

Rooftop Pipe Support

Completing this year’s tie for bronze in the Miscellaneous category is the Rooftop Pipe Support from RectorSeal. A lightweight, nonpenetrating support, the company designed it for applications such as pipes, conduits, ducting, condensate and refrigerant lines, and even solar installations on flat commercial roofs.
www.rectorseal.com

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