“Over the years, the visible trends and themes across award winners have shifted, however the innovative spirit has remained constant,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Co., which organizes and manages the expo. “We have seen solutions for markets that were previously inconceivable, and have observed as the annual Innovation Award winners continue to set the pace fast, and the bar high, for evolution across the HVACR industry.  Each year’s competition is no less fascinating than the last in this respect, and we enthusiastically commend those who’ve earned this merit for 2016.”

One of the award-winning products will be picked as Product of the Year. That will be announced during the Jan. 25-27 expo in Orlando, Florida.

The 2016 winners are:

In the building automation category, the Accutrol AVC fume hood control system by Accutrol LLC took first place.  It combines a low-pressure-drop airflow control valve with a “smart” display and interface.

In the ventilation category, Aeroseal LLC’s duct-sealing technology won the award. Aeroseal says its product, which works from the inside of the ventilation shaft, is the first viable alternative to traditional duct-sealing methods.

For the cooling category, Parker Hannifin’s Sporlan division’s ZoomLine flexible tubing won the award. It’s a six-layer, highly flexible product for refrigeration and air-conditioning use. The company’s ZoomLock braze-free pipe connectors won in the tools and instruments category.

The Piranha wastewater heat recover heat pump from International Wastewater Systems Inc. won in the green building category. It is a self-contained unit that extracts thermal energy from wastewater for domestic hot water.

In the heating category, Victaulic’s grooved system for saturated steam piping took top honors. The company says it is the first such system for commercial and industrial use.

Semco LLC’s Ascendant series active desiccant hybrid system for commercial cooling and dehumidification requiring 100 percent outdoor air won in the indoor air quality category. Semco’s Neuton controlled chilled beam pump module also won in the plumbing section.

The HEOS water loop from Carel Industries won the refrigeration award. Made to cool self-contained commercial food refrigeration equipment in grocery stores, it is designed to reduce total refrigerant charge by up to 80 percent, officials say.

In the software category, Plasma Air International’s PlasmaSoft 2.0 IAQ procedure software was the winner. The Web-based program calculates and compares contaminant levels using two major industry-approved methods.