AHR Expo announced the 10 category winners of the 2027 AHR Innovation Awards on October 15, 2026, ahead of the show in Chicago on January 25-27, 2027, with Chemours taking the refrigeration award for its two-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling fluid HFO-1336mzz(E). The competition is co-sponsored by AHR Expo, ASHRAE and AHRI, and one of the category winners will be named Product of the Year at a reception in Chicago.
HFO-1336mzz(E) is a closed-loop, two-phase cooling fluid that removes heat directly at the chip. It targets AI and high-performance computing heat loads that exceed the practical limits of air, water and single-phase liquid cooling. The cooling award went to Thermal Energy HQ for SkyRadiance, which combines a passive radiative cooling film with a patented fluid management system to send heat to the sky via the infrared spectrum.
In heating, Eco-Logical LLC won with the Omni Series split-system heat pump water heater, which moves refrigerant rather than water to the outdoor heat pump, avoiding indoor cooling, noise and condensate. It is available in 120 V and 240 V 50-gallon (approx. 189 l) models and a 240 V 80-gallon (approx. 303 l) model, delivers up to 4.23 UEF and uses low-GWP R513A. SPX Cooling Tech won sustainable solutions with the Marley WaterGard membrane filtration system for cooling tower makeup water, which can cut water withdrawal by up to 59% and wastewater discharge by up to 88%.
Kingspan Insulation LLC took the indoor air quality award for the KoolDuct System, the first rigid phenolic pre-insulated ductwork system with a UL 181 listing, combining thermal insulation, air-leakage control and acoustic performance. The ventilation winner is EffectiV’s BREEZ architectural duct diffuser, which turns exposed ductwork into a diffuser with perforations customised for each room. LumenRadio won building automation with W-BACnet Compact, a wireless BACnet MS/TP cable replacement for retrofits without RS485 wiring, featuring Bluetooth commissioning and auto-baud detection.
The remaining winners are Rebar’s AI MEP Operating System in software, which uses AI agents to read blueprints and generate bills of materials, Belimo U.S.’s FSKN Remote Inspection Module for remote testing of actuated life safety dampers in tools and instruments, and Milwaukee Tool’s M18 Brushless Pipe Threading Oiler in plumbing. Innovation Awards entries are judged by a panel of third-party ASHRAE member judges on design, creativity, application, value and market impact, and entry fees fund the AHR Expo Workforce Development Program for secondary school students in the host region.
