AHR names Innovation Award winners

USA: Copeland has been named as a winner in both the refrigeration and heating categories in the 2026 AHR Expo Innovation Awards.

The ten industry categories making up the Innovation Awards are chosen annually to represent the most innovative products and technologies at the AHR Expo show, which next takes place in Las Vegas from February 2-4 next year.

Copeland won the heating category for its two-stage, tandem and variable-speed compressors with enhanced vapour injection for commercial heat pumps. It also won the refrigeration category with its transcritical CO2 scroll compressor.

Winners are selected for each category – building automation, cooling, heating, indoor air quality, plumbing, refrigeration, software, sustainable solutions, tools & instruments; and ventilation – by a panel of third-party ASHRAE member judges.

One of the category winners will be selected as the prestigious Product of the Year winner, which is announced during the show.

The winners:

Building Automation
Winner: Honeywell
Innovation: Honeywell Connected Solutions
Honeywell’s Connected Solutions suite empowers building owners and service providers with cloud-based tools for remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy optimisation, and asset lifecycle management.

Cooling
Winner: Daikin Applied Americas Inc.
Innovation: Magnitude WME-C Quad
The Magnitude WME-C Quad is the first dual circuit series counterflow chiller that delivers up to 3,000 tons of capacity using Daikin’s magnetic bearing compressor technology.

Heating
Winner: Copeland
Innovation: Copeland heating-optimised modulating vapour injection portfolio.
The Copeland heating-optimised compressor for commercial heat pumps combine two-stage, tandem and variable-speed compression platforms with enhanced vapour injection (EVI) technologies

Indoor Air Quality
Winner: Sharp Corporation
Innovation: Airest
Airest is a mini-split heat pump with built-in MERV 14 certified filters. It is said to capture over 99.9% of dust before it enters the unit.

Refrigeration
Winner: Copeland
Innovation: Copeland transcritical CO2 scroll compressor with dynamic vapour injection technology.

Software
Winner: Rebar
Innovation: Rebar
Rebar is described as the first AI-powered takeoff platform built for HVAC. It reads construction plans, identifies mechanical pages, marks equipment, and generates accurate takeoffs in minutes.

Sustainable Solutions
Winner: Blue Frontier
Innovation: BF-DOAS
The BF-DOAS (Blue Frontier Dedicated Outdoor Air System) is a sustainable air conditioning system that uses a liquid desiccant instead of traditional refrigerants to dehumidify and ventilate fresh air. The system is designed to improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency by pre-conditioning 100% outdoor air to a desired temperature and humidity level before it enters a building’s main HVAC system.  

Tools & Instruments
Winner: CSG Compressors (Houston & American Hermetics)
Innovation: SAMMi
SAMMi is an AI-powered HVAC monitoring and dispatch system that detects issues before they cause breakdowns. It autonomously alerts and dispatches technicians, saving time, money, and product loss.

Ventilation
Winner: ABB Motors and Drives
Innovation: ACH580 Variable Frequency Drives
The ACH580 drive enables seamless control of up to six EC Titanium motors, optimising energy efficiency, reducing installation complexity, and lowering total cost of ownership.