Taco’s hot water recirculation control is 2017 AHR Expo Innovation Award Product of the Year
February 8, 2017 | By HPAC Magazine
Taco, Inc.’s SmartPlug instant hot water control has won the 2017 AHR Expo Innovation Award Product of the Year. The product, which also secured a win in the Innovation Awards’ plumbing category, can be installed in existing domestic hot water recirculation pump systems to manage on-demand hot water delivery.
“Winning an AHR Expo Innovation Award is a great achievement,” said Wil VandeWiel, president and CEO of Taco, Inc. “The winning products in all the categories will define the markets in the next decade, where innovation, sustainability and energy management will be key drivers.”
“The AHR Expo Innovation Awards competition is a chance to publicly acknowledge the hard work companies contribute toward the future of the industry,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company, the Show’s producer. “We congratulate Taco for being recognized as 2017’s Product of the Year, and extend further congratulations to all 10 winners for displaying exceptional utility, ingenuity and efficiency in their respective product categories. We look forward to seeing what’s next, as AHR Expo’s exhibitors continue to innovate through the coming year.”
Taco’s 115-volt SmartPlug instant hot water control features technology to learn and record a homeowner’s hot water usage pattern, and employ the resulting data to operate a home’s hot water recirculation pump precisely when hot water is typically required. While hot water recirculation pumps typically run continuously or are controlled with an aquastat or timer, SmartPlug provides fully automatic and self-adjusting pump operation. Usage patterns are monitored and recorded on a daily and weekly basis, with the SmartPlug system regularly refreshing data and adjusting any changes to hot water usage patterns. The result is an increase in water heater operational efficiency.
All 2017 AHR Expo Innovation Award winners were selected by a panel of third-party ASHRAE member judges who evaluated each entry based on innovative design, creativity, application, value and market impact.
2017 AHR Expo Innovation Award winners
Category: Building Automation
Company/product: Danfoss (www.danfoss.us)/Enterprise Services
Category: Cooling
Company/product: Daikin Applied (www.daikinapplied.com)/Pathfinder air-cooled screw chiller with Variable Volume Ratio (VVR) technology
Category: Green Building
Company/product: Carrier (carrier.com/commercial)/Dual Stage Relief Economizer (DSRE)
Category: Heating
Company/product: Noritz America (www.noritz.com)/CB combi boiler
Category: Indoor Air Quality
Company/product: Condair, formerly Nortec Humidity, (www.condair.com)/GS Series – CS Model (Nortec GS CS) humidifier
Category: Plumbing
Company/product: Taco, Inc. (www.tacocomfort.com) SmartPlug instant hot water control
Category: Refrigeration
Company/product: Danfoss (www.danfoss.us)/CTM (electrically controlled transcritical multi ejector)
Category: Software
Company/product: Nidec Motor Corporation/U.S. MOTORS (www.usmotors.com)/Rescue Select programming app
Category: Tools & Instruments
Company/product: PEXOLOGY, Inc. (www.pexgun.com)/PEXGUN
Category: Ventilation
Company/product: Titus (www.titus-hvac.com)/Helios Digital Diffuser
All AHR Expo exhibitors are eligible to submit for the annual Innovation Awards competition. Submission guidelines are sent to exhibiting companies approximately six months preceding each show. Products, systems and technologies submitted must be new (launched following the close of the previous year’s show) and planned for display at the upcoming year’s show. In addition to a nominal entry fee, submitting exhibitors are asked to provide a brief (75-word maximum) description of how their product, system or technology excels in the areas of application, innovation, value and market impact.
For more information on the AHR Expo or the Innovation Awards competition, visit ahrexpo.com.
About AHR Expo
The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), which began more than 85 years ago as a heating and ventilation show, is held annually in key markets and major cities across the U.S., hosting close to 2,000 exhibitors and bringing in 60,000 industry professionals. The Show provides a unique forum for the HVAC/R community to come together and share new products, technologies, and ideas. The event is co-sponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI, and is held concurrently with ASHRAE’s Winter Conference.
