Product News

Airzone’s Inverter/VRF zoning solution reduces AHU demands, supporting ASHRAE 15 Compliance.

Airzone Control, provider of HVAC solutions for zoning, automation, and smart control, will showcase their expanded Easyzone product line at AHR Expo, the essential event for HVACR industry professionals. This all-in-one zoning solution for concealed Inverter/VRF HVAC units is now compatible with the top seven leading manufacturers in the North American market, including Samsung, Daikin, Mitsubishi, LG, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and Hitachi.

Zoning is a powerful tool for engineers, contractors and owners in delivering decarbonization benefits to building designers, contractors and owners, while offering practical solutions that can help mitigate ASHRAE 15. Easyzone is Airzone’s uniquely effective plug-and-play zoning solution. There are compatible Easyzone prewired kits for all of the industry’s top providers, covering 90 percent of the North American market.

Easyzone by Airzone eliminates the need for bypass dampers, resulting in optimal energy savings. At AHR, the Airzone team will be showcasing projects from across the US and Europe that will demonstrate the efficiency results and ease of application and installation.

Leveraging Easyzone for ASHRAE 15 Compliance

The HVAC industry will navigate a complex minefield of efficiency incentives and regulatory changes over the next three years; zoning solutions will be essential to the industry’s future. The EPA has mandated a transition away from R-410A refrigerants to R-32. These newer, more climate-friendly refrigerants are far more volatile: To ensure system safety, ASHRAE Standard 15 will limit the amount of R-32 refrigerant each system may use. This leaves HVACR professionals with a paradox: how can they provide the same level of comfort from less powerful systems?

Easyzone is this answer. This solution allows HVAC engineers to use fewer and/or less powerful air handling units (AHUs) than an un-zoned solution. In addition, Airzone’s unique control board precisely adjusts the airflow and unit capacity, resulting in energy consumption savings of up to 30%.

Airzone leaders Borja Ferndandez and Victoria Garcia Massimo will offer additional guidance on navigating forthcoming regulations at the AHR session The No By-Pass Zoning Solution That Can Help Mitigate ASHRAE 15, scheduled for January 22, 2024 at 4:15 PM CT in Theater D. The presentation is free and open to all AHR attendees. This session will educate the design and construction community on simple, cost-effective zoning strategies for their next commercial or large residential project.

“The growth of Easyzone solutions comes at a pivotal moment,” says Antonio Mediato, CEO of Airzone. “As a global leader in innovative HVAC control systems with a headquarters in Spain, Airzone has already weathered the transition to R-32 refrigerant. Easyzone already enables engineers across Europe to deliver both superior comfort and compliant system designs. This is a proven solution North American engineers can rely on to effectively reduce the number of AHUs per project, supporting AHRAE Standard 15 compliance.”

Flexibility for Any Application

Easyzone offers the efficiency HVAC engineers will require for future designs – as well as the flexibility to integrate with practically any system. Easyzone is compatible with a broad range of fully programmable wired and wireless thermostats, and integrates with BMS such as BACnet and Modbus and home automation systems including Control4, Crestron, Lutron, ELAN, and Savant.

The full power of Airzone’s portfolio will be on display at AHR Expo 2024. Stop by booth S8659 for additional information, product demonstrations, or to connect directly with Airzone to learn more about how Easyzone can help you deliver efficiency and comfort with ease.

To learn more about Airzone, visit https://www.airzonecontrol.com/na/en/.

Inverter Ducted Split (IDS) Ultra Cold Climate Heat Pump and GreenTronic 7000T Hybrid Electric Water Heater among Bosch’s latest product offerings in 2024

Bosch Home Comfort (formerly Bosch Thermotechnology) is introducing two products for 2024 – the Inverter Ducted Split (IDS) Ultra Cold Climate Heat Pump and GreenTronic 7000 T Hybrid Electric Water Heater – at the 2024 AHR Expo for HVACR industry professionals. Both systems support the industry shift toward electric solutions for home heating, cooling, and hot water.

“Decarbonization is a crucial step toward a healthier planet, and many homeowners are looking for ways to minimize their reliance on finite resources. With the introduction of these new products that we are excited to showcase at AHR 2024, Bosch Home Comfort is continuing to pave the path towards a cleaner energy future. We are driven as a company to continue innovating our technologies and offering solutions for consumers who want to reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing comfort,” says Alexander Wuthnow, president and CEO of the Bosch Home Comfort Group in North America.

Warm Up Efficiently in Frigid Temperatures with Inverter Ducted Split (IDS) Ultra

Bosch’s latest heat pump makes energy-efficient home comfort accessible across almost all climate zones in North America. The IDS Ultra is the first Bosch air-to-air heat pump designed specifically for cold climates—even areas that experience sub-zero temperatures. Powered by Bosch inverter technology, the system can heat at 100 percent heating capacity down to an outdoor temperature of 5° Fahrenheit and will continue to initiate heating even down to -13° Fahrenheit.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that Bosch’s cold climate heat pump meets the requirements to progress from lab to field testing as part of the Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to advance the technology to allow consumers to make the switch to a cleaner energy future with less carbon emissions.

Anticipated to arrive on the market in late 2024, the IDS Ultra will be available in up to 5-ton capacities and eligible for a variety of state rebates and federal tax credits to support homeowners in their transition to electrified systems.

Additional features include:

• Highly efficient: up to 19 SEER2 and up to 10 HSPF2 (Region IV), 8.5 HSPF2 (Region V)
• 24,000 and 55,000 BTU/hr
• System can be set to communicating or non-communicating depending on site and application needs
• Accepts utility demand response events directly
• 10-years Residential Limited Warranty

Blend Efficiency and Comfort with GreenTronic 7000 T Hybrid Electric Water Heater

Bosch’s most efficient water heater to date integrates heat pump technology into an electric storage water heater to meet all hot water needs for the home. The result is the GreenTronic 7000 T–a water heater that boasts 3 to 4 times the efficiency of traditional electric storage water heaters, thereby
lowering running costs. Homeowners could also save up to $2,000 on the cost of their installation thanks to the 25C federal tax credit, with the potential to save more money through local rebates. The unit has four operational modes, is designed to meet Energy Star and NEEA Tier4, and will be offered in 50 and 80 gallon capacities.

Slated to launch in summer 2024, the GreenTronic 7000 T Hybrid Electric Water Heater is an ideal replacement for electric storage units and a great option for new construction as well.

Additional features include:

• Sleek design
• Demand response port: Allows more control for utilities (CTA-2045 port).
• Cools and dehumidifies installation Space
• Side connections for easier installation
• 10-years Residential Limited Warranty

Both the IDS Ultra and GreenTronic 7000 T will be on display at AHR 2024 at Bosch Home Comfort’s booth #S8188. For more information about Bosch Home Comfort’s full suite of product offerings, please visit www.bosch-homecomfort.us.

The latest evolution of the leading U.S. designer and manufacturer’s reliable and efficient NeoTherm line delivers enhanced functionality and easy installation for a variety of applications

Laars® Heating Systems, a leading U.S. designer and manufacturer of boilers, water heaters, and pool heaters used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications, announces the release of the new NeoTherm® XTR commercial boilers and volume water heaters.

The NeoTherm XTR is available as a condensing boiler or volume water heater, with venting up to 150 equivalent feet, has top water and gas piping connections, and can be common-vented, offering increased installation flexibility. NeoTherm XTR units have AHRI certified 96%-plus thermal efficiencies, a reliable low pressure-drop stainless steel heat exchanger, and 10:1 combustion turndown.

“The NeoTherm XTR marks the evolution of our field-proven NeoTherm product line,” said Chuck O’Donnell, director of marketing for Laars Heating Systems. “Listening to feedback from our heating professionals, we kept the features in the NeoTherm they liked and added new features that make the NeoTherm XTR even better — more robust, easier to install, and with enhanced control functionality that better serves a wide variety of installation requirements.”

Each NeoTherm XTR uses the powerful LaarsLinc® icon-driven control system that includes Laars Vari-Prime® pump control. Laars Vari-Prime controls a variable speed boiler pump to maintain a fixed, user-selectable, boiler temperature rise, maximizing total installed efficiency.

The Laars Linc intuitive control system with color touchscreen has an easy to navigate control structure that displays key performance measures, a quick start option, and a USB input for parameter upload. It easily connects to building automation systems via on board BACnet or Modbus protocols and has many other features, including the ability to cascade up to eight units.

NeoTherm XTR boilers and volume water heaters are available in six sizes, from 399 to 1500 MBH for natural gas applications.

For more information about Laars® Heating Systems, visit www.laars.com.

WaterFurnace International introduces the new 7 Series with OptiDry^TM to provide the ideal comfort solution for locations that face high humidity levels. An optional feature for our industry leading 7 Series geothermal heating and cooling system, it includes integrated reheat coil dehumidification technology to provide a best-in-class alternative to whole-house dehumidification systems. It requires no additional equipment, ductwork, electrical circuits, wiring, or dehumidstat – making it easier for dealers to install and more aesthetically pleasing for homeowners.

The 7 Series with OptiDry replicates the capabilities of WaterFurnace equipment that has proven successful in commercial spaces for more than a decade. This patent-pending technology automatically switches between three modes – cooling only, cooling with dehumidification, and dehumidification only – to maintain comfort consistency at peak efficiency as weather and humidity levels change. It removes up to 2 times the amount of moisture compared to standard whole-house dehumidifiers, comes standard with a 10-year parts warranty and 5-year labor allowance for covered repairs, and offers numerous contractor and homeowner benefits through our Symphony Suite of Tools. Being a geothermal heat pump, it provides homeowners with significant monthly electric bill savings and qualifies for the 30% federal energy tax credit (plus possible state and local savings).

For more information about the industry leading 7 Series, click here: https://www.waterfurnace.com/residential/products/geothermal-heat-pumps/700a11