AHR 2023 is a wrap, and the biggest U.S. HVAC show marks the 20th time—minus the COVID year—that I have attended this great event. A huge shoutout to the Stevens family for organizing such a great experience. Also, huge props to Nicole Bush and her press team for helping the trade press throughout the event Read more
AHR
AHR 2023 is a wrap, and the biggest U.S. HVAC show marks the 20th time—minus the COVID year—that I have attended this great event. A huge shoutout to the Stevens family for organizing such a great experience. Also, huge props to Nicole Bush and her press team for helping the trade press throughout the event, and keeping them fed and hydrated.
Now that we’re all back home safely—I hope—we can digest the event and gain a better perspective of what transpired over these past three days. The numbers haven’t been shared yet attendance-wise, but it was a hugely successful event, especially coming through what some call the “COVID years,” where traveling came to a stop—with more people now connecting again.
The MH team, and some old guy.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the manufacturers’ investment in after parties that are always a hit! For the Mechanical Hub crew, for example, it was Taco, Burnham/U.S. Boilers, Rheem, RLS, Franklin Electric, RIDGID and Viega.
From what I heard, over and over again, is that Atlanta just isn’t the most optimum place for a trade show, if I can be perfectly honest. Listen, Atlanta is a wonderful city with plenty to do and many fine places to eat and drink, but the traffic, and the infrastructure to support such a trade show, need to improve. But hey, it was 65 degrees and sunny, and relatively quick flight to the show. So, I suppose it does have its advantages. Where does Atlanta rank for you? Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas. Perhaps it should be noted that the sooner you book accommodations for a show, the more strategically you will be for rides, dinners, walking, etc.
Nevertheless, I can’t tell you how many people sniped about the layout of the show floor—getting from one end of Exhibit Hall C, and its meeting rooms, to the other end of Exhibit Hall B, and its meeting rooms was a hike. My feet, and the 55,000 steps according my trusty Fitbit, were a testament to that.
Also, as I mentioned, 20 years of covering the event, it’s nice to see the changing of the guard with some young talent in attendance, more pointedly—and I know some don’t like to be referred to as this—social influencers. They cover the floor tirelessly to promote the show and new products. In fact, I was lucky enough to attend the social media breakout on the last day. Ten of the brightest influencers graced the stage to talk about their experiences and the importance of social media, and what it means to be an influencer.
HVAC & Social Media: Strengthening the Trade with a Community Mindset—from l to r: Ben Poole @hvactactical, Jamie Christensen @northwest_hvac, Aaron Bond @bond_aaron, Michael Flynn @flynnstone1, Jeff DeMassari @jeffjdemhvac, Jessica Bannister @hvacjess, Rachel Sylvain @hvacrara, Chris Stephens @hvacrvideos, Eric Aune @mechanicalhub, and last but not least, Omar Harris @omartheplumber.
We also were fortunate to share the stage with some of the best podcasters on the planet, as our Make Trades Great Again, hosted by Eric Aune and Andy Mickelson, featured three podcasts during show hours to much fanfare. Guests included representatives from RIDGID, NIBCO, Navien and guest Travis Albaire, T.A.P. Plumbing and Heating. Check them out wherever you stream. Also, the Appetite for Construction podcast, hosted by John Mesenbrink and Tim Ward, featured two podcasts, which featured guests from Bradford White, Rheem, Spirotherm, Lochinvar, and Danny G and Louie the Boiler Man. These recording will be launched within a couple of weeks. In the meantime, check out these podcasts wherever you like to stream stuff, or you can always find them right here on our site.
The Appetite for Construction Podcast with guests Louie Medina @louietheboilerman and Danny Gronendyke @howitbewithdannyg
The Make Trades Great Again Podcast with guests Michael Provenzano, director of pressing and Jim Vild, Atlanta territory manager, RIDGID.
As far as the latest and greatest, you couldn’t get far without seeing the future. Electrification, decarbonization, hydrogen technology are making waves as more heat pumps, electric furnaces, electric boilers, hybrid heat pumps and prefabbed distributed pumping methods are front and center; the latest in thermostats, and a plethora of other products that can talk to each other, and you, with a WiFi signal—from circulators, forced air furnaces to tankless water heaters. New or improved pipe joining methods through press technology, push-to-connect fittings, fusion welding, advances in pipe bending and cutting drew eyes. Listen, if it’s in the HVAC industry, it’s at AHR.
Check out Mechanical Hub websites, social media (@mechanicalhub & @plumbing_perspective on Instagram and TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.) and check out our ever-growing YouTube for products from the show.
Next year’s AHR Expo will take place in Chicago, my back yard, January 21-24 (2024). Again, check back for updates on the show or any other breaking announcements surrounding the event.
Irvine, Calif. — Navien, Inc., located in Irvine, California, continues to receive accolades for innovative and industry-leading products by many associations and institutes, with the latest recognition by the AHR Expo for the 2015 Innovation Award in the plumbing sector. Navien’s high-efficiency premium tankless water heating and combi-boiler products have gained a strong following nationwide Read more
Irvine, Calif. — Navien, Inc., located in Irvine, California, continues to receive accolades for innovative and industry-leading products by many associations and institutes, with the latest recognition by the AHR Expo for the 2015 Innovation Award in the plumbing sector.
Navien’s high-efficiency premium tankless water heating and combi-boiler products have gained a strong following nationwide among homeowners as well as professionals in the energy efficient construction market.
In addition to the newly announced 2015 Innovation Award for the Navien Premium Efficiency – Standard (NPE-S) tankless water heaters, that claim the highest efficiency available, of 0.99EF, Navien won the same award in January, 2013 for the, Navien Premium Efficiency – Advanced (NPE-A) tankless water heaters with its exclusive ComfortFlow® technology, featuring pump and buffer tank included, and an efficiency of 0.97EF. The AHR Expo is the largest show in North America for heating, cooling and plumbing equipment, hosted by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) and AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute).
Navien’s NPE-S series was chosen as one of 2014 Top 50 editors’ picks by Green Builder magazine. The July 2014 issue of Qualified Remodeler magazine ranked Navien’s NPE series as the leading gas condensing tankless water heaters, based on reader interest, in their “Top 100 Products.”
In the commercial market throughout North America, Navien receives credit for its environmentally friendly highly efficient solutions. Navien products are installed in well recognized restaurants, hotels, schools and universities, medical facilities, industrial plants, country clubs and multi-family residences, among others.
Eric Moffroid, Navien’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, explained that “Navien remains committed to developing high-quality, high-efficiency, and high-functioning products and the best customer service support in the industry. It is Navien’s advanced technology and recognized high product quality and customer service that has made the company’s growth possible.”
http://youtu.be/LGpg9JfyGaQ?list=UUy5qVwECeKwWlUhga7bis1w The 2015 AHR Show in Chicago broke attendance numbers and the exhibitors were on their “A” game. Not able to go? This video recap brings the show to life. Stay tuned for more AHR videos in our AHR video series Read more
http://youtu.be/LGpg9JfyGaQ?list=UUy5qVwECeKwWlUhga7bis1w
The 2015 AHR Show in Chicago broke attendance numbers and the exhibitors were on their “A” game. Not able to go? This video recap brings the show to life. Stay tuned for more AHR videos in our AHR video series.
This past week Chicago hosted the AHR Show, and the show was buzzing — great traffic and happy exhibitors is usually a great recipe for success. The numbers are still being measured but when it is all said and done, it could be the biggest show ever. This makes sense because the underlying sentiment moving Read more
This past week Chicago hosted the AHR Show, and the show was buzzing — great traffic and happy exhibitors is usually a great recipe for success. The numbers are still being measured but when it is all said and done, it could be the biggest show ever. This makes sense because the underlying sentiment moving into 2015 is that companies and customers alike are spending a little more money. The economy is growing, and what better stage to see new products and technology, network with industry professionals and get smarter with a multitude of seminars.
Speaking of seminars, the Mechanical Town Hall featuring Mark Eatherton, Bob ‘hot rod’ Rohr, Dave Yates, John Barba, Eric Aune, and moderated by John Mesenbrink, was held to a capacity crowd. The interactive seminar touched upon upselling energy efficiency, pump and water heating efficiency standards, and diversification of one’s business.
If you weren’t able to make the show this year, don’t worry, we got you covered. Here’s some of the things we took away from the show on Day 1:
• Taco presser — Taco CEO John White Jr. addressed the media and conveyed the fact that the company is looking toward future growth through organic, inorganic and global growth. “With Taco, it’s not just about pumps and valves, it’s about a community. We are in the business of making peoples’ lives better. When a customer buys a Taco product, they are buying into someone’s future, as well,” said White.
• Bell & Gossett’s Little Red Schoolhouse goes online — Bell & Gossett (B&G), a Xylem brand, introduces its Online Little Red Schoolhouse — an interactive, self-paced series of free educational courses — debuting at the 2015 AHR Expo. The launch of Bell & Gossett’s Online Little Red Schoolhouse marks the first time the brand’s pump systems training and educational programming will be available to a global audience via the internet. “Part of B&G’s legacy is to deliver the best hydronic system design training in the industry, regardless of product loyalty,” said Mark Handzel, Vice President of Product Regulatory Affairs and Director, HVAC & Commercial Buildings Business Unit Americas. “By adapting our proprietary Little Red Schoolhouse training and deep applications expertise to an online format, we are ensuring our systems solutions approach for HVAC and plumbing applications is accessible to all.”
• ROSCOPE® i2000 inspection cameras — ROTHENBERGER USA now offers the ROSCAN 150 Infrared camera with touchscreen WIFI capability that enables the thermal imager to make easy work of analysis of warm and cold sources. This new camera is the latest addition to the ROSCOPE® line of cameras offered by the world’s leading manufacturer of innovative, technologically advanced pipe tools and pipe machining machines used in the sanitary, heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, gas and environmental technology sectors.
33 SEER Mini Splits with Low Temp Heating — Fujitsu has introduced ductless split systems, offering up to 33 SEER, now the world’s most efficient mini-splits to operate with optimal efficiency at ambient temperatures of -15°F. The new 9,000 (9RLS3H), 12,000 (12RLS3H) and 15,000 BTU (15RLS3H) inverter systems are available with these capabilities right off the shelf with no modifications needed for low ambient operation.
hilmor launches 90 new hand tools — hilmor® announced the introduction of 90 new hand tools at AHR. The additions build on the already robust collection of more than 170 HVAC/R products, and span five core technical categories including Pliers, Wrenches and Wire Strippers, Snips and Sheet Metal and Duct Tools, Screwdriving and Tool Storage and Transport.
“We added 20 products to our line of hand tools in 2014 to strong reviews, creating
even more efficient and effective tools for HVAC/R technicians,” said Rich Mathews,
Senior Vice President, Marketing, hilmor. “Now we are bringing 90 new hand tools to
our customers, underscoring our commitment to becoming the most complete tool
provider to the professional endeavors of the men and women of the HVAC/R industry.”