2019 Dealer Design Award Winners

The 2019 Dealer Design Awards are a platform to present the latest and greatest products the HVAC industry has to offer. For the past 16 years, The NEWS has honored HVAC design excellence. The contest was established to honor exemplary manufacturing, design, and implementation. It has consistently delivered on that promise, displaying some of the most innovative and conveniently installed, maintained, and serviced products ever created.

A total of 79 product applications were filed this year, and our panel of contractor judges had a tough task narrowing the field down to gold, silver, and bronze winners across 13 categories.

Below, a quick-reference chart identifies all 2019 Dealer Design Award winners at a glance. Take a look at each category to learn more about the Dealer Design Awards’ class of 2019.

When a company wins a Dealer Design Award, one of the things it receives is a press release template that includes a quote from Mike Murphy, publisher of The NEWS. This year's comment:

"These awards give us a unique opportunity to recognize the outstanding research and development efforts that go into many of the products serving the HVACR industry, and the awards issue gives our readers an opportunity to read about innovative installation and service solutions."

That might sound pretty straightforward, but in reality, the truths in those words run deeper than a typical press release soundbite. The 2019 awards, featuring the best of a pool of 79 entrants, proved no exception.

• 2019 DDA Articles by Category

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One standard question for applicants: How many years of research went into the design of this product?

A surprising number could cite around five years of research. The work on one product started eight years ago.

Of course, there's no point in working on a product for most of a decade if it isn't something that people will want to buy. Companies deployed a wide range of ways to gauge contractor interest — customer visits, in-depth phone surveys, old-fashioned focus groups. The "voice of the customer" is a phrase that came up frequently. Dig into this year's winners, and you should see features big and small that reflect contractor feedback.

That's the connection that makes the DDAs worthwhile each year. And if a manufacturer didn't fully get that message with the question about research in the entry form, they did when we asked the next one.

"Name three specific features that were designed with a technician's daily job in mind."

It's not enough to be super energy-efficient, or to offer some technological breakthrough. These awards look for what will make a technician's job easier day to day through improved use, installation, and serviceability — and what will improve a contractor's relationship with a customer.

The NEWS would especially like to thank its panel of volunteer judges, a group of HVAC contractors representing different regions and business focuses. As chance would have it, they wound up delivering not only a couple of ties for bronze medals, but an exceedingly rare three-way tie for gold in the Testing & Monitoring Products category.

From residential to commercial, from controls to accessories and hand tools, read on to find out which manufacturers won a DDA this year. It's nice that they get to put a plaque in their office, but it's more important that you get to put something better in your trucks.

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Victaulic

QuickVic™ SD Installation-Ready™ System

Silver

Tecumseh Products Co. LLC

Tecumseh ARGUS

Bronze

LG Electronics USA

LG Multi V™ 5 with LGRED°

Bronze

Ruskin Rooftop Systems

enERVent Models MCV500 and MCV1000

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

LG Electronics USA

LG Multi VTM S 5-ton Heat Recovery Unit

Silver

Goodway Technologies

GDS-100 Industrial Descaling System

Bronze

Aaon

V3 Series 96% High Efficiency Gas Heater Air Handling Unit

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Lennox Industries Inc

ComfortSense 7500 Commercial

Silver

KE2Therm Solutions

KE2 Evap-RE2 Contactor Panel

Bronze

Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions

ProAct™ Connect+

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Goodman Mgf. Co.

AlumaFin7

Silver

Rheem Manufacturing

Rheem® Ultra Low NOx Gas Furnace

Bronze

Lennox Industries

Lennox CBA38MV Multi-position, Variable Speed Air Handler

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

WaterFurnace

5 Series 504W11 Hydronic Geothermal Heat Pump with OptiHeat Technology

Silver

Rheem

Prestige® Series EcoNet-Enabled Variable-Speed Heat Pump

Bronze

Enertech Global

Guide Series GeoComfort Variable-Speed Water-to-Water

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Rheem

EcoNet® Smart Thermostat

Silver

Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions

50X57 Universal Single-Stage Furnace Control for ECMx Blower Motors

Bronze

Goodman Mfg. Co

ComfortBridge™ Technology With CoolCloud™ App

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Emerson Professional Tools

Ridgid Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit

Silver

Danfoss

Danfoss Connecto Power Connection Kits

Bronze

RectorSeal LLC

TripleGuard Smart

Bronze

Marketair

EasyCollar

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Navac Inc.

Cordless Vacuum Pump

Silver

Emerson

Ridgid Press Booster

Bronze

JB Industries

Spark-Proof Dual Voltage Platinum Vacuum Pump

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Amprobe

IRC-120 Thermal Camera

Gold

Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions

Sensi Predict™

Gold

Testo North America

testo 400

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Bacharach Inc.

Parasense Refrigerant Management Software

Silver

Dwyer Instruments Inc.

Hydronic Application Software (Hydronic App)

Bronze

Data-Basics Inc.

DBAnalytics™ Business Intelligence Web Portal

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Fresh-Aire UV

Mini UV LED - LED Disinfection System

Silver

RGF Environmental Group Inc.

Element Air Tower Air Purification System

Bronze

Aprilaire

MERV 16 & MERV 13 with Carbon Replacement Filters

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Greenheck

Vari-Green® Drive Model 100+ with Companion App

Silver

Delta Electronics

BreezSignature SIG80-110ELED Bathroom Fan

Bronze

Aaon

H3 Series Energy Recovery Wheel Air Handling Unit

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Award

Manufacturer

Product

Gold

Heat Transfer Products Group

EcoNet® Enabled Unit Coolers with EcoNet Command Center

Silver

Fluke Corp.

Fluke Pack30 Professional Tool Backpack

Bronze

JB Solutions

Humidicycle

Bronze

RectorSeal LLC

Rooftop Pipe Support

• 2019 DDA Articles by Category

• All Years' DDA Articles

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