This year's International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), to be held Jan. 23-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will feature the presentation of the Innovation Awards for new products on display at the show.

Designed to promote and encourage product innovation by recognizing exceptional achievements in the HVAC&R industries, winners will be presented with awards at a special ceremony during the show.

The most innovative product submissions from among the thousands on display at the AHR Expo were selected as winners in nine specific categories: Building Automation, Cooling, Heating, Indoor Air Quality, Refrigeration, Software, Tools & Instruments, Ventilation, and the newest category, Green Building (Greenovation). The 2006 winners in the heating category included Gasmaster Industries, Inc., for its GMI 8M tankless boiler/water heater. In addition, the following companies received honorable mentions: in Building Automation, Danfoss Graham, Division of Danfoss, Inc., for its VLT® HVAC drive adjustable frequency drive, and Distech Controls, for its VAV Controllers with Wireless Communication; and for heating, Bell & Gossett for its Check-Trol® valve; Cleaver-Brooks, for its UCB Boiler; Robur Corp., for its GAHP-AR; and York Unitary Products Group, for its York® Affinity™ Modulating Gas Furnace.

The Innovation Awards program will also provide vocational school scholarships for HVAC&R students. Proceeds from the entry fee will go to an HVAC&R scholarship fund in the Chicagoland area.

The awards are jointly sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI); and International Exposition Company (IEC), producers and organizers of the AHR Expo. For more information on the awards or the Expo, visit www.ahrexpo.com.