The 2020 Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration (AHR) Expo will be hosted from February 3 to 5 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This year marks 90 years since the inaugural show in 1930 first brought together HVACR professionals from all over the industry and around the world.

Exhibitors at this year’s Expo will display a dizzying array of new solutions designed to benefit every sector of the HVACR industry, from high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment to complex controls and building management systems. Attendees will be able to explore products for residential, commercial, and institutional market segments, including time-saving tools and other innovations designed to improve efficiency and accuracy in the field.

“This is the event for HVACR professionals to meet together under one roof for networking, exchanging ideas, and to preview what’s ahead in the industry,” said Mark Stevens, AHR Expo show manager. “Professionals from all areas of HVACR have an exclusive opportunity to gain real insight into what’s coming in the next year and what’s being planned for the future of the industry. HVACR is at the center of big change on a global scale and is a topic of discussion in many external industries as well — it’s an exciting time for the industry, and the show floor is a great place to experience the inspiration.”

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

The show floor is also a great place for exhibitors and contractors to meet and discuss industry issues, as well as to create new relationships and deepen existing ones. One of the new faces on the show floor will be Julia Schroeder, director of communications at Daikin Applied in Plymouth, Minnesota.

This will be her first year attending the AHR Expo, and she can’t wait.

“I’m so excited to go,” she said. “Since the day I started at Daikin Applied, I have heard about the AHR Expo. Our company has been exhibiting for more than 30 years, because the AHR Expo is the best way to showcase our latest products as well as see what everyone is doing and connect with our favorite industry leaders. We are especially excited this year to engage in the conversation about R-32, as our choice for R-410A replacement as the U.S. transitions to low-GWP refrigerants.”

The new equipment that Daikin Applied will be highlighting in booth #3301 includes:

• WMT Magnitude®: The first two-stage magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller to use R1233zd;
• WLP Aptitude™: A low-pressure oiled centrifugal chiller that was designed from the ground up for next generation refrigerants; and
• Rebel Applied®: An applied rooftop reimagined with tomorrow’s cabinet and refrigeration technologies.

“We will also be offering a product presentation, titled ‘Rise Above with the Next Generation of Rooftop Technology,’ on Monday, February 3 at 1:45 p.m. in Theater A (room W230AB) with our product manager, Matt Dodds,” said Schroeder.

For Danfoss, the AHR Expo provides a great opportunity to meet and network with industry stakeholders in order to discuss industry issues, trends, and new technologies, noted Lisa Tryson, director of corporate communications at Danfoss in Baltimore.

“The AHR Expo provides a valuable platform for us to interface with our customers and partners, many of which also have significant footprints in North America, as well as both the regional and global markets directly,” she said. “The Expo is a great opportunity to build these vital relationships and showcase the tremendous innovation the HVACR industry is contributing to our transformative built environment.”

Danfoss had four of its new products recognized by the AHR Expo Innovation Awards program, and they will be featured in booth #1501:

• The Interlaced Micro Channel Heat Exchanger (iMCHE) integrates multiple circuits into a single coil with shared air heat transfer area, controlling each one independently by a multi-circuit system. The compact, all-aluminum design uses whole air-side heat transfer area when operating under partial-load conditions to improve system efficiency by more than 20 percent.
• The Danfoss Turbocor® TG490 compressor, designed for air- or water-cooled chillers, is an oil-free, variable-speed, magnetic bearing centrifugal compressor qualified for the use of R-515B, which has an AR5 GWP of 299 and an ASHRAE A1 safety classification.
• The CO₂ Adaptive Liquid Management (CALM) solution combines Danfoss’s liquid ejector and adaptive liquid case controller algorithm to fully utilize the evaporator surface in display cases and cold rooms — providing, without equipment change, up to 10 percent greater energy efficiency on top of energy savings already inherent in CO₂ refrigeration.
• The Danfoss VLT® condition-based monitoring is a new licensed software function for the Danfoss VLT Drives platform that allows users to utilize a drive as a smart sensor to monitor the condition of a motor and application, detect early issues, and find solutions before an impact occurs on the process.

Nortek has been exhibiting at the AHR Expo for 43 years, and the company’s senior director of marketing, Barb Cox, said the event is a great opportunity to network and see what other manufacturers are introducing to the market, as well as meet with customers to talk about all things past, present, and future.

“It’s also beneficial in letting the industry know what our company is doing to achieve our goal of ‘Creating a Better Tomorrow Every Day’ through our commitment to the triple bottom line,” she said. “We continue to innovate to provide the market with sustainable HVAC solutions, and showcasing our products at the AHR Expo is a great way to let the market know who Nortek is and what we have to offer our customers to help them achieve their sustainability goals.”

This year, in booth #3231, Nortek will be showcasing a brand-new digital tool that will allow customers and other HVAC professionals to view the entire Nortek product line — everything from their residential equipment to their largest custom commercial air handlers and data center cooling systems.

“Additionally, we’ll be showcasing two products that will be coming to market in 2020 — new industry-leading Fanwall® technology and an all-new computer room air handler (CRAH), which will complete our line of data center products,” said Cox. “We serve the entire data center market all the way up to the largest hyperscale facilities, through our newly deployed sustainability solution, called StatePoint.”

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to checking out the latest products offered by exhibitors, attendees will have the opportunity to attend numerous seminars at the AHR Expo. The comprehensive educational program this year will feature 76 free sessions led by industry experts working with leading organizations. Each session will range from one to two hours and will aim to deliver solutions to some of the HVACR industry’s most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities.

“The education program adds a unique element of learning to the AHR Expo, with the opportunity to hear directly from leaders within the HVACR industry about the latest trends, applications, and practices,” said Stevens. “The development of our session schedule is ongoing, and we take careful consideration of discussions happening across the industry to identify pain points, opportunities, trends, etc., where we might offer support and solutions through dedicated sessions.”

Highlights of this year’s free seminar session agenda include:

General industry focus

• “Global Trends in the HVACR Market,” presented by BSRIA Ltd;
• “HVAC as a Service - How Soon is Now?” presented by BACnet International; and
• “Private Equity 101: What HVACR Founders Need to Know,” presented by Women in HVACR.

Engineering focus

• “Fundamentals of Test, Adjust, and Balance for Engineers, Contractors, and Energy Providers,” presented by Associated Air Balance Council (AABC);
• “Building for a Climate Emergency,” presented by AutomatedBuildings.com; and

• “Key Factors for a Successful Snowmelt Design,” presented by Radiant Professionals Alliance (RPA).

Contractor focus

• “HVAC Retrofit Paradigm Shift: First, Attack Distribution System; Second, Replace Equipment,” presented by National Comfort Institute (NCI);
• “Fundamentals of Working with Flammable Refrigerants,” presented by the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR); and
• “Regulatory Update: The Latest Rulemaking on Refrigerants and Upcoming Efficiency Standards,” presented by Women in HVACR.

In addition to free seminars and paid certification classes, attendees can sit in on brief exhibitor presentations in the New Product and Technology Theater. There are over 100 presentations scheduled, each lasting approximately 20 minutes, that aim to give attendees an overview of new product announcements and technologies that they will see in exhibitor booths on the show floor. These sessions take place in special theaters right on the exhibit floor. There is no fee or registration required to attend the presentations.

A complete list of 2020 AHR Expo educational opportunities can be found at ahrexpo.com/education.

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