2024 Dealer Design Awards: HVAC Light Commercial Equipment

The Enlight High Efficiency Dual Fuel Heat Pump from Lennox Commercial was the Gold winner in the HVAC Light Commercial Equipment category this year.

The heat pump line, which debuted last year, is available in sizes from 2 to 20 tons and with ratings of up to 16.1 SEER, 16.5 IEER, and 12.4 EER, the company said. The Enlight heat-pump lineup features two-speed compressors, variable-speed indoor blowers, and outdoor fans with fully modulating electronically commutated motors (ECMs), the company said.

Randy Speights, technical product manager at Lennox Commercial, said the Enlight is made for a broad range of light commercial applications, including schools, warehouses, strip malls, and offices. Independent refrigeration circuits on models with higher tonnages, Speights said, reduce reliance on auxiliary heat during defrost mode, cutting operating costs.

“The dual-fuel option also reduces the need for upsizing electrical services and field wiring when using a heat pump to replace a conventional gas-electric unit,” Speights added.

The Enlight can be equipped with optional wireless sensors for use with the Lennox Core Control System, which employs a mobile service app for use in building automation systems.

“The Core Control System is an intelligent and feature-rich system that directly communicates with and continuously monitors components within the unit to provide diagnostic information from equipment subsystems directly into the service technician’s hands, or remotely via factory standard BACnet communication, for both preventative and responsive maintenance,” Speights said.

Two years went into the development of the current Enlight, he said. The company met with technician focus groups and sought input from national account customers and contractors in the process, Speights said.

“We conducted job-site surveys and shadowed technicians as they installed and commissioned our equipment to see what they spend the most time on and how we could improve the process,” he said.

Enlight heat pumps offer toolless filter access for fast filter changes, an isolated compressor compartment for quick testing and charging, and an accessible heating compartment that reduces the time spent on installation and servicing. The Enlight is field-configurable for either vertical or horizontal air discharge.

“This product provides the industry with a full line of high-efficiency dual-fuel heat pumps that are easy to service, easy to integrate, and fully configurable, reducing the number of field-installed kits and accessories that are required to be installed by the technicians,” Speights added.  “These heat pumps provide sustainable solutions to more of our customers throughout the world.”

Speights said Lennox is continuously working to improve the Enlight.

“Market-winning, cold-climate heat pump technology is at the top of our priority list,” he said.

Designed for efficiency and flexibility, Toshiba Carrier’s VRF u-Series Heat Recovery Systems won Silver honors in Light Commercial Equipment.

The u-Series VRF (variable refrigerant flow) system, launched in April, is a solution for a space with mixed cooling and heating needs, according to information from the manufacturer, such as rooms with big temperature differences due to sun exposure or other outside heat sources. The system also recovers heat that might otherwise be wasted and can transfer it for use by another unit in the building.

“Heat-recovery process boosts energy efficiency and helps in achieving a variety of green building certifications,” said Braden Cook, senior director of product management, training, and service at Carrier.

The VRF u-Series systems are available in what Toshiba Carrier calls Elite Heat models for use in extremely cold climates — down to -30°F, Cook said. The Elite Heat model is available in various capacities, up to 30 tons.

Cook said the VRF u-Series models also:

• Feature near-field communication with a technician’s laptop, allowing him or her to monitor a unit’s operating parameters in real-time.
• Are built for ease of access to internal components, such as the refrigerant piping, heat exchanger, compressor, and inverter.
• Are equipped to store historical operational data and be diagnosed, in case of system failure, using the Link Adapter tool, which can access operational data.

“This product provides for comfortable heating and cooling operation with the highest efficiency utilizing heat recovery technology, inverter control, and individual capacity control,” Cook said.

The company invested five years in the development of the series, Cook said, and used the “voice of the customer” in that process. Carrier plans to continue improving the series with technological updates, he said.

The EnviroKIT, a package of components for vertical fan coil units that enables technicians to replace aging or failed parts without having to change out entire units, won Bronze honors in the Light Commercial Equipment category this year. The EnviroKIT is from Climate Control Group and was brought to market last year.

“The EnviroKIT Energy+ Plus is a collection of the aftermarket parts you would routinely replace,” said Jose Lemus, aftermarket parts manager at Climate Control Group. The parts list for each kit can vary, and can include an electronically commutated (EC) motor, a blower housing, controls, high-efficiency fin coils, a stainless steel drain pan, valves, and closed-cell foam.

The kits are designed for the vertical fan coils commonly used in universities, health-care facilities, and hotels and motels, Lemus said.

The EnviroKIT offers sustainability, Lemus said, as entire fan-coil units don’t need to be replaced, and is cost-effective and minimizes downtime.

“Especially in hospitality, downtime by key/room is a critical factor affecting revenue,” Lemus said. “With the ease of installation of replacement components rather than entire units, EnviroKIT can significantly reduce costly downtime.”

Two years went into the research and design of the EnviroKIT, Lemus said, and Climate Control Group relied on focus groups and customer surveys during its development.

In the future, Lemus said, the company plans to extend the concept to other types of HVAC equipment.