4 Takeaways From The Nation’s Biggest Heat Pump Expo

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In early February I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to the AHR Expo. For those of you who have never heard of it, it’s a ginormous 50,000-person expo focused primarily on space and water heating systems, a Mecca of sorts for a heat pump dork like me.

While there, I stopped by dozens of booths and talked with dozens of manufacturers to see the latest innovations in heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) for both residential and commercial buildings.

Here are four of my top water heater takeaways from a jam-packed two days at the Expo.

There was a solid residential heat pump water heater showing from many, many brands

Residential heat pump water heater manufacturers were out in full force at AHR, I counted a dozen brands who had products on display. GE, Bradford White, LG, Steibel Eltron, Vaughn, Navien, Ariston, Rheem, A. O. Smith, Noritz, Bosch, SanCO2, and Rinnai, all had HPWHs proudly displayed.

I talked with many manufacturers and heard that HPWHs are “the future” and that manufacturers are excited about it. Manufacturers told me again and again that they were highly invested in the technology and that HPWHs meet so many of their goals to help the grid, help lower utility bills, help the environment, and yes, help their bottom line.

While there weren’t a ton of brand new HPWH models on display, many new HPWH manufacturers (GE + Navien) had come to market just last year, and others had made significant product updates (Ariston, Rheem, Bradford White, LG whose updated product is coming out later this year). The two brand new products on display that I noticed were from Nortiz, a tankless water heater manufacturer with a new HPWH, and Navien with a dual fuel, heat pump water heater + gas backup.

Central HPWHs Everywhere!

There was so much innovation in commercial heat pump water heaters on display at AHR that I’m sure I missed a lot. Every boiler manufacturer seems to be coming out with a heat pump, which is fantastic news for the climate. There were different central HPWH configurations, refrigerants, sizes, and form factors on display, highlighting the many product innovations and options for building types and applications. Some of the booths and manufacturers I was able to catch during my two days in Las Vegas were:

• Eco2Systems is launching a larger central HPWH this year.
• Laars E-Therm is launching a smaller 50 kW version of their central HPWH this year as well. They had launched a larger version of this equipment in 2025.
• Transom is launching a small commercial HPWH called the Trent.
• Nyle is launching a new, modular HPWH called the Velo that promises to be able to fit through a doorway and not to need a swing tank.
• Colmac has launched a new HPWH called the CXA 15.
• Daikin Mega Q – Cascading Central HPWH is very recently available in market.

I’m sure I missed some, so please let me know your insights on other brands if you were able to make it to the show.

Air To Water Heat Pumps For Space & Water Heating Are Having A Moment

One technology that seems to be having a moment, due to its large presence at AHR, is air to water heat pumps for space and water heating. Air to water heat pumps or combi space and water heaters are able to heat (and in some instances cool) both a home and its hot water from one heat pump (check out our factsheet on this topic here). There were multiple manufacturers with products on display. Several are already in market and the others had plans to launch very soon. Among those I was able to catch were:

• Spacepak has been in the market with an air to water heat pump for some time with their solstice model.
• Mitsubishi’s Ecodan is coming to market in the US soon.
• Daikin is launching its Altherma 3 very soon.
• Samsung is launching its first entry into the market, the EHS, soon.
• NTI’s new Verta series is coming to market
• Hitachi (Bosch) – AirH20 just came to market last year.

Split HPWHs Are Coming To Market

Finally, split HPWHs were another form factor on display and a topic of conversation at AHR. Split HPWHs are water heaters where the compressor is outside and the water tank is inside. Sometimes the connection between the inside and outside units is a refrigeration line and sometimes it is water (in unitary HPWHs they are all one unit). This might be an important type of technology for homes that don’t have the space or air space for a unitary HPWH and so want to locate the part of the HPWH that produces sound and cool air outside.

Two manufacturers had split HPWHs on display that I saw were:

• Ariston has a small commercial water heater, the Nuos Extra, on display, which is coming soon.
• A.O. Smith’s Voltex X was on display at this AHR and coming to market very soon. This HPWH will be able to be used in both residential and commercial settings and will have water lines between the indoor and outdoor units.

All in all, AHR was a bonanza of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters that showed off a wide variety of form factors, innovations, and product options. As heat pumps continue to make inroads on space and water heating in the US, manufacturers are responding by building lots of great products to meet our country’s need for clean, affordable heat. Can’t wait to go next year!