With Halloween and all its spooky thrills officially behind us, we’re stepping into November with plenty to be thankful for. From winterizing pipes to tuning up heating systems, October kept HVAC and plumbing pros busy — and November promises to do the same. But before the cold (and the cold weather calls) officially settle in, let’s take a look back at what kept the trades sizzling.
In our September Round-Up, we covered several industry updates, including the first-ever Refrigerant Detection System (RDS) Calculator, LG Electronics inaugural Global Heat Pump Consortium, and new funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Here’s what kept the industry heating up throughout October.
1. AHR Expo Announces 2025 Innovation Awards Winners
The AHR Expo (International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition) is an annual event for HVAC-R professionals, where contractors can interact with products from more than 1,800 manufacturers. It’s also home to the Innovation Awards, a yearly competition that celebrates the most innovative products and technologies recently brought to the market.
Each year, the Innovation Awards attract hundreds of manufacturers to enter leading-edge designs for newfound solutions or ground-breaking improvements upon existing products and technologies. All entries are reviewed by a panel of third-party judges composed of various ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) members.
Winners are chosen in 10 categories, including cooling, heating, indoor air quality (IAQ), plumbing, refrigeration, ventilation, and sustainable solutions. This October, the 2025 Innovation Awards winners were unveiled, including:
- The Climate Control Group EnviroKIT™, a kitted solution to restore vertical stack fan coil unit performance in just a few hours per room with no demo needed.
- The ERCO, A Watts Water Company AERCO CFR, the first stainless steel condensing boiler that can be installed in a Category I vent for cost and energy savings.
- The Senva Inc. TotalSense Indoor Air Quality Sensor, a highly configurable sensor that can monitor up to 10 elements, including particulate matter (PM).
- Grundfos ALPHA HWR, the first high-efficiency, digitally connected circulator for domestic hot water recirculation system with a best-in-class energy rating.
2. Infinitum Introduces the Next Generation Aircore EC
More than just winners were announced at the AHR Expo in October: Infinitum, the creator of the sustainable air-core motor, introduced the latest iteration of the Aircore EC. The Aircore EC is a high-efficiency motor system designed to sustainably power commercial and industrial HVAC fans, pumps, and data centers with less energy consumption, reduced emissions, and less waste.
The recently upgraded Infinitum Aircore EC motor replaces the copper wound iron stator used in traditional motors with a printed circuit board (PCB) stator that’s 50% smaller and lighter. The refurbished design also uses 66% less copper — which reduces noise and vibration — and allows for stators, rotors, and housing to be reused multiple times to save costs and resources.
3. DOE Launches New Tax Credit Product Lookup Tool
Toward the end of October, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released new resources to help homeowners and contractors understand how to qualify for the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit. These recently-announced resources stem from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which came in part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda.
The primary resource is the Tax Credit Product Lookup Tool, which can help users determine whether new heating, air conditioning, or water-heating equipment may be eligible for federal tax credits. Through the tool, both homeowners and contractors can enter product-specific information to learn if the item meets tax credit eligibility criteria, and then print a report for their records.
There are also new training modules in the DOE Building Science Education Solution Center, which guide contractors and homeowners through home insulation products that can lower utility bills and quality for tax credits. To date, more than 2.3 million families have claimed the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit for an average tax cut of $880 per household.
4. PMI Creates New “Rethink Water” Initiative
At the beginning of October, Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) published a new chapter of its “Rethink Water” initiative titled, “Responsibly Managing Building Plumbing Systems.” The new content was developed to help policymakers better understand how the components of plumbing systems work together to achieve the safe and efficient flow of water, and how changes to one component directly impact the performance of another.
“Responsibly Managing Building Plumbing Systems” focuses on how mandating ultra-low-flow fixtures beyond Environmental Protection Agency-tested (EPA) WaterSense standards could harm plumbing performance and cause unintended system-wide issues. Instead, PMI recommends replacing old, inefficient systems with newer models to save water and money.
In particular, the new PMI initiative recommends:
- Replacing a 7.0 gallons per flush (gpf) toilet to save 42,000 gallons of water per year
- Replacing a 5.0 gpf toilet to save 30,000 gallons of water per year
- Replacing a 3.5 gpf toilet to save 16,000 gallons of water per year
- Replacing a 1.6 gpf toilet to save 2,000 gallons of water per year
5. Colorado Rolls Out Federally-Funded Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program
While the DOE has been hard at work with the nationwide Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, leaders in Colorado have helped introduce the first phase of the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program through the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), both of which are also in part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Colorado’s HEAR program will be overseen by the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) in an effort to make it more affordable for local homeowners to install energy-efficient and cost-saving technology, such as insulation, heat pumps, and electrical panels. In 2025, the HEAR program will begin to offer direct-to-consumer rebates to income-qualified households, including:
- Up to $840 for an ENERGY STAR-certified electric heat pump clothes dryer
- Up to $1,750 for an ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump water heater
- Up to $3,000 for an ENERGY STAR-certified non-cold-climate heat pump HVAC
- Up to $8,000 for an ENERGY STAR-certified cold-climate heat pump HVAC
- Up to $8,000 for an ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump HVAC
Wrapping Up October’s Highlights (and What’s Ahead)
October was a bustling month for HVAC and plumbing pros, and all signs point to an equally busy November. Between new award-winning products and government programs aimed at advancing energy efficiency, there’s no shortage of industry developments to keep on the radar. As new developments emerge, having the right tools can support your operations every step of the way.
That’s where your friends at JB Warranties come into play! We’re not only the North American leader in warranty plans for HVAC and plumbing, we’re also behind business-boosting partnerships that help contractors like you thrive in today’s market. Explore the JB Dealer Services Marketplace today to uncover reliable partners for accounting, marketing, field service management, and more!
Matt Cosby
Director of Marketing
