My first show in America

Last week it was incredibly busy at the AHR show in Chicago. This was my first time in a show in the US, and the truth is that it has been a fantastic experience. Here, in this article, I will share my feedback and thoughts about one of the biggest events related to the heat pump industry all over the world.

Different, but not too much...

In terms of the event, organization, booths, or stands, the truth is that the show is relatively similar to events hosted in Europe, like ISH or MCE in that it is going to be celebrated in less than two months. I don't have the numbers, but my perception is that the number of exhibitors is higher in these European events. What is unreliable is the number of people from different parts of the world, in that sense, it is a real international event and the queues were more similar to the ones in a festival than to an HVAC exhibition.

... the heat pumps are trendy

Two words are very popular in Europe and also in the US, decarbonisation and electrification. We are hearing these two words all the time, and heat pumps are part of the solution to achieve these two goals.

What is different is the heat pump systems that they are promoting. Looking at what was presented by the major manufacturers, it is very different from what we are used to in Europe. In recent years, the trend in Europe is clearly towards air-to-water systems, with R290 heat pumps standing out in the last two years. In the US, apart from being an industry dominated by air-to-air, air-to-water systems also stand out, leaving a very small portion to hydronic systems, water-to-water heat pumps, or air-to-water heat pumps. Many people indeed agreed that this year there was more air-to-water than ever before, so it will be a system that I understand will become more prevalent in the North American industry in the coming years. Air-water will be an option, not the solution, the day before I arrived, it was -30oC in Chicago, we all know that it is not the best for these systems. It is also true that many states do have very favorable conditions for air-to-water pumps to take off and have a promising future in the coming years

.The big issue, Refrigerants!

Another hot topic in Europe is the use of low-GWP refrigerants. Here in the US, if anything, it is a much bigger problem. For two main reasons, firstly they are ahead of schedule in restricting the use of R410A from 2025, the most popular refrigerant in water-to-air, water-to-water, and air-to-water heat pump systems. Secondly, R290 is not allowed as the flammability issue is under scrutiny. Even A2L refrigerants are exposed to much more restrictions than in Europe, so the uncertainty is greater. If we look at what the component and refrigerant manufacturers were showing, two refrigerants are being imposed, R32 and R454B, so this gives us a clue as to where things are going to go from 2025 onwards.

Summary of a fantastic few days

I enjoyed the event very much, I have had many meetings with people from the sector and the truth is that they have all been very positive. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to meet me for their willingness and kindness. On the other hand, it has been a very enriching event, it has allowed me to go deeper into the heat pump industry from another sector, the North American one! There are differences as I mentioned, but many similarities, an industry that wants to grow, that aims to help our planet, and that is full of good people.

So, if you have the chance it is an event that I highly recommend, Orlando, see you next year!