A number of new categories for 2019 – ‘Chiller of the Year’, ‘Heat Pump of the Year’ and ‘Website of the Year’ – meant that enthusiasm was especially high among the industry.

After guests sat down to enjoy a three course meal and entertainment from the evening’s host, award-winning comedian, actor and master of satire Marcus Brigstocke, the first accolade of the night – the Bitzer-sponsored Alan Moor Award – was awarded to Mike Smith of BSRIA for his outstanding contribution and commitment to the sector.

Sponsored by Smith Brothers Stores, Service Engineer of the Year went to Leighton Nottridge of CAD Air Conditioning, while Ryan Walton from AC Solutions Group found himself the winner of the Hawco-sponsored Trainee of the Year Award.

Next up were the two ‘voted for’ categories, with industry deeming TF Solutions the worthy recipient of Wholesaler/Distributor of the Year.

Meanwhile, the Website of the Year category was won by Toshiba for its intuitive and user-friendly Training Portal.

Recent months have proved challenging for the acr industry, with evolving legislation and regulation – not to mention ever growing demand for more efficient and sustainable solutions – meaning that the sector has had to adapt fast.

This year’s product categories showed just how readily industry has responded and, with an influx of entries, were more closely contested than ever.

As heat pump technology continues to gain traction in the market, the all-new Heat Pump Product of the Year Award went to Mitsubishi Electric for its Ultra Quiet Ecodan.

The second brand new product category, Chiller Product of the Year, was awarded to Carrier for its Aquaforce Vision 30KAV Chiller.

The Refrigeration Ancillary Product of the Year category followed, going to Danfoss Drives for its Enhanced VLT Refrigeration Drive FC103.

Up next was the highly-coveted Refrigeration Product of the Year, with Bitzer UK picking up the trophy for its Ammonia Compressor Pack.

Sponsored by Hitachi, the Air Conditioning Ancillary Product of the Year category was won by Advanced Engineering, which scooped the accolade for its HydroFoam 2.0.

Finally, the most hotly-contested award of the night – Air Conditioning Product of the Year – was presented to Klima-Therm for the company’s Hybrid Adiabatic Compact Dry Cooler.

In addition to recognising the success of the acr industry, the ACR News Awards ceremony always provides an opportunity for those in attendance to give something back. This year’s chosen charity was Help for Heroes, which aims to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty. Guests gave very generously, with the total amount donated to be revealed in due course.

The ACR News Awards received support from a number of industry heavyweights, including Pacair, SBS, 3D Plus, Advanced Engineering, First Choice Group, Fixxy, Fujitsu, Gel-clear, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Pump House, Hitachi, Toshiba, Samsung, Bitzer, Hawco, and Pure Air Distribution.

To find out more about the ACR News Awards or to view the full gallery from the 2019 ceremony, visit www.acrnewsawards.com