Qi Xu of the University of Nottingham was awarded the prestigious Ted Perry Student Research Award for her research on an innovative heat pump, ‘the EcoPump’. As a young researcher, Qi Xu has been working on this project with several industry partners and judges commented that this low energy HVAC system is a novel and exciting project that could have a far reaching and significant impact on the domestic mass market for air conditioning. This award was established by a trust gift from the Perry Family and is sponsored by Hawco.

One of the most anticipated awards of the night, the Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by ACR Journal, was presented to Paul Gardner of JPS Refrigeration. Recognised for his track record in outstanding customer service throughout his 43-year career in the industry, the judges also highlighted Mr Gardner’s dedication in building a thriving family business from scratch while still working as a service engineer, demonstrating what small businesses can achieve to rival bigger companies.

The J&E Hall International Award which recognises the most noteworthy practical contribution in the field of refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pumps was won by Dave Pearson of Star Renewable Energy. His work in the development of industrial scale heat pumps has been credited with providing a model for how our sector can play a major part in achieving cleaner, healthier cities and contribute to the drive towards net zero. This award is established and presented in association with J&E Hall International.

The Lightfoot Medal, which is presented in association with Lightfoot Defence, is given to the best IOR talk and paper as voted by members. This year it was awarded jointly to Andrew Gigiel and Chris Jessop for their ‘Why don’t people install heat pumps?’ presentation.

Commenting on the IOR Awards, Kevin Glass, president of the IOR, said: “The IOR is proud to recognise the contributions that individuals can make to driving our industry forward and this year’s crop of winners have shown excellence in their dedicated to their chosen field.

“Each of their contributions will help our industry to address the challenging issues of climate change and sustainability whether through ground-breaking research, innovative design and development or dedication to the highest standards in installation and maintenance.”