Industry accolades roll in for high efficiency products
A. O. Smith’s high efficiency water heaters are attracting attention and gathering a number of awards from industry publications. Just recently,the NEXT Hybrid ® high efficiency gas water heater earned a “Most Valuable Product of 2011” designation by Building Products Magazine. A panel of residential building professionals and Building Products editors picked the NEXT Hybrid as an MVP based on its value to builders and remodelers.
The NEXT Hybrid along with the Cirrex ® solar thermal water heater system were chosen recently by appliance DESIGN as recipients of the magazine’s 24th annual Excellence in Design Awards. An independent panel of three industrial design professionals evaluated competition entries based on appearance, human factors, innovation, and technical merits. The panel also judged each company on its seriousness about industrial design and innovative approaches that make technology more accessible to the user. The NEXT Hybrid was honored with the silver award; while the Cirrex solar system received a bronze award.
Earlier this year, the NEXT Hybrid was chosen by GreenBuilder magazine as one of its Hot 50 Products of 2011. The GreenBuilder editorial team ranked the NEXT Hybrid as one of the top “green machines” as an appliance that incorporates smart senor technology to better match human behavior.
A. O. Smith also earned three Brand Leader Awards in Builder Magazine’s 2011 Brand Use Study, the only third-party research performed in the new construction industry. A. O. Smith was among the top four brands in each of the survey categories: brand familiarity; brands used by construction or contractor firms in the past two years; brands used most; and brand quality. The study also collected data on builders’ interest in “environmentally friendly” products. When builders were asked their reasoning behind trying new products, 51 percent listed “green” features as a contributing factor. Moreover, those surveyed listed water heaters as the second most important product to offer “green” features.
While industry awards are important, the real test is customer satisfaction. As more customers look for ways to save energy and reduce energy expense, they’re turning to A. O. Smith and its innovative line of high-efficiency water heater products.