Rheem waited for the biggest HVAC show of the year to make some of the biggest announcements in its history.

At a press conference attended by ContractingBusiness.com editors, the Rheem leadership team released news on a rebranding of its entire product line, a variety of technologically advanced and highly efficient heating, cooling and water heating products, and the debut of the industry’s first commercial hybrid air and water product.

“Rheem has spent more than 85 years developing products that provide the highest quality, reliability and durability,” said Rheem CEO JR Jones. “Given that water heating and HVAC systems account for more than 60% of a home’s energy consumption according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Rheem has a unique opportunity to build off our rich history of high-quality water heating and HVAC products with a full suite of innovative and energy efficient products,” Jones said.

"We went to work on some fundamentals of our business. This show was Rheem’s opportunity to come out to the industry and let you see some of those exciting things we’ve done over the last three years."

Jones added that products from the Rheem water heating division and air conditioning division would now be displayed in tandem at trade show events, as integrated products.

"They were viewed as two separate entities. But when you look at all the environmental concerns going on today, and the concerns over global warming, we saw the opportunity for Rheem, as a total comfort provider, to integrate those products mechanically and electronically, to significantly reduce the cost of energy consumption, while providing new features and benefits."

“Over the past three years, Rheem has invested more in our products, people, and operations than at any other time in our history – even in the midst of very challenging economic times,” said Rheem Senior Vice President and COO Chris Peel. “We're very proud to share with the AHR Expo attendees the early fruits of our efforts, including our new products and brand identity.”

Hybrid Product Focus
Some of the featured products at this year’s show include:

• the all-new Rheem Hybrid Air and Water Package Unit
• the Integrated Heating & Water Heating System Powered by Tankless Technology
• the Hybrid Water Heater with Heat Pump Technology
• the Prestige™ Condensing Tankless Water Heater.

The Hybrid Water Heater with Heat Pump Technology is Designed for smaller homes with a lower hot-water demand.

The Rheem Prestige Series Condensing Tankless Water Heater is Rheem’s most efficient tankless water heater, with what Rheem says is an industry-best minimum flow rate of.26 GPM and a minimum activation flow rate of .40 GPM.

The Rheem Integrated Heating & Water Heating System Powered by Tankless Technology is an innovative cross-platform product that offers home heating and hot water from a single source.

The new Rheem commercial Hybrid Air and Water Package Unit is the only product in the industry leveraging heat recovery water heating technology, sources say. Rheem has identified full service restaurants as the primary beneficiary of this new product, because 46% of a full service restaurant’s operating cost is related to HVAC and water use expenses, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Hybrid Air and Water Package Unit works by switching over from a refrigerant to air system to a refrigerant to water system when there is a demand for air conditioning and hot water.