A.O. Smith Water Products Co. announced that its Cyclone Xi 500,000 Btu commercial water heater was recently given the Silver level award in the Commercial Appliances Division in Appliance DESIGN magazine’s 21st Annual Excellence in Design Competition.

The innovative design takes the Cyclone’s performance to a higher level with up to 96% thermal efficiency. The Cyclone Xi provides significantly higher hot water output, with dramatic savings on operating costs compared to conventional commercial water heaters with standard 80% efficiency, the company says. The high efficiency Cyclone Xi is engineered to deliver conventional power-vent or sealed-combustion power direct-vent versatility and low NOx emissions in a space-saving design. Another enhancement to the Cyclone Xi line is the new Intelligent Control System that provides precise temperature control and advanced operating information that can be communicated to the user via the large LCD display.

An independent panel of three industrial design experts judged the entries. Evaluation of the entries was based on four criteria: appearance, human factors, innovation and technical merits.

Judges noted that companies behind the honored entries demonstrated they are serious about industrial design. Another common element found among recognized products was the ability to make technology more accessible to the user. Visit www.appliancedesign.com for more information. Appliance DESIGN is a publication of BNP Media, Troy, MI, publisher of Supply House Times.