The DuctSox Silencer^™, a fabric sound HVAC ductwork attenuator manufactured by DuctSox^â, Dubuque, Iowa, won Honorable Mention and was a Ventilation Category Finalist in the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration (AHR) Innovation Awards presented at the 2017 AHR Expo trade show held Feb. 1 in Las Vegas, Nev.
The DuctSox Silencer is a solution to noise in office, classroom, museum, library and other sound-sensitive environments. It attenuates resonating sound from air handling units, volume control dampers, fan powered boxes and general air movement noise common in ductwork.
The DuctSox Silencer’s mechanical equipment attenuation benefits combined with the fact that soft fabric textures are inherently less reverberant than metal duct, helps create the quietest work and learning environments in the industry.
The patent-pending DuctSox Silencer matches the color and fabric type of any 12 to 36-inch-diameter ductwork it accompanies. Using sound-absorbing internal materials, the DuctSox Silencer has been third-party tested to reduce noise by 28 to 35-dB in the 500 to 2,000-Hz octave bands, the most commonly heard frequencies by occupants.
The DuctSox Silencer can also help new construction projects comply with Noise Criteria (NC) requirements and potentially contribute to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) credit by reducing HVAC noise levels as per the ASHRAE 2011 Applications Handbook, Table 6. As a retrofit project for existing fabric ductwork applications, the DuctSox Silencer can quickly and easily be zippered in-line with little or no space downtime.
The 13th annual AHR Innovation Awards is judged by a panel of 14 non-biased working engineer members of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and typically offers a futuristic look at HVAC innovation that promise significant societal improvements. “Many of our past AHR Innovation Award winners have gone on to be significant game-changers in certain industries,” said Clay Stevens, president, International Expo Co., Westport, Conn., which manages the three-day annual AHR Expo trade show that attracts more than 60,000 every January.
For more information on the DuctSox Silencer or other DuctSox textile air dispersion products and accessories, please visit info.ductsox.com/silencer or call 866-DUCTSOX.
About DuctSox: DuctSox Corp. (www.ductsox.com), is a Peosta, Iowa-based manufacturer of fabric ductwork/accessories that markets its products globally through HVAC/R  manufacturer’s representatives. For more information visit www.ductsox.com, email sales@ductsox.com or call 866-DUCTSOX. DuctSox Corp., 9866 Kapp Ct., Peosta, Iowa, 52068. 
About AHR Innovation Awards: The annual AHR Expo Innovations Awards competition honors the most inventive and original products, systems and technologies showcased at each year’s Show in the categories of: building automation; cooling; green building; heating; indoor air quality; plumbing; refrigeration; software; tools & instruments; and ventilation. This year’s winners were selected by a panel of third-party ASHRAE member judges who evaluated all award entries based on innovative design, creativity, application, value and market impact. The awards were presented at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Exhibition (2017 AHR Expo) in Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 1.