Frost & Sullivan has selected A. O. Smith Corporation as the recipient of the 2009 North American Water Heaters Product Innovation of the Year Award. This is the second time A. O. Smith has received the award in four years.

The Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation of the Year is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within its industry. A. O. Smith received the award for its new product developments, including the Cyclone® Xi and Vertex™ water heaters.

The Cyclone brand was the first commercial water heater to achieve efficiencies up to 96 percent, while the Vertex water heater, designed for the residential market, provides 100,000 BTU and 96 percent efficiency to its customers. Both units feature intelligent controls to offer enhanced features to the end user, the company says.

In addition, A. O. Smith co-sponsored an ENERGY STAR® program to bring higher efficiency to the water heater industry and make the technology cost-effective for residential customers. The alliance between the ENERGY STAR program and A. O. Smith will help educate and influence consumers, retailers, architects and contractors that the implementation of certified high-efficiency products will significantly reduce life-time operating costs, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.