Northvale, NJ(July 22, 2004) - AERCO International was recognized for excellence in product design in the first annual Dealer Design Awards Program, sponsored by The Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration News magazine. An independent panel of 13 contractors acted as judges in the contest, which had 119 entries from over 75 manufacturers. The company's Benchmark Boiler was the Silver Winner in the Commercial HVAC Equipment Category. The News is the leading trade magazine in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration industries.

News Publisher John Conrad stated, "Manufacturer design teams are coming up with unique ways to assist contractors in installation, service and maintenance. This awards program is an ideal way for our magazine to call attention to products that are designed with the installing dealer in mind."

"I'd like to congratulate our entire team here at AERCO," said Fred W. Depuy, president of AERCO International. "Our corporate culture is built around satisfying all our customer groups and providing them with the highest quality products. Benchmark's design makes installation and maintenance easy for contractors. In addition, by helping to lower materials and labor costs throughout the heating loop, Benchmark boilers can also make a contractor's job more profitable."

Winning entries in the Dealer Design Awards were featured in the July 19, 2004 issue of The News, which is distributed nationally to over 32,000 HVACR contractors, wholesalers, and other industry professionals.

About AERCO
AERCO offers commercial boilers and water heaters that simplify infrastructure, reduce project costs and minimize lifecycle expenses for value-driven schools, hospitals and others seeking long-lasting, reliable, high-efficiency equipment. Founded in 1949, AERCO originated tankless water heating, introduced the first modulating and condensing gas-fired unit for the commercial market and helped pioneer the high-efficiency boiler category. For more information, contact AERCO at 800.526.0288 or visit www.aerco.com.