Awesome Lab Unveils Thermoflux at CES 2026, Promising Big on Energy Efficiency

Awesome Lab, a South Korea–based startup led by CEO Martin Kim, was among the companies drawing curious looks at CES 2026 in Las Vegas earlier this month, as the annual tech show once again turned into a global stage for energy and climate innovation. The company used the four-day event to introduce Thermoflux, its latest electric hot water and heating system, aimed at both homes and heavy-duty industrial settings.

The story didn’t start in Las Vegas, though. Awesome Lab has been working on electrolysis-based, ionisation heat-generation technology since 2022. It’s heady stuff, but the principle is fairly simple: instead of heating water indirectly through a separate element or combustion, the system generates heat directly from the water during electrical activation. No burner, no classic heater, and far less energy lost along the way, at least on paper. The startup has already secured a mix of local and international patents and built up brand awareness through its consumer-focused WATERWARMER range.

If you’ve been following climate tech around MENA, you’ll know how hard it is to find heating solutions that are both efficient and practical. I remember a founder dinner in Dubai where half the table moaned about how electrification sounds great until the power bills land… well. Against that backdrop, Awesome Lab’s claim that Thermoflux uses 20 to 30 percent less power than conventional electric boilers under the same output conditions feels spot on, even if it will take broader deployments to silence the sceptics.

According to the company, the system heats water up to twice as fast as typical electric boilers and can cut carbon emissions by roughly 25 to 80 percent, depending on the use case. It also takes up around 30 percent less installation space thanks to a modular design, which should make facility managers a bit chuffed to bits. Safety is another selling point: proprietary electrodes and current-control technology are designed to prevent overheating and reduce fire risks often linked to high-temperature or gas-based systems.

That said, I reckon what really caught attention at CES wasn’t just the tech specs, but the traction. Awesome Lab previously tested overseas demand with a crowdfunding campaign in Japan that smashed its target by 5,100 percent. On top of that, it has been rolling out hybrid heating solutions for smart farms, smart cities, factories, and residential and commercial buildings, slowly widening its footprint beyond early adopters.

An Awesome Lab representative was quoted as saying the company was pleased to see global interest at CES, noting that visitors responded well to clear data comparing Thermoflux with existing boiler systems, especially around heating speed and emissions reductions. The same representative added that networks formed during the exhibition are expected to support overseas pilot projects and commercial partnerships, building on proof-of-concept work already carried out in Japan, the United States and Mongolia.

For Arageek readers, this kind of story hits close to home. Stricter rules on gas boilers and a push for decarbonisation are no longer abstract policy debates; founders feel them when they pitch, build, and scale. I’m not a fan of flashy CES launches that never see daylight afterwards, but Awesome Lab’s steady march through pilots and actual deployments suggests this isn’t just smoke and mirrors… or steam, in this case. The real test, definately, will be whether systems like Thermoflux can scale cost-effectively in regions where energy economics and infrastructure vary wildly. But for now, it’s a promising signal in a space that badly needs practical alternatives.

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