Frost & Sullivan Names Trane Overall Best Brand of Chiller in the U.S.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — May 4 — On the basis of Frost & Sullivan’s independent research, 2008 U.S. HVAC Contractors’ Choice: Which Manufacturer Passes the Test, Trane emerged as the overwhelming leader in the chiller product category among U.S. HVAC contractors.

Frost & Sullivan surveyed 200 full-time HVAC contractors who perform non-residential jobs to measure HVAC equipment manufacturer preferences. Among the U.S. HVAC contractors surveyed, 63 percent were full-time installers, while 21 percent owned HVAC businesses. Nearly four out of ten (37 percent) worked exclusively on non-residential projects, while the rest work on both residential and non-residential projects. The majority surveyed reported that they perform 10 or more jobs in a month (46 percent), which includes both complete (18 percent) and partial installation (82 percent) of HVAC systems.

“Roughly seven out of ten U.S. HVAC contractors ranked Trane as a top chiller brand,” says Frost & Sullivan Project Manager, Krishnendu Roy. “While 71 percent voted Trane as one of the top three chiller brands, what is significant is that 40 percent ranked Trane as the number one chiller brand – a 29 percent lead over the nearest competitor.”

A positive reputation, coupled with loyal customers, is what positions Trane as a leader. Of the 36 percent of U.S. HVAC contractors’ who reported using Trane chillers for non-residential projects/installs, all agreed that Trane was one of the top chiller brands.

The largest proportion of those surveyed said that the manufacturer’s sales person is the most important source of information when deciding on purchasing an HVAC component (80 percent). Interestingly, 22 percent made independent decisions for buying an HVAC component, while 56 percent reported that the decision for HVAC brand were jointly decided along with their customers. Thus, it appears that HVAC contractors have strong influences in choosing brands of HVAC components

The Frost & Sullivan HVAC Contractors’ Choice Award is conferred on the company that has demonstrated excellence. The recipient has distinguished itself through its proactive strategies that position it to emerge or continue as an industry leader.

The Choice Awards measure the best brands based upon the highest brand perception index (BPI) score. The BPI is calculated by multiplying the weighted mean score and loyalty index score. Award recipients must have BPI scores of 10 or greater. Trane received a 10 BPI score for Overall Best Brand of Chillers.

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Trane
Trane has over 55 years of experience providing efficient, reliable chillers to the commercial market. Trane offers scroll, helical rotary, centrifugal and absorption chillers in capacities from 20 to 3950 tons, cooling towers and packaged combinations of all the above. The Trane CenTraVac™ remains the industry's most efficient, most reliable, quietest, lowest emissions, and most capable chiller in the industry.

Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand, improves the performance of homes and buildings around the world. Trane solutions optimize indoor environments with a broad portfolio of energy-efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, building and contracting services, parts support and advanced controls for homes and commercial buildings. For more information, visit www.trane.com.

About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

Contact:
Jake Wengroff
210.247.3806
jake.wengroff@frost.com

Melinda Paulson
651-407-3974
Mpaulson@trane.com