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Chiller-Heaters

You may be closer to electrification of heat than you think.

Electrification of heat requires reimagining chillers and thinking differently about applying them to HVAC systems. Trane understands the broad system-wide aspects that are necessary to heat your building, starting with your chiller.

Get Started with Chiller-Heaters

Why choose a chiller-heater?

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    Code compliance

    Many states are setting mandatory decarbonization targets to reduce buildings’ reliance on fossil fuels. Trane Chiller-Heaters can replace carbon-intensive gas heating or steam cooling systems with low-carbon electrified heating or cooling that meets local laws. They are also in compliance with ASHRAE 90.1-2019.

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    Meet sustainability and ESG goals

    Many companies have sustainability goals to reduce carbon footprint, and Trane can help meet those goals. Trane’s portfolio of electric chiller equipment can cool as well as heat, from an electrical grid powered by more renewable energy.

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    Lower electricity costs

    Most utilities are promoting building electrification with financial incentives specific to the use of equipment that relies on electrified heat. Trane can help guide you to rebates in your region and help you select energy-efficient chillers with heating options, such as heat pumps, which allow you to decarbonize while meeting business targets

Understand Your Options

If you already have a chiller, you may be closer to electrification of heat than you think. Traditionally used for cooling, many chillers are also capable of heating, providing a reliable path to building electrification.

Chillers enabled with heat recovery are extremely energy efficient and provide the first step to electrification of heat. Heat recovery enables chillers that would otherwise reject heat to utilize that energy for heating. Once you have recovered all the heat you can, adding a reversible heat pump to a unit optimizes heating or cooling operation. Multipipe units can provide heating and cooling simultaneously.

Electrification of heat requires reimagining chillers and thinking differently about applying them to HVAC systems. Trane understands the broad system-wide aspects that are necessary to heat your building, starting with your chiller.

Getting off to the right start

The best solution for any building depends on many factors. The first step is to analyze what type of chiller-heater system will deliver the decarbonization outcomes you are seeking. Trane's system experts provide guided expertise at every step: from assessing needs, to implementing the solution, and even validating results

Learn more about our process

Comprehensive Chiller-Heater Systems

Some system design and control principles from chilled-water systems transfer well when applied to chiller-heater systems. However, there also are some important considerations and differences. Ready to apply chillers to your HVAC system? We’re here to help.

View Comprehensive Chiller-Heater Systems

Chillers

Trane has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of chiller-heaters, ranging from 20 to 4,000 tons. Compare heat recovery vs heat pump equipment and learn about their basic functionality here.

Heat Recovery and Heaters

Adding heat recovery to a unit is an efficient and simple way to electrify heat, because heat recovery recycles heat that would normally be wasted in the cooling process and instead uses it to heat the building. Heat recovery units are set to the chilled-water set point. So, as long as there is a demand for cooling, the unit can also provide heat.

When a building is heating dominant, water-cooled chillers may be controlled to the hot-water set point to operate primarily as heaters instead. Water-cooled chillers may also be referred to as heat pumps.

Reversible Heat pumps

A key enabler for decarbonization, Trane heat pumps use a reversing valve to provide electrified heating or cooling. Because they don’t generate heat and simply move heat, they can be up to three times more efficient than other forms of electrified heating.

Simultaneous heating and cooling

Need a multipipe unit that can do both heating and cooling? Trane multipipe units can provide cooling and heating at the same time.

Maximize the benefits over time

Once your Trane Chiller-Heater system is in place, you’ll want to keep the benefits going. Trane’s service organization understands the nuances of electrified system performance, and how to maximize the benefits of your chiller-heater over the long term through professional proactive maintenance and energy monitoring.

Explore HVAC Services

Any building can electrify HVAC—and Trane can help

Trane offers a broad range of electrified heating solutions that can help meet your electrification needs. Your local Trane office can help you determine the best combination of technologies to use.

Get started

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems

Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF Systems consolidate heating and cooling into one all-electric, multi-zone system. VRF is popular for its reduced operational costs and reliable, energy-efficient comfort year-round—even in extremely cold climates. It can also be easily configured for a variety of buildings, new and existing, including offices, hotels, schools, multi-family, and mixed-use spaces.

Learn About VRF Systems

Packaged Units and Split Systems

For small to mid-sized commercial buildings, Trane has multiple choices. Each delivers efficient and effective heating with integrated heat pumps.

View Packaged Units & Split Systems

Why Trane?

We’re committed to changing how the world heats and cools buildings and cargo through our products and technology. We also walk the talk. As part of Trane Technologies, Trane has committed to reducing one gigaton – one billion metric tons – of carbon emissions from our customers’ footprint by 2030.

Learn More About The Gigaton Challenge

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