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Despite Bullish Factors, Gas Bears Hanging Tough

The natural gas bears simply won’t give in. Since settling at a 2017 high of $3.424 per MMBtu on May 12, the prompt-month NYMEX natural gas contract has fallen nearly $0.50 per MMBtu and is currently trading under the $3.00-per-MMBtu level. Forecasts for summer heat, stagnant production growth, and growing levels of exports have yet to wrestle momentum to the side of the bulls as traders concentrate on a milder May and early June and strong storage injections.

Preparing Your District: The ABCs of Optimizing Indoor Air Quality

As a school administrator, you are already well aware there are no easy answers regarding the best way to re-open schools. While there is heavy focus on the importance of masking and surface cleaning, even more important is addressing your schools’ indoor air quality (IAQ) to meet appropriate and ever-evolving guidelines.

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How Trane can help indoor growers optimize operations and reduce energy costs

Fundamentally, it’s an HVAC challenge. Like data centers and hospital operating rooms, commercial grow rooms are critical environments that require precise indoor climate conditions to successfully perform their mission. It’s important for growers to partner with a provider that is familiar with the challenges high-stakes environments face and has the energy-efficiency expertise to support them.

November 23, 2021

Blog

5 Reasons Engineers Should Consider an Integrated VRF System With Tracer® SC+ Controls

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are soaring in popularity throughout the HVAC industry thanks to their ability to offer contractors and engineers the freedom to design and install systems tailored to customers’ specific needs. The experts at Trane have taken these benefits a step further by integrating the Tracer® SC+ controls platform with the Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric N-Gen CITY MULTI® series, creating a fully integrated VRF system.

October 05, 2020

Trane Trends: Growing through new challenges

We have all had to change the way we interact with customers and coworkers and find ways to stay positive during these challenging times. Kasey Connor, Trane’s Sales Engineer, New England, sees opportunity in the adversity and believes it may make us all better people in the long run.

Five Ways to Build Your Brand in the “New Normal”

Building a strong and differentiated brand matters now, more than ever, as building owners and managers navigate the challenges of the global health crisis. Clients are looking for a solid “say” + “do” ratio and commitments from their partners to listen, and to be transparent and authentic.

World Refrigeration Day: Honoring our Climate

Although we honor June 26 as World Refrigeration Day, focusing on refrigeration – and the sustainability opportunities it offers – is a year-round emphasis for us at Trane. Through our enterprise-wide climate commitment, we are directly addressing climate change by offering alternatives to the way the world heats and cools buildings and moves refrigerated cargo.

8 Reasons Contractors Should Embrace Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF)

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are an increasingly popular choice regardless of a building’s size or intended use. VRF systems focus on heating and cooling only the spaces that require individual temperature control by circulating the optimal amount of refrigerant required for each zone, resulting in advantages with system operation and occupancy comfort.

Trane // Your Partner in Resilience

There’s an old saying that adversity is a great teacher. If that’s the case, the current situation is certainly doing a lot of teaching, and we’re all doing our fair share of learning. It's testing our mettle as individuals and as organizations. It’s challenging us and pushing our limits in ways we couldn’t have possibly imagined 6 months ago. But in many ways, it’s also taking us to new heights.

Where are the trustworthy COVID-19 resources for the HVAC/building industry?

The impact of such a pandemic is real and harsh. With most of us juggling different roles in our life, the question on how we stay safe and productive in tough times surface to the top. As a good citizen, we should follow the guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for personal actions. For many of us serving in the commercial HVAC field, many industry resources have become available recently.

Your Checklist to Optimize Remote Building Management

The narrative around connected building technology has shifted, at least for the time being. Efforts around comfort, sustainability and reducing energy costs through improved building management now include strategies for doing it all remotely, when uncommon circumstances might make it difficult to work on site.

Celebrating International Women’s Day, Recognizing Awesome Achievements by Trane Women

International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, provides an opportunity for countries around the world to recognize women’s contributions to society and calls for the acceleration of women’s equality. This year’s campaign theme, #EachforEqual, focuses on the concept that ‘An equal world is an enabled world’. It encourages each individual to take an active role in helping to broaden perceptions, promoting gender equality, and celebrating the achievements of women.

Next Generation Lighting Illuminates New Options, Simplifies HVAC Integration

Although light-emitting diode (LED) applications have been available for decades, their use in commercial lighting has rapidly grown in recent years. While LEDS made up just 13 percent of the market in 2017, according to the latest LED adoption report produced by the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2035 they are expected to represent 84 percent, according to the same report.

AHR Expo 2020: Sustainability is the New Reality

Sustainability is becoming more deeply embedded into every aspect of business and buildings. Looking back at AHR Expo® 2020 last week in Orlando, we’re feeling proud of the way our industry has stepped up to the challenge.

The Benefits of Wireless Controls for Connected Buildings

Zero energy building growth has increased by 700 percent since 2012 and revenue from these buildings is expected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2035. Buildings with the greatest flexibility can offer multiple benefits to the grid and to the owners and managers of those buildings.

Approaching Zero Energy

Zero energy building growth has increased by 700 percent since 2012 and revenue from these buildings is expected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2035. Buildings with the greatest flexibility can offer multiple benefits to the grid and to the owners and managers of those buildings.

Energy Cost Saving Methods for Data Centers

When data centers want to reduce non-IT energy costs, there is no single solution. Many strategies come to mind, and the best one…depends. It depends on utility rate structures, local climate and natural resources, and on the type of IT equipment and how the center is laid out. Experienced HVAC system designers begin with energy efficient base equipment—and then we get creative. Many of the available solutions for reducing energy costs aren’t new, but we’re finding new ways to apply them to reduce the energy intensity of data centers.

Air vs. Water Cooled Chillers

Data centers and computer rooms are being built everywhere to accommodate the rapidly increasing demand for data processing. Too often, systems that are designed to manage human comfort are being applied to data centers, and they simply aren’t up to the task. Using a comfort system where precision cooling is required inevitably results in unplanned downtime, excessively high energy costs, and diminished ROI due to shortened equipment life.

Contingency planning

No matter what industry you are in, it is critical to develop a power and HVAC contingency plan as part of a comprehensive crisis-response plan. Interruptions to power and HVAC – whether from a natural disaster or other challenges – can cause millions of dollars in damage, disrupt operations and erode stakeholder confidence. Developing an effective power and HVAC contingency plan minimizes financial risk, while protecting the health and safety of building occupants and providing peace of mind for an organization and its stakeholders.

The Future of Data Center Energy Use

It’s one of the biggest paradoxes of our time: The world needs to build more energy-intensive data centers to meet growing demand. Meanwhile, it has become imperative to reduce carbon emissions to put the brakes on climate change. It’s both a challenge and an opportunity to introduce technologies that could transform building energy use forever—across all sectors—including machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Comfort vs Precision Cooling

Data centers and computer rooms are being built everywhere to accommodate the rapidly increasing demand for data processing. Too often, systems that are designed to manage human comfort are being applied to data centers, and they simply aren’t up to the task. Using a comfort system where precision cooling is required inevitably results in unplanned downtime, excessively high energy costs, and diminished ROI due to shortened equipment life.

Achieving the Water-Energy Conservation “Sweet Spot"

While the focus on climate change has driven reduced energy consumption, attention to water conservation is increasing because fresh water supplies are diminishing. At the current consumption rate, this situation will only get worse.

Ductless Blog, two or three pipe

After you’ve decided variable refrigerant flow (VRF) is the best HVAC solution for your building, you’re tasked with another important decision: do you choose two- or three-pipe technology? The answer can depend on many variables, including the building application, architecture and age, to name a few.

Women in HVAC: How we are Closing the Gender and Job Candidate Gaps

The calendar just closed on the 2019 celebration of International Women’s Day. With a new flood of college graduates poised to hit the job market, our leaders remain focused on encouraging increased representation of women in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) jobs.

An Update on PG&E's Bankruptcy

Based in San Francisco, PG&E is the largest utility in the nation. It provides electric and natural gas services to 16 million customers across a 70,000 square mile area of northern and central California.

4 Questions to Determine Your Equipment Upgrade Strategy

You may be at a crossroads between replacing or retrofitting your building’s HVAC equipment due to age. We know this because the U.S. Energy Information Administration has reported that nearly half of all commercial buildings were constructed before 1980.1

U.S. Natural Gas Prices Spike to Levels Not Seen Since 2014

Closing Wednesday at $4.84 per MMBtu, prompt-month natural gas prices have soared to their highest levels since 2014. Despite the multi-year high levels, this move wasn’t totally unexpected and Trane has been warning clients about the possibility of a winter price run-up since signs started pointing that direction in the summer months.

Thinking differently about VPPAs

What’s in your sustainability playbook? Purchasing renewable energy from a local provider, reducing overall energy consumption and installing distributed renewable energy sources, such as solar panels or wind turbines, should all be considered as part of a holistic approach to energy and environmental impact.

The High Cost of Processing Your Own Energy Invoices

An independent study recently calculated the cost of processing a single energy invoice at $13.04. A line item under $20 probably won’t catch the attention of the finance director, but a deeper look into missed benefits and opportunities elevates the priority.

Low Storage Levels Could Spike U.S. Winter Natural Gas Prices

With the winter just a few weeks away, it has become increasingly clear that the U.S. will go into this heating season with the lowest amount of gas in storage since 2003. Storage is now expected to be at just 3.25 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), well below the 3.8 Tcf that was seen last year and the record 4.05 Tcf that we had to start the winter of 2016-2017. Some colder temperatures to end October are expected to put injections below normal over the next few weeks.

Corporate Sustainability need not be Controversial

As corporate sustainability efforts are at an all-time high, there is increasing interest in how these efforts are reported and how they impact overall business. While many companies wish to be seen as leaders in sustainability, some question if these efforts are compatible with their core business functions. This dilemma is best exemplified in two incidents from the past several weeks.

Five Questions with Mike Patterson, Agility Product Manager

Commercial buildings are facing a challenge rooted more than 20 years ago. Before 1980, large heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units were often placed in hard-to-reach areas — basement-level mechanical and utility rooms — to hide their bulky large appearance.

What you need to know about using R-22 in HVAC systems

R-22 was the most popular refrigerant used in commercial and residential air conditioning units for many years because it was considered a safe and cost-efficient refrigerant choice by the HVACR industry. But as anyone in the industry knows, R-22 was phased out in the U.S. beginning in 2010 because it is ozone depleting.

Nevada Looks toward Electricity Deregulation Vote

Nationally, the trend of power deregulation seems to have largely stabilized. While there are some occasional efforts in states like Ohio or Michigan to re-regulate, these rarely make it past the introduction of a bill or speculation on the part of a utility spokesperson. Similarly, few states seem to be interested in deregulating (or in the case of California and Michigan, further deregulating) their power sector.

Summer Energy Best Practices

In the warm summer months, electrical demand goes up, driving prices higher. Meanwhile, HVAC equipment kicks into high gear to keep occupants cool. It’s the annual conundrum as building operators struggle to maintain the balance between cost and comfort. It’s time to take on a few summer energy projects.

How to Get Started with Connected Buildings

The ability to connect building systems and equipment through the internet has been around for years thanks to advancing technology and better equipment design. This capability has led to a trend in connected or smart buildings where connected devices (e.g., lighting, security systems and HVAC equipment) produce data that can be captured and applied to significantly increase efficiency and save money.

Do the Bulls Have a Chance?

Is sub-$3.00 natural gas the new normal? Can the NYMEX prompt-month contract actually make a rally? In short, do the bulls have a chance anymore?

How Does Thermal Energy Storage Add Value to Your Zero Energy Building Strategy?

Fueled by new regulations such as those being imposed in California and Vancouver, Canada, requiring net zero new construction; challenges by organizations such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for all new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030; new building codes encouraging less energy use; real estate firms wanting to differentiate their holdings in the competitive marketplace; and building owners just wanting to do the right thing for the environment, the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) concept is receiving increased emphasis in the commercial real estate industry.

What Going Beyond Means to Steve Tudor, Account Manager in Nashville, TN

Let’s Go Beyond™ -- The tagline permeates Trane literature, advertisements, vehicles, videos, websites and tradeshow materials. Used to convey our company’s personality and character, the tagline elevates us beyond the simple and known, onto bigger thinking and bigger problem solving, showing that Trane is leading the way beyond just products to systems, services and total solutions.

How Do Rising Oil Prices Impact The U.S. Natural Gas Market?

From the OPEC-led production cuts to global geopolitical turmoil to surging demand in China, a variety of factors have been pushing oil prices to four-year highs. U.S. WTI has recently been up 20% this year to over $71 per barrel, and the possibility of $100 oil has entered the market.

4 Reasons VRF is the HVAC solution for your building

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) is the ideal HVAC technology for facilities that need an energy-efficient solution. Unlike other options, VRF systems can produce 30 to 40 percent energy savings, which is significant when 50 percent of a building’s energy usage comes from its HVAC system.

Women in HVAC: What we’re doing and why it matters

With Women's History Month and International Women’s Day both in March, it was the perfect time for companies like ours to reflect on what we’re doing to inspire and encourage women in HVAC — and what more could be done.

What Five Actions Would Real Resiliency Address?

Reliability has long been associated with the power sector and is, in fact, one of the cornerstones of the modern electric grid. Defined broadly as a utility’s ability to supply as much power as is needed at any given time, it is encoded in standards at every level, from NERC to state regulatory commissions. Significantly, these standards are quantitatively backed, enabling outcomes to be analyzed in detail to identify problems and ensure that expensive solutions to edge case scenarios are not over applied.

The $13 Billion A Year Mystery: Understanding PJM’s Demand Charges

PJM Interconnection, the Regional Transmission Organization that serves over 65 million people in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, is one of the most poorly understood entities in the U.S.’s electric landscape. PJM is the grid operator in 13 states plus Washington, DC, controlling and optimizing the flow of power through 82,000 miles of transmission lines spanning Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the Washington Beltway, and much of the Midwest.

What's Up With Texas Power? (Other than the Cost)

Summer power is always more expensive in Texas. This is not surprising as ERCOT, the corporation that runs the power grid for most of the state, has eschewed a capacity market and instead allows price spikes to compensate occasional generation.

Thermal Storage Systems - Remarkable Resilience from a Sustainable Footprint

We spend roughly 90% of our time inside structures, and these structures require cooling to offset heat generated by us, our computers, lighting, and the ambient temperatures outside. Most cooling systems demand electricity during peak-demand periods. These demands are usually > 50% of the entire energy demand of the building.

How Will Two New PJM Proposals Impact Your Power?

The PJM Interconnection has in recent months put forward two proposals that could have significant impacts on delivered power prices in the region. One would alter how LMPs (Locational Marginal Price, the technical name for the cost of energy) are calculated while the other would change how capacity charges, fixed fees paid to generators, are created.

Net-Zero to Hero: A Heat Recovery Retrofit at the Science Museum of Minnesota

Finding the sweet spot of energy efficiency and comfort is challenging enough for a standard building, but it truly gets tricky when multiple areas are thrown in the mix. “We have all sorts of spaces — Omnitheater, gift shop, exhibit halls, restaurants and catering facilities, exhibit and graphic production shops, meeting rooms and classrooms, and a parking ramp — that all have different energy needs,” said Todd Gray, assistant superintendent of facilities, Science Museum of Minnesota.

Oil Prices Are Finally Starting To Rise

Now at their highest levels since mid-2015, oil prices have steadily increased in recent weeks. International benchmark Brent has breached the technical and psychological barrier of...

Natural Gas Production Reaches Record Levels

Domestic dry natural gas production reached a record 75.8 Bcf/d on Thursday, October 26 as output continues to grow and infrastructure projects start to come online or near completion. The record production comes after relatively flat...

EPA Repeals Clean Power Plan

On October 10th the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, announced that he was signing a proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan (CPP), effectively ending the embattled program. This move was largely...

Department of Energy Proposes Market Changes

On September 28th, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) require independent system operators make whole certain “baseload” energy generators. This is only the second time in the history that...

Sustainable Alchemy in Vermont

After eight years of success at their original location, co-owners John and Jen Kimmich decided to open a second Alchemist Brewery location to help meet their growing production needs...

Does Your School Have Poor IAQ?

Nearly half of the nation’s school buildings have reported problems related to indoor air quality (IAQ). Why does IAQ in school buildings matter? Numerous studies link IAQ to student health and...

Lessons in Power Deregulation: Montana

In recent months, there has been more talk around the creation of a new Independent Service Operator (ISO) in the western U.S., sparked by Nevada’s November 2016 preliminary vote to...

Birmingham Takes Bold Actions to Cut Energy Costs

Fixing problems in aging buildings was taking a financial toll on the city of Birmingham, Alabama. City leaders spent emergency funds to make repairs and keep facilities in working condition. Failing building systems forced the closure of...

Organizing a Critical Systems Contingency Plan

From natural disasters to everyday mechanical failures, all facilities face some level of risk due to power, HVAC or compressed air failure. A failure could result in anything from minor discomfort due to lack of temperature control to losing hundreds ...

Global Action That Matters

Climate action is a global issue and we strive to offer our customers around the world choices about when and how they want to achieve both their business and sustainability goals...

The Relationship Between Oil and Natural Gas Prices?

The link between crude oil and natural gas prices is critical for end-users: these two sources are increasingly being produced by the same companies and together supplied 70% of U.S. energy demand in 2016. To set the context, Figure 1 demonstrates oil and gas prices since 1997.

PJM Power Prices Are Down…A Lot

Power pricing in PJM is down. Since 2015, we have seen average prices for 2019 power drop from $45 per megawatt hour (MWh) to $35/MWh, with 2020 prices even lower than that...

How to Know if Ductless HVAC is Right For You

When you think of most HVAC systems, you likely don’t think of a ductless system if you’re in North America. But in Europe and Asia, ductless HVAC has been the industry norm for more than 30 years and has been used extensively...

Commitment to Climate Action

Ingersoll Rand remains committed to climate action, including reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions related to our products and operations. Regardless of political opinion...

World FM Day: Honoring Our Building’s Heroes

Simply put: the role of today’s facility manager is tough. Every day, in every corner of the world, facility managers are hard at work making a positive impact on our environments, people and communities. They do this while...

Tips for Reviewing the Progress in Your Energy Projects

Buildings today are full of hidden potential and more connected than ever – with access to valuable data and insight, new levels of efficiencies can be reached. In honor of World FM Day, we’ve compiled a few tips from our experts to help you...

The Triad of U.S. Natural Gas Demand Growth

Thanks to a shale production boom, falling prices, and its cleaner burning and versatile nature, there has been a rush to utilize natural gas in the United States. Looking forward, there are three sectors that will significantly increase demand...

New Transmission Required for More Wind and Solar

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to our national goal of deploying more wind and solar energy is their incapacity to be physically transported to a power plant like coal or natural gas. Because of this, the generating facility must be...

The Outlook for U.S. Nuclear Power

The U.S. nuclear power industry faces an uncertain future. While nuclear has held its 18-20% share of U.S. electricity generation, the total number of nuclear reactors/plants has fallen to...

U.S. Northeast Gas Plays Getting Critical Pipeline Relief

Even since the price collapse started 2014, natural gas production in the Marcellus has increased nearly 15% to 18.3 Bcf/d, with output in the neighboring Utica up 130% to 4.1 Bcf/d. These two northeast shale plays are almost single handedly reversing the U.S. gas market to flow more north to...

The U.S. Leading a Globalizing Natural Gas Market

Today, only about 33% of all natural gas used is traded internationally, versus 66% for oil. Gas has typically been sold in three regionalized markets with different contract structures; North America (hub-based), Asia Pacific (oil-indexed), and Europe (hub-based and oil-indexed). But, the sale of LNG is transforming natural gas from...

OPEC’s Production Cuts: Will They Matter?

After weeks of negotiations, OPEC ministers in Vienna on Wednesday agreed to lower their oil supplies to ease a global glut that has halved prices since 2014. The 14 Member Countries worked a deal to cut crude production by...

Energy Modeling Software

It’s an often-repeated statistic: about 40 percent of the energy used in this country is consumed in residential and commercial buildings. That’s more energy than is used in both the transportation and energy sectors. Alarmingly, however, much of that energy is wasted — 30 percent in the average commercial building, according to Energy Star. So, what can be done?

Energy-Modeling-Software

It’s an often-repeated statistic: about 40 percent of the energy used in this country is consumed in residential and commercial buildings. That’s more energy than is used in both the transportation and energy sectors. Alarmingly, however, much of that energy is wasted — 30 percent in the average commercial building, according to Energy Star. So, what can be done?

Mexico’s Natural Gas Production Expected To Increase

The catalyst for Mexico’s historic 2013 Energy Reforms was the 2004 peaking of the Cantarell oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, once responsible for over half of Mexico’s energy production and the second largest oil field in the world.

The Curious Case of the U.S. Natural Gas Storage Inventory

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Weekly Storage Report and the overall natural gas storage inventory have long been drivers of NYMEX natural gas pricing in the United States. The weekly report, released at 10:30 AM ET on Thursdays, details the weekly changes to domestic natural gas storage inventory levels and tends to be followed by a quick flurry of trading activity....

Hearing on the Clean Power Plan Inconclusive

On September 27th the DC Circuit Court held hearings on the Clean Power Plan (CPP), an action that many have wanted since its proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last August.

Canada’s Future Natural Gas Production

With the North American shale revolution the key energy development of the past decade, it’s surprising to know that Canada’s natural gas production has actually been...

Rising U.S. Natural Gas Production

Despite some of the lowest prices in 20 years, U.S. natural gas production has continued to increase. Thanks to the widespread deployment of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, national output has gained every year since 2006 and is closing in on...

U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Market Update

The U.S. natural gas industry has gone global via the export of LNG. In the first six months of this year, nearly 50 Bcf of LNG was shipped out, and the U.S. is set to become a net LNG exporter in 2017. The rapidly globalizing gas market is a critical new outlet for...

Now is the Time to Consider Building Improvements

As summer winds down, you likely have a better idea of what improvements can be made in your building to help optimize energy efficiency, occupant comfort and equipment performance. Now is a good time to consider...

Canada’s Future Natural Gas Production

With the North American shale revolution the key energy development of the past decade, it’s surprising to know that Canada’s natural gas production has actually been falling. Canada is still the world's...

Nuclear Decay

Regulators are facing a dilemma of what to do with nuclear power generation in the coming years. Over the past two months, the retirements of four nuclear power plants across Illinois, California, and Nebraska have been announced...

Better Control for Greater Efficiency

Finding performance-improving solutions for buildings is important all year long, but it is especially critical in the summer. The increased demand on your building and its systems can result in...

Four phases of Retrocommissioning

There are steps you can take to minimize the impact summer’s increased demand has on your building, even on the hottest days. Equipment is often...

How Heat Impacts Building Performance

Beyond the need for increased power to cool buildings, there are a number of factors that can put increased pressure on your building systems in the summer months, including...

ERCOT Price Spikes

Last week, fear of increased heat across Texas pushed ERCOT North’s August peak contract price to $89.90 per MWh, an increase of...

Keep your Building On-Track this Summer

Ongoing validation of your results is a key step to help ensure your strategies are yielding big results. Validation helps keep your building on track, while also gaining...

Use validation to maintain your savings

Validating your outcomes is a key step to help ensure your strategies are yielding big results. Validation helps keep your building on track while also gaining the buy in, resources and funding you may need for...

Federal Judge Overturns Fracking Rules

On June 21, U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl ruled that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) does not have the authority to create new rules and regulate hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on...

Charting a path to summer savings

From small improvement projects to large energy strategies, there are steps you can take to reduce costs during the summer months, transforming your building into an asset that can make you more profitable...

U.S. Exports First LNG Cargo from Gulf Coast

Regardless of the ultimate end game for U.S. LNG exports, this week’s shipments from Sabine Pass represent a noteworthy step in exposing a generally-insulated domestic market to more international influence.

Increasing Efficiency and Driving Innovation at Mercedes-Benz USA

Whether you’re part of a small business, or a multinational corporation, no business is immune to the effects of an underperforming building comfort system. When a chiller failed at Mercedes-Benz USA, they turned to Trane, a longtime partner, to find a permanent, cost-effective solution.

Emergency Contingency Planning: 7 Steps Hospitals and Schools Must Follow

Extreme weather conditions underscore the need for facility teams to prepare for the worst that nature can throw at their buildings. Given their critical missions, healthcare and educational organizations must be prepared to respond quickly and efficiently when a blizzard, flood, tornado, hurricane or other disaster — natural or man-made — strikes...

Trane Improves Comfort, Saves Costs for Vancouver Area Mall

When the heat of summer sets in, shoppers seek relief in shopping malls where they can shop, dine and spend time in air-conditioned comfort. But when indoor comfort systems aren’t getting the job done, it can impact summertime traffic, and the bottom line, for mall owners...

Saving Energy While Improving Campus Operations in North Carolina

Higher education institutions face unique challenges when it comes to reducing energy costs. Colleges and universities often have multiple campuses, each with numerous buildings that may alternate from full capacity to empty several times each day. This can create challenges not only for heating and cooling, but lighting and water resource planning as well...

Trane: Keeping the Friday Night Lights On in City Parks

In Vestavia Hills, Ala., a suburb outside of Birmingham, city leaders knew that the cost to illuminate their sports fields, pools and tennis courts wasted budget dollars. Light fixtures were greater than 30 years old — so old, in fact...

Teaching the Value of Sustainability

At Trane, we think it’s important to enhance sustainability education among the upcoming generation of FMs. A recommendation by the Center for Green Schools at USGBC and Houghton Mifflin Marcourt (HMH) advocates for just that...

Why You Should Use Energy Modeling Tools

In today’s cost-sensitive market, building and facility managers are proactively seeking solutions to help control costs while improving building efficiency. They all want to know, “How do I get more for less?” I aimed to answer this question in my presentation...

2014 Could Be Even Better than 2013 for Energy Efficiency

This year promises to be another strong one for energy efficiency. For example, several actions included in Climate Action Plan will take place in 2014, such as the release of draft CO2 emissions standards for existing power plants. We think these measures are taking us...

How Does Your Company Define Sustainability?

Green construction is expected to increase along with overall construction activity in 2014. Despite market pressures, or perhaps because of them, companies and building owners are emphasizing sustainability measures that lead to greater building efficiency, lower costs and a more productive workforce.

What's Next for High Performance Buildings?

Green builder Hammer & Hand recently released its ten predictions for the US high performance building industry in 2014. To no surprise, the predictions cover a wide-range of variables, including the impact of new products entering the market, procedural and policy shifts that focus on performance-based measures, and the international energy efficiency movement’s effect on the US market.

Improving the Performance of Historic Buildings While Preserving Their Unique Characteristics

More than 1.4 million places – including buildings, districts and landmarks – are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which receives more than 30,000 applications each year. Most are at least 50 years old and meet one or more of the following four criteria for historic status: recognized as the site of an historic event, associated with a famous person, designed or built in a distinctive way, or yielded important historic or prehistoric information.

A Tale of Two Buildings [Author: Neil Madeis]

A recent Washington Post story noted how green construction has become a common trend for new office buildings, with one-third of all new office space completed in 2011 being designated “green.” But beyond the...

Industrial Energy Efficiency is Key to Global Competitiveness

The BlueGreen Alliance, a partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations, recently released a new policy report on industrial energy efficiency. It notes that America’s manufacturing sector – the world’s largest – can keep its lead by taking advantage of the huge opportunities to increase energy efficiencies, cut waste and save on operating costs.

Technology Advancements will Drive Increased Building Efficiency

A recent GreenBiz.com article highlights a report by Navigant Research that says the global smart grid market will more than double by 2020. We’re not surprised to read this, as we’ve long said that when it comes to satisfying the world’s almost insatiable appetite for energy, "nothing beats energy efficiency." Smart technology is at the heart of today's greatest advancements in building energy efficiency.

10 Concepts to Take Energy Efficiency to New Heights

The global drive to improve energy efficiency, manage overhead costs, and reduce environmental impact has given facility managers in most organizations a seat at the table—or at least the attention of top management. Buildings are organizational assets, after all, and organizations need to achieve an acceptable return on their enormous investment in facilities.

Benchmarking Can Reveal Surprising Results

We’ve discussed the critical importance of evaluating high performance buildings often on this blog (for example, here and here), and a recent article from Greentech Media highlights this again. In short, it’s never enough to simply cut the ribbon on a high performance building and pat ourselves on the back. Continuously evaluating and benchmarking against business goals is the only way we will continue to strengthen our technology, the buildings we support and the industry as a whole.

A Collective Approach to Increase High Performance Building Adoptions

The research firm Frost & Sullivan recently noted the changes and evolution of the high performance building industry in the last several years, driven in large part by the growing IT influence on physical systems and the recession’s financial pressures, have sped up the development and adoption of many efficiency technologies.

Trane High Performance Building Profiled in Case Study

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an international nonprofit environmental organization, has released a case study of the energy savings of Godrej Bhavan building in Mumbai, India. Trane was a significant partner in the upgrades and transformation of this high performance building, including manufacturing and installing the HVAC and building management system with digital energy meters that continuously monitor and adjust energy use.

Sweat the Small Things; They may Make a Huge Difference

We often think about high performance building construction or retrofits as large, multi-month or multi–year projects. But it’s important not to overlook the small things that may end up making a huge difference in the performance of your building and the health of your occupants.

Energy Conservation Measures: Justifying Investment with a Holistic Approach

In Part 1 of our series, we examined how commercial building managers can create a strong business case for investment in energy conservations measures (ECMs) as part of their high performance building journey. In this piece, we will look further into the strategies and tools for justifying the up-front costs using a holistic approach that includes tangible and intangible benefits.

Energy Conservation Measures: Making the Business Case Before and After

Energy conservation measures (ECMs) in commercial buildings can range from CFL lighting to the installation of a maximum efficiency HVAC system, but they typically fall into the categories of water, electricity or gas. When considering ECM investments, building managers must weigh the upfront costs of the investment with the energy and financial savings, and make the argument to leadership as to why the investment is worth precious capital dollars in the journey to becoming a high performance building.

Upping the Ante on Sustainable Buildings

An office is building in Seattle is taking the concept of sustainable building to a whole new level: Think LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification on steroids.

Too Much of a Good Thing: The Balance Between Building Envelope and Occupancy Comfort

A building envelope is the outer shell of the building that is used to help maintain the indoor environment and control its climate. There’s been a lot of discussion in the high performance building industry about how to leverage this component efficiently and how to manage any trade-offs with occupant comfort, so I read with interest this article from Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine about testing and commissioning best practices.

Evaluating the Journey of a High Performance Building

The construction or retrofit of a high performance building is exciting: The new technology, the gadgets, the occupant buzz and the eventual launch can all make for a very dramatic affair. But what’s less sexy – and no less important – is what happens afterwards.

From Start Up to Cool Down, IntelliPak™ I Can Help Achieve High Performance Building Goals

Although the International Air-Conditioning Heating Refrigeration (AHR) Expo was held in January, concerns about optimizing a building’s cooling system didn’t go away with the winter temperatures. Many expo attendees wanted to hear more about the efficiency tools that could help them achieve a high performance building year-round. I was especially excited to talk with them about the latest, ultra-efficient cooling system from Trane: The IntelliPak™ I Unitary Rooftop System.

Trane Launches its Second Century with New Innovations

Trane celebrated 100 years of innovation at the 2013 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration (AHR) Expo in Dallas recently. At the show we presented and demonstrated several new forward-thinking building solutions that create comfortable, efficient and productive environments to benefit industries like healthcare, education, retail, data centers and others.

How HVAC technologies Help Reduce the Spread of Infection (Part 2of 2)

The Center for Health Design (CHD) estimates that as many as 30 percent of hospital infection threats are airborne and numerous cases of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and other types of infections have been traced directly to problems with ductwork, ventilation controls, air exchange ratios and room pressure balance.

Improving Physical Environment to Maximize Infection Control (Part 1 of 2)

Reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is a priority for everyone connected with the healthcare industry. The reasons are obvious. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, improving HAI rates by 40 percent from a 2010 baseline would save more than 60,000 lives and prevent 1.8 million patient injuries by 2013.

Trane High Performance Building Solutions Drive Efficiency and Savings for the Unique Needs of Financial Institutions

Financial institutions handle critical data every day – data that requires specialized environments to ensure that information is processed without interruption. If a data center goes down for even 15 minutes, an organization could lose millions of dollars in information. Data centers have significant and specialized cooling needs in order to handle the heat loads associated with computational processes. Hot spots and inadequate cooling can cause costly disruptions and are daily concerns.

Infrastructure Enhancements at Republic Plaza to Result in Energy Savings of S$870,000 Annually

Infrastructure upgrades at the Republic Plaza building, one of Singapore’s tallest skyscrapers, have made it one of the most efficient buildings in Singapore. The anticipated energy savings are estimated at four million kilowatt-hour of energy, or an annual savings of S$870,000. This is equivalent to powering 1,300 four-room apartments annually. The 66-story, 280-meter high Republic Plaza is a Grade A office building located at Raffles Place in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District.

Upgrades at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School Cut Energy Consumption by More Than 50 Percent

Old Colony is a regional vocational technical high school offering a broad range of vocational careers for students in the Rochester, Mass., area. Energy efficient infrastructure upgrades at Old Colony have reduced energy consumption by more than 50 percent while improving the learning and teaching environment. An ongoing service and maintenance program helps ensure that all systems continue to run at optimum levels.

K. Raheja Corp. in Mumbai Drives Environmentally Responsible Construction

As the global demand for energy continues to rise, real estate developers are increasingly called upon to build more energy efficient structures that cost less to operate and have minimal environmental impact. One Trane customer that is raising the bar on green buildings is the K. Raheja Corp. in Mumbai.

Post Hurricane Sandy - Tips and Resources for Buildings Affected by the Storms

Hurricane Sandy and the Nor’easter that followed a week later left a swath of destruction and a soggy mess in their wake. With the storms behind them, owners and operators of tens of thousands of commercial buildings – including office buildings, schools, hospitals, malls and factories – face the cleanup and remediation challenge of a lifetime. They need to get their buildings up and running quickly, but they also need to make sure that they are restoring a safe, healthy and comfortable indoor environment for building occupants and visitors.

Why Benchmarking Matters

If someone told you that they had a service used by 267,000 buildings comprising 40 percent of the non-residential market in the United States you’d be pretty amazed right?

Infrastructure Improvements at Intesa Sanpaolo Data Center in Parma, Italy, Increase Operational and Energy Efficiency

Long gone are the days of paper deposit books and hand written banking records, replaced instead by high-tech computerized data centers which make data readily available to allow banks to move at the speed of today's global business environment. While data centers have revolutionized the way businesses store and access information, the data servers themselves often consume a tremendous amount of energy.

Can a Service Company Provide Better Service by Coming Out to Your Building Less?

If you asked 100 building managers to define good customer service from the technician's that service their building's systems and equipment, the top answers would likely include responsive, knowledgeable and reliable. For many building managers, the mere presence of a technician on sight is enough to instill comfort that building's systems are being brought up to, and kept in, good service.

High Performance Buildings Insights: Hotels

Occupancy rates in hotels vary greatly, requiring a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that can adapt to those types of changes while still providing an absolutely comfortable environment for guests.

Intelligent services enable high performance buildings

It is impossible to overstate the importance of developing and implementing effective operating, service and maintenance strategies required to sustain a new building’s original design performance expectations over its decades-long occupied life. In fact, according to the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), operating and maintenance costs account for 65-80 percent of a typical commercial building’s total lifecycle costs.

Trane Puts Municipal Square on the Path to High Performance

Municipal Square is a five story commercial office building in West Orange, N.J. The building has more than 100,000 square feet of office space, occupied by 35 tenants, including law firms, architects, accountants and other professional service businesses.

Using Technology to Help Facility Managers Maximize Budgets

The combined effects of a sluggish economic recovery, high energy prices and changing environmental requirements continue to put pressure on owners and operators of high rise buildings. Facilities teams are constantly looking for ways to save energy, reduce operating costs, improve reliability and shrink their environmental footprint, while also creating a comfortable, healthy and productive place for people who work, live or visit in their buildings.

Smart Organizations Transform Buildings from Burdensome Liabilities into Business-essential, High-performing Assets

Smart organizations transform buildings from burdensome liabilities into business-essential, high-performing assets. This statement might seem simple on its surface, but the idea gets at the heart of what the high performance buildings approach is all about. For building owners who grasp this concept, the reward is a building that reinforces, rather than detracts from, the organizational mission.

Trane Helps Edmonds Community College Achieve More than $330k in Annual Energy and Operational Savings

Founded in 1967, Edmonds Community College (EdCC) helps students access educational and career opportunities in a supportive environment that encourages success, innovation, service and lifelong learning. The college spans 50 acres in the heart of a northern Seattle suburb and employs more than 1,600 people, contributing to the vitality of state and local economies. Edmonds has 21,000 students enrolled in Associate’s Degree programs, career training, adult literacy, or continuing education classes.

Trane Intelligent Services: Enhancing Building Mission

Every building operator has a set of expectations and a budget to manage. With Trane Intelligent Services (TIS), Trane is able to offer performance enhancements to meet any building’s specific requirements through advanced automation strategies called Alarm Notification, Active Monitoring and Building Performance.

Maintaining Uptime While Improving Indoor Comfort Was the Key for Godrej Bhaven in Mumbai

From high tech engineering to consumer goods, Godrej is one of India’s largest industrial conglomerates. Recently the company decided to implement a more energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) solution in its Godrej Bhavan facility in Mumbai, India as part of the company's focus on creating carbon neutral, zero waste, water positive and energy efficient businesses.

Building Automation Systems and Energy Saving Control Strategies

Most commercial buildings today have a building automation (BAS) system installed. While these systems are designed to help a building operator effectively manage a building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, the simple presence of a control system doesn't guarantee good performance.

Energy Conservation: How a High Performance Building Approach Saves Energy and Money

For years, conservation groups , public utilities and government agencies have promoted energy conservation as a critical priority for the nation. But energy conservation doesn’t have to mean uncomfortable conditions for occupants. By taking a high performance buildings approach, organizations can engage in conservation efforts while promoting a comfortable, safe and productive environment for all building occupants.

Infrastructure Upgrades Expected to Net City of Marietta Nearly $100k in Annual Savings

Nestled just north of Atlanta and just south of the North Georgia Mountains, the City of Marietta, Ga., offers visitors the charm of a small city along with a stimulating urban environment. With a beautiful and vibrant downtown square filled with restaurants and antique shops, the city offers its 56,000 residents access to beautiful parks, quaint streets, Victorian homes and historic sites.

High Performance Buildings Case Study: Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (CRMH) knew that it had no control over utility rates, but that it did have control over its energy use. The hospital sought to identify and implement energy conservation measures (ECMs) to reduce costs, in alignment with its mission to provide quality patient care as efficiently as possible.

The 5 Key Steps to Adopting a High Performance Buildings Approach

In the previous post I talked a about developing a more effective decision-making model around system-centric life cycle economics and the need to look beyond “simple payback” energy economics to a more long-term approach. This post will take a look at the five key steps that leaders should consider when developing a long-term approach that reduces operating costs, improves asset value and supports the long-term mission of the organizations served by their facilities.

How industry visionaries better align building life cycle performance with organizational objectives

When it comes to improving building performance, it's easy to focus on short-term objectives and gains, and to gloss over the long-term effects of the path taken or not. A common short-sighted approach is to focus on individual component efficiency (chillers, air handlers, etc.) without understanding system implications of how these pieces integrate efficiently, or how investments in efficiency upgrades ultimately support the overall organizational mission.