This is the login for Trane® Connect™ and other Trane® commercial applications. Trane® Connect™ is our secure, cloud-based customer portal to access your building systems to remotely monitor and manage building systems, and conduct routine maintenance.
When Rockwall County, Texas, needed to expand its jail facilities, it turned to the Brandt Companies, Trane and others to get the job done. The team helped build an 83,000 square-foot addition and shepherd it through the state’s rigorous oversight process.
Global Director for Data Centers, Danielle Rossi discusses Trane's innovative cooling technology & its commitment to help meet its customers’ evolving needs.
Trane and RenewAire have teamed up with the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Engineering Summer Program (ESP) to inspire the next generation of engineers. This collaboration introduces high school students to HVAC technology and engineering disciplines through hands-on activities, industrial tours, and mentorship.
Discover how connected mechanical service agreements (CMSAs) use real-time data, proactive maintenance, and remote monitoring to reduce downtime, cut costs, and boost efficiency, allowing businesses to focus on their core activities.
Trane is committed to helping customers transition to next-generation, low-GWP refrigerants, ensuring the right solution for each application. With insights from Steve Kujak, Trane's Director of Next Generation Refrigerant Research, we explore the role of refrigerants in decarbonization and the benefits of A2L refrigerants.
Familiar refrigerants, including R-410A and R-134A for chillers, are being phased out in newly manufactured equipment, with next-generation, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants becoming the new reality. Discover how Trane can help you prepare for these new refrigerants by boosting confidence with facts, recognizing what is changing and what is not, learning new handling processes and leak detection and site modifications, and practicing safe storage and transportation.
The HVAC industry is moving to next-generation refrigerants that are more friendly to the environment. Discover the Top 10 reasons why Trane, with our complete approach, full portfolio of heating and cooling equipment and trusted* industry expertise, has you covered during this transition.
Decarbonization is essential for reducing carbon footprints, cutting costs, and minimizing environmental impact in healthcare facilities. Trane helps you achieve this through energy efficiency, electrification, eco-friendly refrigerants, and renewable energy solutions.
Changing to next-generation, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants is critical to lowering the carbon impact of buildings and Trane is staying a step ahead. Learn how, from accessing your equipment needs, all the way to implementing and practicing new Trane field safety standards, we can help as you face the new industry requirements.
In this Engineers Newsletter Live (ENL) Program, we will discuss how ASHRAE® Guideline 36 can be applied to maximize energy efficiency and performance and how it can enable real-time fault detection and diagnostics.
Unlock the hidden power of your data center's HVAC system with Trane. Discover how our expertise can enhance growth, boost profitability, and revolutionize sustainability by maximizing energy efficiency, leveraging renewable sources, and implementing cutting-edge cooling technologies. Don't miss out on this game-changing opportunity for your data center
Is liquid cooling the future for data centers? Tech giants like Meta, Google, NVIDIA, Intel, and Equinix are already adopting this innovative technology, but find out why air-cooled systems still have their place in the data center industry.
Discover how data centers are adapting to the power demands of the booming AI industry, from optimizing infrastructure to implementing energy storage solutions, in order to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.
Unlock the power of Connected Mechanical Service Agreements (CMSAs) and revolutionize your HVAC maintenance. With real-time monitoring, remote diagnostics, and proactive maintenance, CMSAs optimize asset performance, reduce costs, and enhance occupant comfort.
In the 2024-Q2 Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane applications engineer Scott Delo discusses ways to apply ASHRAE® Standard 100-2024 to the built environment.
COVID-19 brought Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) to the forefront, yet the lack of established standards caused confusion and ineffective measures taken. ASHRAE stepped in, releasing Standard 241 to provide comprehensive guidance on ventilation and IAQ, optimizing indoor environments and reducing disease transmission.
Discover the story behind New Mexico's VRF Lab, a state-of-the-art training facility created by Trane and SMART Local Union 49 to provide comprehensive VRF and BAS training.
Trane Rental Services offers a turnkey approach to custom-engineered solutions. From design to deployment and decommissioning, our experts ensure optimal performance.
In this Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) Program, we’ll uncover the latest plant control and design tool support for various chiller-heater systems, including those with heat recovery, auxiliary heat, and thermal energy storage.
As the weather warms, HVAC system maintenance becomes crucial. Discover how Trane Rental Services can provide stop-gap coverage, avoiding disruptions and ensuring operational efficiency.
To bring agriculture inside, design-build engineers must create precisely-controlled environments. Canadian contractor Navada collaborated with Lufa Farms and Trane to develop sustainable and economical indoor farms.
BTU Crew Newsletter Volume #28: Natural Gas to the Rescue!
Energy has been one of the main themes for our newsletter this year. This edition will also focus on a component of the energy sector. In a recent Inside Clean Energy article it was noted how natural gas has been filling the void created by the removal of many coal-fired power plants in the United States. After all, natural gas burns much cleaner than coal, making this trend a winning move for the environment.
Discover Trane's Tracer® Ensemble®, equipped with Critical Control, designed to help life science manufacturers achieve compliance with 21 CFR Part 11.
Discover a comprehensive plan for life science decarbonization, from enhancing energy efficiency and electrifying heat to managing refrigerants and adopting renewable energy solutions.
Our enterprise, Trane Technologies, is setting hefty goals to help reduce our customers' carbon footprints. Trane is an integral player within the Gigaton Challenge, setting the pace through innovation and efficiency.
Meet Sophie Meloro, Seth Revere, and Brysen Tyler, three young Trane sales engineers who have shared their stories of starting out in the engineering field.
In the 2024-Q1 Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane applications engineer Mick Schwedler digs deeply into the design, operation, and control of hydronic systems that incorporate heat recovery.
Meet Tyler Malm, VAV Portfolio Leader from Detroit, Michigan. Tyler's tenure has spanned over 13 years, with a variety of experiences and opportunities along the way.
Meet Bill Faulkner, a seasoned sales engineer with over 50 years of experience at Trane. Bill is committed to helping his customers achieve their objectives through building technology and energy solutions.
BTU Crew Newsletter Volume #17: A Growing Trend: Consumption & Demand Charges. With a goal to spread out electrical demand and reduce stress on the grid, many utility companies are in the process of implementing demand charges and/or time-of-use rate charges. Here are two short videos from two utility companies in the Midwest, Understanding Demand Rates & Time Based Plans, to have your students watch to help explain these new rate programs.
One of the benefits of using energy as a theme for PBL/WBL is that it truly brings an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning. This real-world application involves science, math, economics, and politics all in the same lesson, taking us back to Barry Commoner’s Law of Ecology – “Everything is connected to everything else.”
In this Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) program, the various technologies used for air-to-air energy recovery are explored, reviewing considerations for integrating these technologies into HVAC systems and explaining proper control.
Advanced manufacturing processes are diverse and complex. From semiconductor fabricators to EVs and batteries, each industry has specific indoor environmental needs that include precise temperature control, humidity management and air quality standards.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Using leadership in building technology and energy solutions
to get it right for the customer and the climate.
As the seasons change, what happens outside has an impact on what happens inside. When it comes to thermal comfort, lighting, and indoor air quality, there are several solutions to consider as the outdoors get warmer, colder, lighter, darker, and everything in between.
For the fourth time in a row, Trane has been awarded a US Department of Energy (DoE) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, known as an IDIQ. This lists Trane as a trusted provider that the DoE allows to bid on large energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs).
In the high tech manufacturing industry, even the smallest deviation from the required environmental conditions can have a significant negative impact on product quality. Therefore, precision control and quality management are of utmost importance.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Designing mechanical systems for commercial buildings requires managing small details, big decisions and complex analysis – all while keeping building owners happy. Trane’s suite of CDS Design and Analysis tools are purpose-built to support your design process from initial system selection and concepting, through energy load analysis and detailed design development.
In this Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane spotlights hydronic variable refrigerant flow systems; the next generation of all-electric heat pump systems that can help achieve building decarbonization goals, while satisfying upcoming demands for reduced refrigerant charge.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Recently, Kristie Upton, Senior Marketing Manager at Trane, sat down with Robert Beck, president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and CEO of John W. Danforth Company, and Trane Vice President and North America Commercial Business Leader Terry Dugan to discuss the flourishing innovation in the HVAC industry and the deep collaborations between manufacturers and contractors to meet the country’s net-zero goals.
In this Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) program, we delve into how heat-recovery chillers, heat pumps, and chiller-heaters can be configured and controlled in a hydronic system to provide heat efficiently.
This is part three of a three-part series that explores decarbonization, solutions and the importance of modern equipment controls in buildings today. Trane experts discuss how regulations and incentives for decarbonization are impacting customer decisions about which projects to pursue and why controls are included in virtually every one.
This is part two of a three-part series that explores decarbonization, solutions and the importance of modern equipment controls in buildings today. Trane experts discuss how regulations and incentives for decarbonization are impacting customer decisions about which projects to pursue and why controls are included in virtually every one.
When you think about optimizing indoor environmental quality (IEQ), you might think about sacrificing energy efficiency. However, there are many ways to enhance air quality, lighting, temperature, and acoustics of a building without sacrificing energy goals - and oftentimes, continue to work towards them.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
This is part one of a three-part series that explores decarbonization, solutions and the importance of modern equipment controls in buildings today. Trane experts discuss how regulations and incentives for decarbonization are impacting customer decisions about which projects to pursue and why controls are included in virtually every one.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Designing a modern, connected building automation system requires balancing a range of factors from increased occupant expectations around comfort control to changing energy efficiency standards and broader sustainability and decarbonization goals. Trane® Design Assist™ is a collaborative design tool built to put proven control strategies and industry best practices at your fingertips.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Think about when you enter a building. What do you need to be productive or comfortable? It might depend on what is happening outside – a hot day or a big storm. With extreme climate and weather events like wildfires and heat waves, it is crucial to allow building occupants to be comfortable, healthy, and productive.
Throughout centuries, we have turned to technology to conquer complex challenges and attain desired results. As businesses confront the critical task of reducing their carbon footprint, technology emerges once more as a solution to solve challenges.
As a Building Services Sales Leader at Trane, Keri Taylor has the expertise and experience to help Trane's customers find opportunities in the challenges of building operations and ownership.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Trane offers a suite of load design and energy analysis tools like TRACE 3D PLUS. We know that when you need support using these tools, you need it now. The Trane Customer Direct Service (CDS) group is your go-to resource for collaboration during the design process to troubleshoot applications and specifying challenges.
Trane offers a suite of load design and energy analysis tools like TRACE 3D PLUS. We know that when you need support using these tools, you need it now. The Trane Customer Direct Service (CDS) group is your go-to resource for collaboration during the design process to troubleshoot applications and specifying challenges.
Learn about Trane legacy, Innovative Building automation, energy savings for hospitals, and optimizing indoor air quality.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Three generations, five family members and a new trajectory for the future. Don Fiegen, late Trane Engineer, paved the way for his family. Read more about Don's legacy, including two sons and two grandsons.
This week from Trane: August 21, 2023
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
By leveraging the power of connected buildings, businesses can not only mitigate the adverse impacts of the skilled labor shortage but also utilize their data to impact the operational success of their buildings.
The Thermal Battery™ Storage-Source Heat Pump System is the innovative, all-electric cooling and heating solution that helps to decarbonize and reduce energy costs by using thermal energy storage to use today's waste energy for tomorrow's heating need. This makes all-electric heat pump heating possible even in very cold climates or dense urban environments where roof space is limited.
Modernizing school infrastructure through HVAC, lighting and other facility upgrades can help to improve student performance by optimizing learning conditions . A recent influx of federal funding has created a window of opportunity to manage deferred maintenance or kick off modernization projects.
Learn about Semiconductor Efficiency, Schools transforming with VRF, and veterans becoming Trane Controls Technician.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Transitioning military service members joined Combat to Controls, Trane's controls technician program for veterans. The program addresses the industrywide shortage of controls technicians while helping military service members train for their next careers as Trane building automation controls technicians.
Over 65 years after the school was built, St. James Catholic School was on a mission to turn their aging building into the optimal environment for their students, teachers, and staff to succeed.
Last month, Trane’s High Tech vertical team traveled to San Francisco to participate in SEMICON West with other industry innovators. While there, Director of Global and Complex Accounts, Andy Alcorn, joined Semiconductor Digest Editor-in-Chief, Pete Singer, for a video Q&A.
Learn about building technology and Trane emergency response.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
It is critical for organizations to have a plan for what to do in case of an emergency. With Trane Emergency Response planning, you can protect your business when hardship hits.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
TRACE® 3D Plus is the industry go-to for load calculations and energy analysis. See first-hand how TRACE® 3D Plus Zone Multiplier could save you time on your next energy analysis project.
Purchasing equipment with peak efficiency ratings is only the tip of the iceberg for potential energy savings. A capable building automation system can mine deeper energy cuts using data from internal and external sources. The cost benefits can be significant.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
In connected buildings, an app can save the day. Scheduling errors, equipment faults and other conditions that undermine comfort and drive up energy use can be solved remotely, in minutes.
Trane Zoned Rooftop Systems help to provide affordable options for small buildings, to increase comfort and efficiency, while simplifying installation, startup, and maintenance.
Meet Trane's Educator in Residence, Bill Nelson, and learn how he acts as a bridge between industry and the classroom through the Trane BTU Crew™, our interactive curriculum that brings STEM learning to life using students' own school building as an educational tool.
Meet Trane's Educator in Residence Bill NelsonJuly 24, 2023
Through the new Best Practices Guide from ASHRAE®, design engineers and end users can deep dive into the unique challenges and influencing factors for commercial kitchen ventilation. Follow along with Trane® Application Engineer and restaurant vertical market expert, Greg DuChane, as we discuss his perspective on this new publication.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
We're committing to advance school sustainability, encompassing infrastructure, health, environmental sustainability education, climate, and environmental justice in America.
Your journey to achieve environmental sustainability goals can become more complicated when you have multiple facilities and facilities located in different geographies. Finding a partner to help consistently implement carbon reduction solutions and strategies across a portfolio can be a key factor in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving validated outcomes that can be measured and reported.
When it comes to building infrastructure, the systems of the future will be leaner and greener. The transformation to carbon-reduced and carbon-free solutions is well underway. What will the decarbonation transformation mean for your schools? We sat down with Trane’s Ty Vierling and Eric Bauer to find out.
Electrification can be an important element in a plan to meet sustainability and carbon reduction goals. Listen to Trane expert, Charlie Jelen, as he provides key considerations to help maximize the benefits of electrification for your building and organization – from carbon reduction to cost savings.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Decarbonization in buildings is an important sustainability topic. National commitments have resulted in funding opportunities that schools can take advantage of to help reduce their carbon emissions.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Energy plans play a critical role in helping organizations achieve sustainability goals, offset rising energy costs, and optimize a comfortable environment for all.
Multi-pipe technology has a unique ability to serve both the chilled-water and hot-water needs of a building simultaneously, allowing for the design of highly-flexible thermal distribution systems. Dive in to learn more.
Investing in infrastructure is a complex undertaking, with a wide range of options and challenges that organizations must navigate. Careful consideration is required to develop a well-defined plan that sets the stage for future success.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
There's good news and bad news when it comes to refrigerant regulations and it can be confusing to know what is right for you and your building. Discover 3 HVAC refrigerant success strategies and how the experts at Trane can help you navigate the related regulations.
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and microgrids can create organizational value by helping manage energy expenses, ensure reliability and resiliency, and accelerate sustainability efforts.
For 2023, Trane is proud to announce that Trane® Connected Service and Ascend® Air-to-Water Heat Pump, Model ACX have each received Product of the Year awards from Consulting-Specifying Engineer (CSE).
Don't just replace, replace and improve. While it can be easy to swap your HVAC equipment when a failure happens, consider upgrading your systems to invest in your facility and meet organizational goals.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Hear from Trane refrigerant expert, Keri Taylor, on upcoming and ongoing changes to refrigerant use in commercial buildings, what you can do to ensure you are ready, and how Trane can help.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Decarbonization is a universal challenge for building owners to reduce emissions through energy efficiency, electrification and renewable energy. Here are six ways you can fund decarbonization efforts and grow value for your business.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Many things you do to reach sustainability goals and decarbonize are invisible - but not lighting. Choosing the right lighting solutions today will allow for bigger opportunities tomorrow. Learn about the value of lighting investments with Trane expert, Tate Honaker.
In areas with centralized airflow, like many military facilities, it can be challenging to enforce airflow practices that can help reduce mold. But there are many ways to help mitigate mold - with air-cleaning devices and more.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Trane Design Assist™ is a complimentary web-based Building Automation System design and collaboration tool. See how easy it is to collaborate and share work among colleagues, clients, and your Trane account team.
In this Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane applications engineers Eric Sturm and Greg DuChane explain the new humidity control requirement in ASHRAE® Standard 62.1.
Explore how creating an optimized, safe, and efficient learning environment in your school can lead to the opportunity for hands-on STEM learning pathways for your students of all ages.
As we work with students in the Information Age, it is easy to look up details/answers that have a specific answer. To help them develop more problem solving and critical thinking skills, facilitating discussions of topics like this that aren't as easily answered can lead to interesting and sometimes eye-opening conversations with students. In a lot of cases, we simply take things for granted and don't give a lot of thought to what's behind the scenes. Again, taking a step back to help students see connections in the bigger picture and involving local resources can be time well spent.
As organizations begin to pursue sustainability and environmental goals, Energy Savings Contracting can be a great option to help deliver the outcomes to support their goals.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
With competing priorities for limited funds, putting off infrastructure upgrades may seem like a smart choice. The following can help you determine whether it makes good fiscal sense to stay the course or consider cost-saving upgrades.
The study of energy hits all STEM subjects and includes developing an understanding of politics and environmental policy, too. We want and need affordable energy in various forms to meet demands in our daily lives, but how and where this energy is produced/delivered can sometimes create challenges.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Manufacturing for high-tech products is growing, and it seems like supply can't happen fast enough. New and retrofitted facilities, which often need to be built quickly, despite the complexity of the indoor air environment required. Developing a consultative approach can help.
For Angela (Pearse) Puent, Trane is the family business. Read the story of how her family's commitment and passion for Trane began and still lives on four generations later.
This Week from Trane: April 24, 2023.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Discover how a life-long interest in solving problems lead Jamie Simmons from a controls technician to leading a team of data analysts and the role that data played along the way.
Sustainability and decarbonization buzzwords are everywhere, but what do they all mean? Dive into the decarbonization dictionary for insight on key energy terms and how they can help you.
In this Engineers Newsletter Live, we review the factors that influence building pressure and use a model building to demonstrate several common building pressure control techniques.
Which States Stepped Up with Renewable Energy Production Last Year?
When it comes to the production of electricity by wind and solar means, one state clearly led the way by producing twice the number of gigawatts of electricity than any other state.
We know that educators are devoted to preparing kids for the future. You can help ensure that their future has a livable planet too. Learn about decarbonization and what it means for schools.
This week from Trane: April 17, 2023
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
How can sustainable, smart buildings bring value to local communities? See the results of Crosstown Concourse's sustainable infrastructure project through a collaboration with Trane on initial redesign and ongoing building and energy management.
When leaders at Beloit Unified School District 273 undertook building upgrades, they also took the opportunity to elevate STEM learning and help prepare students for future technical careers by implementing the Trane BTU Crew™ program.
Organizations face challenges to create more efficient operations and achieve sustainability goals. But it doesn't have to be a challenge. Here are 3 steps to successfully decarbonize your building and business.
Whether an outage is induced by a natural disaster, facility distress or equipment failure, having an intelligent contingency plan for your HVAC processes is indispensable.
This week from Trane: April 10, 2023
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The demand for high tech manufacturing is growing, and so are supply chain challenges. Lessen the impact of these hurdles with the right approach and partner.
District leaders wanted to reduce the building’s energy and operational costs and address indoor air quality (IAQ) concerns while increasing staff productivity. Based on their more than 20-year relationship with Trane, they turned to consultants at the building technology and energy solutions company for answers√
Connected controls and solutions use data to report and predict HVAC equipment performance. So you can react before trouble strikes. Optimize and maintain building performance with today’s building automation.
What principle building activities exhibited the largest increase in energy efficiency from 2012 to 2018? Did any show an increase in energy intensity? If so, which ones?
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The Energy Information Administration offers some statistics about how U.S. commercial buildings consume energy. How do you think most energy is used in big buildings? What is a BTU? How much is a trillion?
Trane offers personalized, data-driven strategies to help schools reduce energy and operational costs, using our portfolio of energy-efficient HVAC equipment, connected controls, and outcome-driven solutions.
You've heard the buzz about connected buildings. Providers are probably contacting you. When you’re evaluating the options, the question isn’t “What is it?” The real question is, “How will it transform my business?” Here are 10 questions to help you find out.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
In this Engineers Newsletter, Dustin Meredith, Systems Development Engineer, explains guidelines for choosing direct-expansion coils for heating and cooling in heat pump split systems.
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) is one of the largest community colleges in the country with over 30 buildings across 6 campuses.
There has been a lot of focus on the "gas vs. electric stove" discussion lately, but to really understand the big pictures as it relates to natural gas, we need to take a closer look at all of the ways we use it to do far more than just cook our food.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Effectively managing refrigerant use can be a complex task. As industry regulations evolve, innovations like the new Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric HVRF system can help achieve more ambitious decarbonization goals.
Much like Aldo Leopold's quote about the importance of understanding heat doesn't come from the furnace, many states are now looking at the resources used to provide space heating in buildings. This article from The Washington Examiner covers a proposal from New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, banning natural gas in all new buildings.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
There have been a lot of articles published over the past month from a wide variety of sources expressing views on the "gas vs electric stove" debate at the federal level. The use of natural gas, though, goes far beyond just cooking our food. Here is a series of articles that can be shared over the next two months as we take a look at energy transformation and resources that can help identify regional production/consumption data for a variety of energy sources.
Are you 'equipped' to specify modular chillers? Join us for the Q1 Trane® Engineers Newsletter LIVE to learn about modular chiller essentials including equipment considerations, systems considerations, and more.
Energy is needed to heat and cool buildings. Buildings have a carbon footprint when they consume electricity that emit carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions are common from heating of buildings with a direct fossil fuel source such as burning natural gas with furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. Buildings are also responsible for carbon emissions when they use electricity for heating and cooling which was produced by fossil fuels at the utility generation plant.
Engineers make it possible for us to get it right for both the customer and the climate. Learn how we’re supporting their growth and development through education and training, mentoring and networking, and diversity and inclusion.
With student teams in many schools around the country preparing for competition in this year's KidWind Challenge events, here is a great site that shows how wind turbines work. Have fun and good luck to the competing teams!
This article by internationally best-selling author Bernard Marr shines a spotlight on the growing need and opportunities for students in the area of data analytics. The need for data analytics skills reaches across all industries, so these are skills that all students should be learning.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Four St. Louis area cities – Des Peres, St. Ann, St. Charles, and Wentzville – are achieving an array of goals with one common solution: better building infrastructure.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Using leadership in building technology and energy solutions
to get it right for the customer and the climate.
How do you meet the needs of your data center and business today while preparing for the future? Discover the 3 of the key strategies to future-proof the sustainability of your data center.
Over the years, Steve Kujak has built internal networks at Trane and external ones through ASHRAE and AHRI, broadening his knowledge, boosting his network, and gathering tools to sharpen innovation.
Keeping students’ attention while teaching sustainability is not always easy, the article below lays out three climate-friendly tax credits coming this year, with one topic in particular that is bound to catch students’ attention and interest… “free money”.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/12/29/climate-tax-credits-clean-energy/?utm_medium=email
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Now that everyone is settled into the school year, here's a chance to do some long-range planning for you and your students. As a xc and track & field coach, I always wanted each athlete and the team to have goals for the season. This can be just as effective for students in the classroom.
Understanding how your building consumes energy is a vital step in effective energy management. Discover the process of an energy efficiency audit and how it can help you on your decarbonization journey.
Looking for a way to provide additional review for the energy lessons students are learning in the BTU Crew™ modules? Here is a short (5 min.) TED-Ed video that does a great job of pulling lots of energy and environmental topics together. I encourage you to take a look!
Together, Trane and Claremont leveraged the buildings that residents rely on most to fund community infrastructure modernization needs and accelerate decarbonization goals - without relying on additional tax dollars.
South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) partnered with the experts at Trane to reduce their building’s energy use by 41 percent while helping to improve building comfort, indoor air quality and lighting.
South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) partnered with the experts at Trane to reduce their building’s energy use by 41 percent while helping to improve building comfort, indoor air quality and lighting.
As mentioned in our January blog post, 2022 marks the 50-year anniversary of Trane’s Engineers Newsletter publication! This month we hear from EN author, Trane Systems Development Engineer Dustin Meredith.
Together, Trane and Claremont leveraged the buildings that residents rely on most to fund community infrastructure modernization needs and accelerate decarbonization goals - without relying on additional tax dollars.
Want to take the BTU Crew™ lessons regarding renewable and non-renewable energy sources a step further? Here's a fun activity that can help provide students with additional review with a little bit of competition added in!
Improve your school's energy efficiency and reduce your energy and operational costs with funding from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Learn about the timing, coverage and scope of the IIJA grant and more.
In business, access to the right information is the key to good decision making. As the world becomes increasingly networked and interconnected, the pace of business also increases, making timely access to information more important than ever.
What can you do to help ensure that your building provides an optimized environment to support well-being for students, teachers and staff as national illness rates soar?
Here's a great two-minute STEM video to help students understand the important role HVAC systems and the physics of thermodynamics taking place behind the scenes in our homes and in commercial buildings on a much larger scale.
In recent years, much attention has been focused on the concept of energy efficiency. Companies of all sizes are prioritizing decarbonization and other energy saving efforts by creating short- and long-term sustainability plans.
The changing of the seasons and approaching cold weather creates a perfect time to discuss a new way to use ice storage for the electrification of heat. And the timing is also very relevant, as US building owners can now take an investment tax credit for thermal energy storage systems!
Buildings talk, And when you understand what they’re saying, you can do a lot with that information—like reducing energy costs, carbon emissions, ensuring occupant comfort, and making a positive impact on the world. Learn more about building communication protocols, mediums and topologies, how they can be used, and where to apply them.
A lot of energy-related curricular materials focus on the various types of resources that can be used for electrical generation, but before that electricity can reach the end consumer it has to go through the grid. Just as the terms "producer" and "consumer" are used in life science classes to discuss the flow of matter & energy, these terms are also appropriate for helping students understand the electricity (and other forms of energy) must be moved from a generation site to the end consumer, so infrastructure is needed. (i.e. - electrical grid, natural gas pipelines, etc.)
Module 2 of the upper level of the Trane BTU Crew™ curriculum focuses on energy usage, so this week we want to share one of the best resources we are aware of to have accurate, virtually real-time data for Kansas and the central US region that you can share with your students. (This is an example of a lesson that can't be taught using a textbook if it is going to be relevant.)
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Heating systems that run on natural gas and other fossil fuels have been keeping America’s buildings warm for decades. But now, as many in the private and public sectors are doubling down on commitments to mitigate climate change and create more sustainable spaces, that era may be ending.
Jessica Ely grew up in Western Pennsylvania and fondly remembers visiting her grandparents on the other side of the state, near Philadelphia. Her grandfather worked in the building industry as an inspector and would often take her with him to work.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
With so many viable options for every building, knowing which ones to use and when to use them can be confusing. As a result, building communications are frequently misconstrued in the industry. To help clarify, we’re shedding light on some of these common misconceptions.
Carbon emissions (or carbon production) is a general measurement of the amount of CO2 generated through direct, indirect, or value-chain emissions. Discover the common causes of carbon emissions in buildings.
Effective learning goes beyond ensuring that you have great teachers. Empowering them with educational tools and the right learning environment plays a critical role in helping students thrive
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
From contractors to engineers to welders to maintenance and service technicians, skilled employees are the number one resource the HVAC industry depends upon most to meet the growing demand for comfortable indoor climates.
In this 3-part Insights from an Expert series, we are exploring the practical solutions Trane can provide to help you take advantage of electrified heating as a mechanism for achieving decarbonization goals. In today’s discussion, we dig into how HVAC Building Services and Intelligent Services are a critical piece of any customer’s sustainability story.
In this 3-part Insights from an Expert series, we are exploring the practical solutions Trane can provide to help you take advantage of electrified heating as a mechanism for achieving decarbonization goals. In this post, we’ll explore how energy services and controls can support you on your journey to electrification, including helping you to fund electrification projects.
In this 3-part Insights from an Expert series, we are exploring the practical solutions Trane can provide to help you take advantage of electrified heating as a mechanism to achieving decarbonization goals. We will start by exploring the portfolio of all-electric and hybrid HVAC equipment Trane can provide and popular solutions customers are exploring to achieve decarbonization goals.
What’s changed to shift the lighting conversation to consulting engineers rather than electricians? Every technology prior to LED has been based on a prescribed form factor lamp with either a filament rate or a gas discharge. These lights could simply be turned on or off.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Staying relevant in today’s competitive market can be challenging, especially since there's more to success than simply meeting traditional business goals.
Mike Leach leads building automation sales for the Florida Region. He has been with Trane since 2009 in progressive positions as Sales Engineer, Controls Operations Manager, Systems Sales Manager, and his current role. Mike is based out of the Tampa office with his wife and two daughters. He is a licensed professional engineer and has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Florida.
With temperatures rising across the globe and heatwaves becoming increasingly common, designing data centers to be resilient through extreme weather events has never been more important. But how exactly do you approach designing and building a data center today that can withstand future climate shifts?
Protecting our important data center infrastructure and making it resilient through extreme weather events is critical to our modern operating world. We must approach designing new buildings and retrofitting existing data center infrastructure to be able to withstand extreme temperatures with a sense of urgency.
As mentioned in our January blog post, 2022 marks the 50-year anniversary of Trane’s Engineers Newsletter publication! This month we hear from a frequent EN author, Trane applications engineer John Murphy.
Traditional On-Site Service utilizes on-site inspections to log the chiller operation on that specific day. This standard service method only provides an operational "snapshot in time" analysis. If you are using a typical quarterly inspection schedule, that’s 2189 hours between inspections or 6567 hours/year of no visibility to how your chiller is operating!
When talking with manufacturers about the potential costs of downtime, we regularly hear that it is difficult to quantify all the components that factor into the true cost of downtime. There are three obvious costs that most companies consider and can easily calculate:
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The changing climate means rising temperatures in many places around the world. And while many industries are feeling the impact, building resiliency in data centers is particularly critical.
Energy security is a critical driver of our nation’s ability to sustain itself on many levels. One of the pillars of energy security is resilience, which has been a focus of many federal agencies over the last few years. This resiliency consists of the ability for a consumer to rapidly recover reliable power to critical building and campus systems. Resiliency can be achieved by synchronizing redundant systems through an advanced grid infrastructure and or having the ability to “island” or operate an independent energy microgrid until reliable primary power is accessible. Additionally, with the use of renewable energy sources on, or near, the customer site and largescale upgrades of mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems to improve energy efficiency; you can appreciate both the challenges and potential of energy security for our country.
Is it October? We need to look at some monsters, but not the goblins and ghouls that come out at this time of year. We’re talking about energy monsters that take over facilities!
Sustainable practices have become a key part of the planning process when it comes to assessing building assets today. Over one-fifth of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies have net zero commitments according to the report “Taking Stock: A global assessment of net zero targets.” These companies together represent annual sales of nearly $14 trillion. While we once strived for net zero, is that enough or can we push ourselves to go further and achieve net positive?
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
When it comes to optimizing the indoor air quality (IAQ) of your building, there is more to address than simply reducing the possibility of potential virus exposure for occupants. Factors such as bacteria, mold, fungi and volatile organic compounds pose a potential risk to IAQ. Removing the source of contaminants can help support the well-being of the building’s occupants
Dana Cheney, who has had two children who have participated in the Trane BTU Crew at Beloit Jr. High School in Beloit, Kansas, shares her perspective on how the program has impacted them. The BTU Crew, a science, technology, engineering and math program (STEM) transforms schools into Virtual Living, Learning Labs (VL3) – engaging students and teachers alike. The BTU Crew’s easily integrated lessons and activities take a project-based learning (PBL) approach to ask students to identify solutions to specific challenges, helping them understand energy while expanding their analytical and problem-solving skills.
Welcome to the start of the weekly BTU Crew™ "Watt's in the News?" newsletter for 2022-2023! Most newsletters won't be this long, but I would like to take this opportunity to share the vision for what we will be working to do with this resource to help support your efforts in the classroom.
A lighting upgrade recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) is expected to reduce energy use by more than 60 percent for the Holt Public School district, which serves more than 5,000 students in nine buildings in central Michigan. The upgrades have helped to make the learning environment more comfortable: previously, overbright lighting had driven some teachers to turning classroom lights off entirely.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Streets, LLC is a family business that has provided philanthropic support and HVAC contracting for the Oklahoma City pediatric rehabilitation campus for more than 50 years.
No one wants their HVAC unit to go down, but in a manufacturing plant the cost of downtime can add up—and quickly. More than likely, you have redundancies in place for your critical process equipment. If a machine goes down, you and your staff are prepared for a seamless transition. Perhaps you keep an inventory of key parts and have a technician on 24/7 call.
The first-of many Trane Engineers Newsletters on chilled-water systems were published in 1973 with concentration on chilled and condenser system piping design. At that time, chilled-water systems had a constant-flow design. This began to change in the late 1970s as a new technology, the variable speed drive, was applied to chilled-water pumps. To educate the industry, “A Need for Variable Flow Chilled Water Systems” (1977), “Water Chiller (Control): Decoupler Variable Flow Systems” (1979), and “Chillers are Constant Flow Devices” (1980) were published. These articles provided background on primary-secondary (decoupled) systems which operated more efficiently and became common design practice for the next decade.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
How important is the air inside your school? Air quality and performance in schools have long been a concern, especially since there are more than 50 million K-12 students in America who spend, on average, 1,000 hours in school each year.
“Sustainability” is a key priority for businesses, but its broad scope can make it difficult to translate goals into action. “Decarbonization” is a deliberate set of tactics that are part of a larger sustainable business model.
As a society, we can no longer ignore the impacts of climate change. The planet is warming at a rate twice as fast as typical levels, causing an increase in extreme weather events. Business and government alike have a role to play in combating the causes of climate change to ensure we have a thriving planet for future generations.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Many of our higher education, municipal and government customers need help navigating ESSER and other funding to complete much needed upgrades. They have always had deferred maintenance on their building operations but have not had enough funding to address it. When it comes to using that funding, it looks different for each customer. Ultimately, they are facing a lot of infrastructure challenges. This includes rising rates on the energy side and the need to keep up with technology.
The school year is just around the corner, but there are lots of projects you can start now that will have a big impact on how your students, parents and staff feel about your building.
Data from Trane shows that 40-60% of truck rolls can be prevented with remote monitoring by factory-trained HVAC technicians. It may sound cost-effective to contract HVAC service with your refrigeration vendor. But we’ll show you why it’s the opposite. Modern mechanical systems are complex, and refrigeration technicians aren’t equipped to solve most issues. Trial and error at several hundred dollars a pop can add up quickly—in dollars, downtime and carbon emissions.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Industry 4.0 is here and is dramatically changing how industrial facilities are managed. Just as our watches have evolved from telling time and counting steps to sending text messages, measuring our heart rate and exercise and providing weather updates, building maintenance and management has evolved significantly as well. New products and technologies are being integrated into production facilities and throughout building operations.
It is the situation no one wants to encounter; your system breaks down and equipment isn’t readily available. Along with, regulations regarding emissions and proper refrigerant handling and leak reporting can be costly mistakes if completed wrong. You may be saying this won’t happen to me, but the possibility is most likely will if your building is not properly maintained.
Now a mechanical engineer and Director of Operations at Net Positive Consulting Engineers in Clovis, California, Hannah Brigdon, P.E., has a great career. Still, without a blunt conversation with an engineering professor, she might have gone in a different direction.
When leaders at Powhatan County were adding a new school building, they wanted to address a host of deferred maintenance issues that plagued four existing dark and gloomy school buildings before the new school building opened its doors. Powhatan County Public Schools leaders wanted to upgrade these existing buildings to create an equitable, optimized learning environment for all district students. Since the district lacked additional funding, Trane helped them fund the upgrades with future energy savings using a performance contract. The upgrades helped to improve the teaching and learning environment, enhancing comfort and indoor air quality while decreasing energy use and operational costs. Upgrades reduced energy costs by more than 20 percent and cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3.3 million pounds of CO2.
There is a need to fill the talent pipeline for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related jobs. Trane has a solution to help with this. The Trane Virtual Living Learning Lab (VL3) offers an innovative approach that turns your building into a broad-based learning tool for students, to help them be more prepared for their future careers.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Air Mechanical and Service Corp. (AMSCO) in Orlando likes big jobs. Part of a state-wide company, AMSCO Orlando specializes high-profile projects, often for local governments in Orlando, Orange and Seminole counties: schools, city and county buildings, courthouses.
The need to holistically assess and optimize indoor air quality (IAQ) as part of your building’s indoor environmental quality (IEQ) program represents more than just a pandemic-response requirement. It can be key to employee health/wellbeing and business success.
President Biden’s administration has issued a variety of Executive Orders to address climate change. Through its Federal Sustainability Plan, the administration has “set a range of ambitious goals to deliver an emissions reduction pathway” to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by 2030. To successfully track progress on this goal, a standardized method of measurement is needed.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
As part of our mission to grow the pipeline from grade school to careers in emerging heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology, Trane offers hands-on education opportunities for students. Customers can leverage their projects for real and rigorous student learning through the Trane Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Capstone Program.
Given all these considerations, how can organizations reduce their risk? The opportunity cost of unplanned downtime can be devastating. Whether a cooling unit is down for a day or for a week can have enormous consequences: lost revenues, damaged product or inventories, lower employee satisfaction, slower speed to market and more. For example, if a chiller goes down for one day that might mean $1 million in lost revenues. But if that chiller can’t be serviced for four days, the lost revenue is significantly greater—to the tune of $4 million.
Imagine, if you will, a hospital without power. Severe weather took down the power lines leading to the hospital, or a cyber-attack destroyed the power station and the emergency generator stopped working. Whatever the reason, the hospital is now extremely limited in its ability to treat patients. Operating room staff are scrambling to find lights so they can finish surgeries. Nurses are using flashlights while trying to triage patients. Electronic medical records are instantly inaccessible.
The warmth of the summer sun feels terrific after a lengthy, frigid winter but when it gets to be too much an escape to the cool, refreshing indoor air conditioning is a welcomed break. And living in western Wisconsin I can surely claim I enjoy both -- nothing feels more rejuvenating than an air-conditioned space after a hot, sunny day on the Mississippi River! My name is Dan Gentry, and I recently celebrated my five-year anniversary with Trane; I started my career with the company in the Centrifugal Product Support group. Previously, I worked in sales support at another chiller manufacturer where I primarily focused on heat recovery and heat pump type systems. About a year ago in the spirit of leveraging and strengthening my work experience, I transitioned to the role of Applications Engineer and now work with the field to help design energy efficient systems, many of which utilize some form of heat recovery, often with heat recovery chillers.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
For some students, combining Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning with competition can be a game changer, getting them more fully engaged and committed to learning. This hands-on learning approach can set students up for success in the classroom, and in STEM competitions, while fostering their interest in future STEM careers.
Few organizations need to consider energy resiliency more than a hospital. An essential service of any community, the pandemic showed us firsthand the important role hospitals play in times of crisis. It also thrust facility management into the spotlight and illustrated how the health of our buildings — things like airflow control and ventilation — play an important role in our health outcomes.
Since we spend an estimated 94 percent of our time indoors , indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is critical. Along with indoor air quality, thermal comfort and acoustics, lighting represents one of four key factors comprising IEQ. The right lighting offers a wealth of benefits so it can play a powerful role in determining your building’s IEQ.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
We have all been there. It’s a hot summer day, and you go into the supermarket to buy a few items for your backyard cookout—but as you move from produce to chips to the frozen aisles you become progressively more uncomfortable as the temperature and humidity within the space drastically swing. (Say it with me: shivering shoppers don’t shop long.)
The recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)) – provides $550 billion to State and Local Governments to improve infrastructure throughout the nation. $62 billion of this funding has been allocated to the Department of Energy (DOE) to fund clean energy innovation, provide affordable and reliable energy, improve grid resiliency, fight climate change and create good-paying jobs in related industries. Through these programs, State and Local governments can:
Recently, federal funds have been committed to State and Local Governments to help America recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and help improve infrastructure throughout the nation. When used to modernize and enhance the public spaces residents rely on the most, these investments can have ripple effects, improving the environmental, social, and economic health of communities. Simply put – better building infrastructure helps to creates better communities.
In the wake of the recent pandemic and increasing instances of natural disasters, emerges the need to redefine what it means to be a “smart city.” Today, smart communities are the ones that invest in people-first solutions that enhance equity and quality of life. Ensuring community members have access to healthy environments, reliably comfortable public facilities, and safe spaces to seek shelter in the face of crisis are just a few examples of ways civic leaders are investing in these solutions today.
The federal government has extensive mission-critical facilities that continued to operate throughout this historic pandemic. These facilities rely on complex climate control systems to ensure indoor environmental quality remains consistent day to day and season to season. Simply put, these critical facilities cannot fail. Establishing redundancy and controls to ensure critical building infrastructure remains consistent in times of man-made or natural disasters is important for the safety and resilience of our communities.
Trailblazing, as Robyn Boling sees it, requires a combination of determination, opportunity, and support.
Boling was recently honored by a Manufacturing Institute with a STEP Ahead Award for her own trailblazing career. She is the first female ductless HVAC technical specialist in her region for Trane — by Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT), a global climate innovator.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane employees in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve. This week’s weekly wrap from Trane
Hello Summer! The heat and humidity of the season is finally knocking on our door. This means that our heavy lemon juice consumption season is coming to sporting events, neighborhood fundraisers, and local festivals. Speaking of juice, in our July Engineer Newsletter Blog, we will quickly browse through our past newsletters and other literature on refrigerants, the so-called “magic juice” inside air conditioners.
Packaged rooftop unit replacements often offer opportunities beyond the immediate need to replace end-of-life equipment. Important benefits to consider when selecting an appropriate replacement unit include reduced maintenance expenses, increased efficiency, reduced carbon footprint and upgraded capabilities.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Everyone’s talking about decarbonization these days, and for good reason. Leaders across the grocery industry are responding to a groundswell of pressure from consumers, investors and regulators (not to mention their own children)—by setting emissions targets.
Under the Buy American Act, federal agencies are required to use products manufactured in the United States for any contract performed within the U.S. While this law dates back to 1933, the exact requirements are continually changing, making it difficult for federal organizations and agencies to keep up.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
I really enjoy working with sales, Trane Rental Services Technical Support, and Trane Rental Services Operations teams to provide solutions for complex commercial/industrial HVAC applications that help our customers. I like the aspect of working with multiple teams across the business; especially cross-functional teams. I enjoy learning and that’s exactly what these complex applications force me to do. I learn about doing load calculations and such so we can meet the exact needs of our customers.
The Healthcare industry has been concerned about indoor air quality (IAQ) for decades. Infection control and the rise of indoor infectious diseases made ventilation, HVAC, and filtration paramount. More recent global outbreaks accentuated the need to maintain or improve IAQ and how to help detect, remove, dilute, and disinfect pathogenic organisms from the hospital environment.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, electrification, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
With customer needs, like cost reduction or resiliency planning, carbon reduction or infrastructure upgrades likely already a moving target at your facilities, how can you stay ahead of the game?
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane employees in our weekly blog round up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve. This week’s weekly wrap from Trane:
In Her Words is a three-part series highlighting the Manufacturing Institute’s 2022 STEP Ahead Award Honorees and Emerging Leaders. The STEP Ahead Awards “recognize women in science, technology, engineering and production careers who exemplify leadership within their companies. This national honor identifies top talent in the manufacturing industry and further encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue modern manufacturing careers. The STEP Ahead Awards give women across the country a platform to showcase the incredible opportunities the industry has to offer, whether they are running the company, designing the next big product or testing innovations on the shop floor.
As summer break commences, school district leaders face unprecedented challenges from staffing to supply shortages to rising inflation. The U.S. Department of Education recognized the mounting concerns and notified the American Association of School Superintendents (AASA) leadership that it will allow a timeline extension for American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funded school facilities and construction projects.
It is June and we are half-way through our Engineers Newsletter 50th anniversary celebration! As the temperature and humidity begin to rise, our appreciation for air-cooling equipment increases. One of the most prevalent cooling systems applied in our homes and small buildings are direct expansion (DX) split systems. Over the years, seven percent of the Engineering Newsletters have covered topics involving split systems. According to one EN, a split-system is nothing more than a packaged unit split in half, one half staying on the roof and the other half moved indoors into a central station air handler. While this is not always the case, it is a good place to start.
As public and private pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increases across industries, restaurants face several challenges to create more sustainable operations.
IEQ vs. IAQ: Because their acronyms are so similar, these two concepts can easily be confused. In practice, while good indoor air quality or IAQ, is important, it’s just one critical component of creating a comfortable indoor space for occupants. After all, in the classic fairy tale, even if Goldilocks was breathing quality indoor air, if she also found the Three Bears’ home too cold, too dark or too loud – she would still be uncomfortable.
Kelly Maniar, LEED AP, is a systems account manager in Orlando, Florida. With 17 years of experience working for Trane, she reports that she has “sold every product Trane makes!” Learn more about Kelly and how she loves connecting to her customers in this spotlight of women in construction.
We can help people balance out reliability, resilience, energy emissions and operational goals without giving something up by starting with due diligence. We get into their buildings, ask people questions, and determine some of their issues and identify the best solutions to balance their needs. So, if they need an air handling unit replaced, for example, we try to make sure that it’s going to at least maintain or preferably improve their indoor environment.
The biggest benefit the BTU Crew offers is that it opens students’ eyes to possible jobs/careers that they never knew existed, especially in the renewable energy field. They also learn how energy how can directly impact their lives in the future, what their energy bills are going to look like, for example.
Smart design with new systems can often provide reasonable paybacks. Trane has a team of people that do this type of work every day. We evaluate buildings and listen to owners’ needs to identify comprehensive solutions to address these challenges.
In Her Words is a three-part series highlighting the Manufacturing Institute’s 2022 STEP Ahead Award Honorees and Emerging Leaders. The STEP Ahead Awards “recognize women in science, technology, engineering and production careers who exemplify leadership within their companies. This national honor identifies top talent in the manufacturing industry and further encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue modern manufacturing careers. The STEP Ahead Awards give women across the country a platform to showcase the incredible opportunities the industry has to offer, whether they are running the company, designing the next big product or testing innovations on the shop floor.”
In November 2021, the Federal Government established the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act (IIJA). Commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and touted as a “once-in-a-generation level of funding,” this bill aims deliver $1.2 trillion to rebuild roads and bridges, ensure access to safe drinking water and broadband, and improve America’s ports, airports, rails, and roads.
When you’re working with a supplier to solve a problem do you ever feel like you’re being offered an “off the shelf” solution that doesn’t quite fit your unique needs?
Us, too. That’s why we developed Wayform™ by Trane®, a new consultative approach that provides you with a personalized, outcome-driven plan based on your performance objectives and building needs.
It’s also important to be there – always. I have a philosophy: if my phone rings, I'm going to answer it. That’s because I never know what the situation may be. It may be that a chiller is down, or it may be that a customer needs a quick answer on how they’re going to do their funding. So, it is critical to always be there, listen, and bring our full resources to the table to assist.
I always want to leave things better than when I found them. I think every customer wants to do the right thing when it comes to spending money, improving indoor air quality, improving their facilities and leaving a legacy. I think every person has that same goal of making an impact and leaving things better. Personally, I absolutely can do that every day in my job with Trane.
Hooray, it’s May! This reminds me of May flowers and “May the 4th” for you Star Wars™ fans. For those of us living in northern climates, the flowers have started to bloom, and it is time to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and nature. My name is Chris Hsieh and I have been with Trane® for the past 25 years. Throughout my time with Trane, I have supported a variety of initiatives, notably the international service market, Six Sigma projects, green buildings industry, and TRACE® energy modeling. My current role is as an applications engineer with a focus on airside and indoor air quality (IAQ) issues.
Managing restaurant buildings is a complex job. From hot kitchens to drafty dining rooms, and heat and moisture-producing equipment, there is a lot happening in a small space. The fact is the overall comfort and environment inside of a restaurant can have as much impact on getting return customers as the food.
Hear from building and energy expert Dane Taival, vice president of Digital & Energy Services for Commercial HVAC Americas, about how Trane helps serve our customers and their building's energy needs.
Lake Erie College was established in 1856. So, it’s no surprise the northeast Ohio campus has a wide range of HVAC equipment: chillers, hot water boilers, pneumatic systems…pretty much everything.
At Trane, everything starts with engineering and Lindsay D’Albani is one of our best. D’Albani is a Senior Test Engineer in Clarksville, Tennessee and loves her engineering career at Trane because it’s flexible, interesting, and collaborative.
When it comes to optimizing your building performance, there are so many options, yet so little time. It can make good strategic and fiscal sense to partner with a trusted energy service provider to help you save energy, improve operating costs and reduce carbon emissions. But, how do you know what to look for in a partner? Found out the four key offerings to look for in an energy service partner.
Building wellness isn’t just about limiting the spread of COVID-19. For parents & educators, it’s about addressing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) to create healthier learning spaces.
Wellsphere brings a more human and holistic approach to improving IEQ. Scott Huffmaster explains what you need to consider.
As the leader of the Intelligent Services program, Kurt drives the development and implementation of innovations directly linked to the optimization of client facilities. Learn about the steps he suggests taking to help you determine whether it makes good fiscal sense to stay the course or consider cost-saving upgrades for your K-12 building.
Together with Trane and Trane Technologies, the Neiman Marcus Group marks Earth Day by taking its New York City landmark building Bergdorf Goodman Women’s Store from gas power to fully electric power, for a greener-energy future. Take a look at this vital step in their highly customized decarbonization journey.
As an expert in comprehensive solutions and energy-based projects, Larry works closely with Trane's strategic clients to solve energy and infrastructure challenges, Learn how Larry's expertise in building and energy helps Trane customers reach their goals.
Adele Glaser is a Services Sales Leader in Pine Brook, New Jersey, and loves that Trane is so focused on great engineering. It’s a series of increasingly complex puzzles for her. She knows the answers are out there, she just has to dig deep to find them.
Customers are trying to balance their people and running whatever their business or operation does, while also caring about energy. In this environment where supply chain is crazy and there's not an end in sight, I think customers are really trying to figure out, “how do I, in the short, medium and long term, do the right thing?”
Lake Erie College took a step outside the box and is reaping the rewards. Founded in 1856, the school is based in Painesville, Ohio, about 30 miles from Cleveland. It’s the only four-year college in Lake County, giving the institution’s leadership, faculty, and staff an additional layer of responsibility for their community.
Spring has sprung, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere…for the 50th time since the Engineers Newsletters (EN) was first published in 1972! Be sure to get outside and enjoy the change of seasons. Right now, though, stay here for my segment around history of the Engineers Newsletters publications.
Connecting your building doesn’t need to be complex, these five considerations can help you to have a conversation with a controls provider, like Trane, to design a system to meet your needs.
Sarah WilkeApril 11, 2022
Blog
Any idea how hot your warehouse might get on the hottest summer day? We understand if that question isn’t even on your radar right now given the challenges in warehouse supply chain and real estate.
Any idea how hot your warehouse might get on the hottest summer day? We understand if that question isn’t even on your radar right now given the challenges in warehouse supply chain and real estate.
What really drew me in to be a sales engineer is that it’s a way to apply technical solutions in a really dynamic setting. I could take something technical — I could be still stimulating that left side of the brain and still enjoying that — while being in a social environment every day and applying it. So, it was the challenge, the variety, and the mix of technical and real-world applications.
If you wish your building performed more efficiently and sustainability but don’t know how to get there, Wayform by Trane can help. Wayform is our people focused approach to delivering operational and energy outcomes that provides you with a trusted partner committed to developing customized building and energy solutions for your building.
When you choose Trane to improve the indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency of your K-12 school building, you also get the opportunity to add Trane’s BTU Crew™ interactive lessons to your school. This educational program transforms your school into a living-learning energy lab that helps amplify students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as future STEM careers.
It seems like almost every customer has targeted specific environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals today. While these goals are easy to identify, they can be challenging to achieve. That’s one area where we can help - whether it's reducing energy, improving comfort, delivering against decarbonization or other sustainability goals. Trane systems deliver against those key performance indicators (KPIs) and make our customers business better at the same time.
At Trane we get excited about engineering because it allows us to do things nobody has ever done before. For Kristin Sullivan, Senior Engineering Manager in La Crosse, Wisconsin, leading her team to take on new challenges, and finding creative ways to solve them, is just a great day at the office.
Running a successful restaurant means making a million decisions daily. Ordering, staffing, menu planning, the list can seem never-ending. What if I told you that simple changes to your HVAC system could not only make it easier to operate your building’s energy systems, but could also save money?
To protect community health and lower greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, some areas of California are regulating the nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions of commercial furnaces.
When school superintendent Blake A. Vargas stepped into his new role leading Caney Valley Unified School District 436, multiple challenges faced the Kansas school district. Beyond the district’s deferred maintenance issues, including unreliable and inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, the district lacked sufficient cash to meet day-to-day operating expenses—much less address necessary building improvements. Aware he needed a holistic solution that addressed far more than simply building systems and services, Vargas vetted his options and ultimately engaged Trane. He knew that Trane could help the district develop a master plan that assessed needs, identified the best solutions and uncovered the best funding options.
The Trane Rental Services team is a small and passionate group. The team can wear many hats. In order to get to know the team better these spotlights highlight team members and their roles. From the Operations team to customer support these spotlights will let you know more about the Rental Services Team.
Here's a great resource from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) that you and your students can use to find out more about energy production and consumption trends in your state. Before you have students reference this site, ask them: "What do you think are the top three energy sources our state produces? What are the top three sources that are consumed?"
Beth Rovazzini has been in charge of Indianapolis-based B&W Plumbing and Heating for 40 years. It’s a family business, first established in her parents’ garage in 1961. Growing up, Beth never thought she would take over the company – that would be her older brother’s job. She went to college at Indiana University and earned her degree in accounting.
When joining Trane in 2000, with a background in electrical engineering, I found the Engineers Newsletters helpful in expanding my knowledge in the HVAC realm. The content was educational, timely, and well thought out with just enough technical detail to point me in the right direction and kick start my learning. It is an honor to be an EN author myself—having now authored or co-authored three newsletters. I hope to help Trane continue this goal of concise, timely education for many years to come.
When K-12 students learn about science, technology and math (STEM) at school, that early exposure increases their interest in pursuing STEM careers . That’s why we developed the BTU Crew - a STEM education program just for K-12 students.
Many light commercial buildings have traditionally used several single-zone, packaged rooftop units with thermostats—often because better systems were thought to be too complicated and/or too expensive to install. If “zoning” was desired in these buildings, a changeover bypass system was traditionally used; this system allowed a single rooftop unit to provide independent temperature control to several zones. However, it used a constant-speed supply fan and a centralized bypass damper, resulting in higher energy use and sound levels than other system alternatives.
Kasey Boxleitner has more than five years’ experience doing her part to improve the energy efficiency of the world by designing and implementing HVAC solutions for our commercial building customers. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison She is past president of the university’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and currently serves on the chapter’s board of directors. She also volunteers for the university’s Women in Mechanical Engineering Mentor Program.
Often, a central chilled water plant can be one of the most critical systems within a facility, especially during facility operations—so wouldn’t it be logical for the design and installation of these plants be considered critical as well?
Expecting a central plant to be reliable is a given, so it makes sense that the steps leading up to the startup of that first compressor be as reliable as possible, too. Putting standard work practices, pre-engineered sequences and documentation into place can go a long way in helping to ensure the reliability of the chilled water plant.
Since its inception, Trane® has strived to provide objective and useful information to engineers and contractors. Early examples include numerous bulletins covering new systems and equipment. In addition, the company began publishing the Trane Air Conditioning Manual in 1938.
This year, there has been a lot of news around thermal energy storage as a way to reduce carbon emissions, and for good reason. Read more for two of the latest trends.
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.
Precisely maintained indoor environments make indoor growing operations highly efficient. They consume up to 95% less water, use less fertilizer and pesticide and are hundreds of times more productive per square foot compared to traditional farming methods. And growers don’t need to worry about Mother Nature spoiling the harvest.
Join podcast host, Portia Mount, vice president of marketing at Trane, and three guests from leading global design and architecture firm, Corgan — David Euscher, vice president; Sangeetha Karthik, associate principal; and AJ Sustaita, vice president — who wake up every morning thinking about how to create the best K-12 learning environments. These education design experts share an industry insider’s view as they lay out how to create effective and inclusive educational spaces for today’s highly engaged students.
Haley Whiting is an apprentice pipefitter in Chicago – Union Local 597. She’s been working in the trades for nearly five years and, in her early 30s, is one of the older apprentices. Her career started off in one direction before the construction industry finally found her.
A communication protocol is a set of rules used to share data. An open protocol means the communication rules are publicly available. Using an open protocol is a good first step but can become complicated if a single vendor owns the protocol. That vendor could keep some of the features for only their products, making it less open than would first appear. Or worse, the vendor may change the protocol leaving existing systems in a state where an upgrade may break existing interoperability.
In response to COVID’s impact on our schools nationwide, the U.S. Department of Education has stepped in to provide an unprecedented amount of funding as part of its American Rescue Plan (ARP). Through this funding, community colleges around the nation received over $40 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF III) to address the financial burden faced by institutions of higher learning and students alike.
Join Anisa Heming, Director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, and Wanyu Rengie Chan, Ph.D, Healthy Schools Research Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as they unpack the latest studies and best practices in IEQ for K-12 school buildings.
As part of a holistic approach to building wellness, an energy service company such as Trane can help school leaders access unprecedented funding currently available to optimize indoor spaces in schools. Additionally, Trane can help leaders prepare a long-term replacement strategy should they be hit with a natural disaster or other surprises.
How has technical education changed and why should parents, students, businesses and communities consider a technical career pathway an important opportunity?
Prairie Trails School is on track to save more than $32,000 a year in annual gas and electricity costs while offering optimized indoor air quality and reliable, energy efficient performance.
When it comes to building automation systems, not all uses of the term “open system” are equal. When talking about open systems, definitions typically fall into three categories: open distribution, open protocols, and open service. This blog explores open distribution.
Technology and material advancements have been making buildings consistently more sustainable for decades. Some of what’s possible is truly remarkable. There are solutions readily available today that can reduce emissions while paying back building owners with financial benefits.
Why has the U.S. PK-12 school facilities’ funding gap increased to a staggering $85 billion a year — when the learning environment is more critical than ever — and what can be done about it? Join Mary Filardo, Executive Director of the 21st Century School Fund and Rachel Hodgdon, CEO of the International Well Building Institute®, as they delve into their organizations’ 2021 State of Our Schools Report.
Even well before the global pandemic, researchers reported that maintaining proper indoor air quality (IAQ) can help reduce absenteeism, affect test scores, and enhance student and staff perceptions of productivity. According to a literature review published in 2005 in Indoor Air Journal , evidence suggests that poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools is common and adversely influences the performance and attendance of students, primarily through health effects from indoor pollutants.
Cameron Griffith offers 15 years of energy services consulting experience helping customers leverage their buildings to meet improve their business performance. Cameron helps building owners meet or exceed business outcomes, using buildings as a resource to maximize asset potential.
Typically when people think of “healthier indoor spaces” they are referring to the filtration or other air cleaning technologies. What many people don’t realize is that the health of their spaces is so much more that that. It starts with thermal comfort, ie the temperature and humidity in the space. ASHRAE has tons of research that shows that there are optimal ranges for temperature and humidity to keep occupants comfortable and prevent the spread of viruses, bacteria and other microbials.
How can schools leverage tomorrow’s energy savings to fund today’s K-12 school building improvements — and what risks are associated with these types of projects?
Join Dr. Timothy Unruh, Executive Director for the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO®), as he dives into the ins and outs of this funding vehicle known as an energy savings performance contract.
Multiple studies have shown that the more comfortable people are, the more productive they become. Some applications, like healthcare, retail stores, grocery stores, and schools may have unique requirements related to one or more of the thermal comfort parameters for the comfort of the people – or food – inside their buildings.
There is not a silver bullet when addressing IEQ or IAQ issues. Every building is different, and every customer is different. It is important to assess each building to determine existing conditions of the space. It is also important to understand key factors from the customer (efficacy against pathogens, energy efficiency, mold/mildew mitigation, improved productivity, comfort issues, etc.). Most projects require a layered approach to meet the unique needs of the customer and their building’s current state.
A new report from the International Well Building Institute (IWBI), State of Our Schools 2021, shows a projected annual shortfall of $85 billion in annual U.S. K-12 public school facility funding, despite significant local and state efforts to deliver healthy and safe public-school buildings. This shortfall represents a nearly 80 percent increase since 2016 according to the report by the 21st Century School Fund, IWBI and the National Council on School Facilities.
The current education stimulus funding represents the United States’ largest-ever investment in infrastructure upgrade opportunities for K-12 schools. (Source) These unprecedented stimulus funds can be leveraged for facility upgrades including indoor air quality improvements. As the district’s trusted facility advisor, one of the most important things you can do is help your school make the right decisions when it comes to funding district needs.
Hear from Scott Huffmaster, North America Sales Leader for Healthy Spaces with Trane, as he talks about what’s now, what’s new and what’s next for IEQ.
When CORE Fitness in Providence, Rhode Island, began transforming an old brownstone into an upscale fitness center they turned to Coldmasters and Trane. Specializing in cycling, weight training and boxing classes, CORE knows the importance of bringing individualized comfort to its clients.
We talked with 3 superintendents from around the country to learn how their school districts are leveraging federal funding to improve building infrastructure for the upcoming school year and beyond.
We talked with 3 superintendents from around the country about how federal stimulus funds offer an opportunity to upgrade facilities in ways that will leave a lasting positive impact for generations to come.
We talked with 3 superintendents from around the country about the many long-term benefits of thoughtful infrastructure improvements, specifically for students today and of future generations.
Many schools realized that their systems, particularly mechanical and HVAC systems, were not capable of handling the CDC- and ASHRAE-recommended modifications during the pandemic, such as increasing outdoor air. Especially in the Northeast, systems are not built to handle 100 percent outdoor air in the dead of winter. Therefore, it made schools consider more holistic and creative ways of preparing their classrooms for teachers and students, such as air cleaners or better controls strategies.
Our sense of smell has been a powerful motivator throughout human history. This natural olfactory instinct can drive the decisions we make - whether they’re good, bad or indifferent. So, when it comes to restaurants and kitchens, help ensure customers only get the very best of the smells in your building.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the importance indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has on the comfort and well-being of people inside. It’s been an issue for a lot longer, though. So long, it even has a name: Sick Building Syndrome. Sick Building Syndrome is a condition affecting office workers attributed to poorly managed facilities or stressful factors in the working environment such as poor ventilation.
School systems across the country displayed superhuman creativity and resolve to make distance learning possible during the pandemic. Despite the herculean effort, 97% of educators believe students have suffered at least some learning disruption, with more than half believing that loss was significant1. In-person learning remains the most productive K12 educational environment.
Chances are you’ve heard about decarbonization and electrification: two six-syllable words that may sound like a weird new diet. They are in a way – but for fossil fuel consumption, not calories. And engineers and building owners should be paying attention.
The 2020 pandemic magnified that buildings — along with the operations they house — are vulnerable to unseen health threats. Now more than ever, addressing people’s confidence and comfort inside a building can be core to business success and a vital part of a building’s value proposition, and its marketability. Taking the right long-term approach to your building’s indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can help you ensure your building’s wellness, and more importantly, the well-being of its occupants.
When it comes to building automation systems, not all uses of the term “open system” are equal. The following tips can help you identify the most critical open system capabilities so you can make an informed decision for your building or project’s needs.When it comes to building automation systems, not all uses of the term “open system” are equal. The following tips can help you identify the most critical open system capabilities so you can make an informed decision for your building or project’s needs.
Restaurant owners and facility managers are among many who know how to deliver on cleaner environments. Their businesses are built on it and can easily be shut down because of it. Creating a worry-free dining experience and communicating that dedication to customers is fast becoming a marketing tactic to help obtain and keep customers.
Life is slowly returning to normal, as more and more people are coming together in their favorite eating places. For restaurant owners and facility managers this uptick in indoor dining is a good sign after taking a $240 billion hit from pandemic shutdowns1. For many, recovery will take years.
But that recovery is happening, which is why many building owners and facility managers are working to ensure they are creating inviting, comfortable dining spaces where customers can breathe easy.
“It’s more than good food that will bring customers back inside,” Greg DuChane, Trane Restaurant Vertical market leader and engineer said. “Restaurants will need to ensure both their employees and customers feel confident indoors. People are ready to dine again and ensuring worry-free dining will be a key marketing strategy in many areas.”
As we begin to transition into a post-pandemic world, indoor air quality (IAQ) continues to be a central focus for us, our customers and the world. While people collectively consider how and when to safely return to buildings, addressing airborne health risks in indoor spaces is a top priority.
A broken HVAC chiller. Mold issues. 500 students needing to return to school. The pressures around managing aging schools are never-ending and are further complicated when buildings close due to faulty or broken systems.
For an Alabama elementary school, this was a reality. A two-month replacement lead time only made it worse.
The COVID-19 pandemic marked the beginning of changes for in-person learning and activities the likes of which have never been seen before in the State of New York. As thousands of K-12 schools closed and students, families and staff prepared for self-quarantine and limited social interactions, superintendents were confronted with complex and, in some cases, conflicting challenges.
Re-opening schools required improving indoor air quality (IAQ) to mitigate health risks for a safer in-person learning environment. Located in an industrial center that generates airborne particulates and odors that preclude opening windows, the district also faced budgetary constraints. Additionally, the district’s outdated (HVAC) heating, ventilation and air conditioning system couldn’t support use of ASHRAE®-recommended MERV 13 filters.
The importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) has truly changed. IAQ is now seen as a critical factor in determining the overall health of your building and addressing the well-being of those who occupy it. Even prior to 2020, EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicated that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels.
In response, many building owners, managers and tenants are seeking validation through independent healthy building certifications and recognition. One of the leading organizations in the field is the International Well Building Institute® (IWBI).
As a proud member of the IWBI, Trane® is actively engaged with the organization. We are sharing research and latest innovations, working together to solve today’s IEQ challenges.
As vaccine manufacturers continue to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, thousands of health care networks, hospitals, and large and small pharmacy groups around the world are working to properly receive and house the critical cargo, which has unique and specific cold storage requirements.
In the past year we have faced many challenges, not the least of which has been a global health crisis which continues to take its toll on our communities. The pandemic has raised awareness of the general indoor air quality (IAQ) topic, including not only aspects related to pathogens like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but also aspects related to other contaminants (dust, allergens, volatile organic compounds, etc.). People were already spending almost 95% of their time in enclosed spaces , and this percentage became even higher with the pandemic, so IAQ and the technologies that can preserve or improve it have taken center stage.
As 2021 unfolds, it may be safe to say that indoor environments have never received quite as much attention as they have now, particularly the environmental quality of enclosed spaces. People who may not have previously recognized the value of your role in the building industry might now be showing greater appreciation, or even pelting you with questions.
We know you want to get students back into classrooms as safely and as quickly as possible — and keep them there safely — and we want to help you through this monumental effort.
Schools, including K-12 institutions, can now take advantage of more than $80 billion in funding within the Education Stabilization Fund to improve their learning environment — including optimizing their indoor air quality (IAQ).
Imagine being able to hit one “shutdown” button, to manage the process of preparing those dozens, hundreds or even thousands of facilities for a shutdown. A manager responsible for approximately 200 retail facilities, most of them including commercial kitchens, for example, recently became the envy of his fellow facility managers when he shared during a pandemic update that he was able to do just that: complete what was essentially a “one-button shutdown.”
To support building owners and others navigating this new IEQ era, Trane recently launched the Wellsphere platform. Designed to offer high-level thinking around IEQ, Wellsphere is our holistic approach to building wellness.
With COVID-19-related cases continuing across the nation, many businesses remain focused on safely operating and maintaining their buildings. In some cases, small changes are making big improvements and in others, long-term building health is getting much-needed attention.
It’s critical for organizations to have an effective, proactive power and HVAC contingency plan in place. Not only can it reduce financial risk, the contingency plan can help protect the health and safety of building occupants and increase peace of mind for the organization and its stakeholders.
The trend to decarbonize is transforming the U.S. power grid. The grid increasingly depends less upon fossil fuels and more upon distributed energy resources or technologies such as solar photovoltaic and offshore wind alongside new energy efficiency, demand response, energy storage and other customer-based technologies.
With 2020 driving unprecedented demands – at work and home – you may not yet have prepared your building for colder days.
There’s still time! Here are a few tips and recommendations from Trane® building professionals that can help you save energy and lower your utility bills during the colder months ahead.
More popular than “toilet paper in April.” That’s how a recent CNBC story described the current shortage in high quality air filtration systems, many of which are currently back ordered. Due to COVID-19 and the subsequent ASHRAE® guidance to upgrade filtration to MERV 13 or greater, demand for MERV 13 pleated filters has hit unprecedented levels. Complicating this demand, both MERV 13 pleated filters and high-demand N95 masks depend on the same media: high electrostatic non-woven polypropylene fiber.
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology is becoming an increasingly common choice for commercial HVAC projects through its ability to provide outstanding efficiencies to not only the end user, but to engineers as well as contractors. Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric is uniquely positioned to offer complete VRF system solutions, including all VRF and ductless equipment, an integrated controls platform, Tracer® SC+ and industry-leading expertise you can rely on.
Learn how you can get ahead of future strains on the power grid – whether due to temperature spikes, intermittent or variable renewable resources, or raging wild fires Discover why and how to optimize your building’s grid resiliency from systems, services and controls to energy sources.
With HVAC demand expected to triple by 2050, connected buildings that incorporate digital controls will play a crucial role in ensuring ongoing efficient energy management and sustainable building operations
When it comes to VRF installation, risk management is crucial. Contractors want to know their partners have the experience and information to help guide them from system installation to building opening. That’s why Trane offers a one-stop solution that includes a vast product portfolio featuring Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF technology, backed by the knowledge and expertise of industry leaders.
Qualified districts may be able to complete IAQ projects immediately by bundling the cost of an IAQ Assessment, pertinent solutions and even ongoing service into one convenient financing solution, provided by Trane.
Available grant money may provide the funding schools need to improve air flow, filtration and air cleaning technology that can help mitigate the spread of airborne pathogens,
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.
Working outside the confines of a professional, well-designed office space can be chaotic for an engineer (or anyone) who thrives on process and organization. While working remotely from home, Ken Durham, Trane’s Regional Operational Excellence Leader for the Pacific Southwest, took steps to restore his sense of order, and his advice can help anyone do the same.
While masking, surface cleaning and social distancing can help mitigate potential virus spread, considering other measures can help restauranteurs reduce potential spread of certain airborne virus in a restaurant environment.
Discover how Trane partnered with Crosstown Concourse, a mixed-use development in Memphis, Tennessee, to enable optimal daily operations, tracks tenant energy use, troubleshoots issues, and more through connectivity.
Connectivity can drive significant results for building owners and managers. After all, connected buildings open the door to better service and technology for building owners and managers. Insightful data allows for solutions that improve a building’s performance — including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy savings, and helping building owners make the right decisions for both their facilities and the planet.
As we talk to customers today, it’s easy to recognize they’re being asked to think differently. Our products and services must also morph to meet these new challenges and opportunities. What used to be a seemingly endless drive towards energy efficiency is now a balance between indoor air quality and energy efficiency – and connectivity will play a huge role in achieving this goal. How will we offset the costs of conditioning this extra outside air?
Tenants are innovating to facilitate social distancing, and that is causing headaches for facility managers. Trane streamlines tenant occupancy management, allowing occupants to change system scheduling by interacting directly with the building automation system (BAS). This process also optimizes energy use.
With the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, restaurant and retail building facility managers have an even greater opportunity to create and maintain healthier building management practices. However, maintaining, and in some cases creating, those practices are pushing facility managers to face new challenges – especially in commercial kitchens.
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.
By integrating work orders with the building automation system (BAS), Trane’s work order management software makes it easy to order parts and perform maintenance based on actual equipment run time.
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.
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.
Building owners and managers are facing new pressures as we all navigate the “new normal.” While budget pressure may be higher than ever, there is also a pressing need to optimize the indoor environment – and progressing so can meet multiple business objectives.
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.
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.
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.
Use of LED lighting is transforming the role that lighting can play in an environment. Some LED lighting technology allows for variation in lighting intensity and color temperature that can help people augment their environment.
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.
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.
Keep your training and certification current with Trane's Engineers Newsletter Live! (ENL), a complementary learning program taught by a panel of experienced and knowledgeable applications engineers.
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.
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.
Energy storage may be the technology that fundamentally changes the grid. It’s important to know that buildings have two types of energy loads, electric and thermal, and each one has an optimal storage method.
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.
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.
Green plants, such as lettuce, kale, basil, and other crops, are being grown by indoor agriculture producers around the world. Maintaining an optimal environment is just as important when plants are grown indoors as when they are outside.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Didn't make it to the 2019 AHR Expo or just want to re-live the excitement? Check out our booth tour video and read about booth highlights from this year's show.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
After years of waiting in uncertainty, LNG Canada, a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and export project in British Columbia, is finally moving forward.
Delaying building improvements because of budget can ultimately cost more in reduced performance and inefficiency. So don’t wait. Here are four opportunities for building optimization on a budget.
Electricity bills can be painful. Ask businesses about their operating expenses, and most will say that energy is in their top three. If the utilities in your state are regulated, look to optimize your utility rate schedule.
Would you feel more confident in your building’s performance if technology could predict equipment failures before they happen? In the Internet of Things (IoT) age, this level of insight is possible and is known as predictive analytics.
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.
With natural gas first and solar third, wind has been the second most prolific source of new U.S. power generation capacity over the past 15 years or so.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The energy market is going through a mass transformation. Fossil fuels are being used less and less and renewable energy is on the rise. As a result, an important element is disappearing – energy storage.
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.
Over the last five years, the terms “smart” or “connected” buildings have been used regularly, but what does that look like in practice? And how does it equate to business results?
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.
With every breath you take, you’re measuring the air quality around you. Maintaining good air quality is key to creating a comfortable environment in a facility, for patrons and residents.
But how do you attain good air quality, especially when you’re dealing with multiple factors like climate, the building systems, and regulations?
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.
We talked to Charles Abbinanti, Product Manager for Trane® large commercial rooftop equipment, to ask him what’s in store for the latest product release, coming in May. What’s new? What’s improved? And how Is Intellipak maximizing outcomes for our customers? Read on.
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.
In the average school day, children spend 75 percent of their time listening. They listen to their teacher, they listen to each other, they listen to presentations and videos and readings — they listen to learn.
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.
Despite not producing any themselves, the six states in New England have surged their reliance on natural gas-fired electricity generation. ISO New England now receives approximately 50% of its power generation from natural gas, versus 10-15% a decade ago.
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.
Regardless of the ups and downs of regulations in the U.S., the transition is going forward and has already begun. Our next generation products are available throughout our portfolio and are nonflammable so our customers have choices today.
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.
With people spending approximately 90% of their time indoors, the correlation between illness, respiratory problems and other issues with the indoor environment is quite strong.
On Monday, January 22 President Trump approved new tariffs on imported solar panels and solar cells. The decision is in response to claims from SolarWorld and Suniva that increasing imports from foreign companies were negatively impacting domestic solar companies.
Last year was a down one for adding new oil and gas discoveries to the global stockpile. Less than 7 billion barrels of oil equivalent were discovered, the lowest total since the 1940s.
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.
With the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, many state Public Utility Commissions (PUC) are now looking at how the bill will affect the utilities that they regulate.
In its monthly Drilling Productivity Report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has recently combined its production data on the “Marcellus” and “Utica” shale plays into...
Robots… drones… wearable technologies… the smartphone we carry in our pocket. As consumers, we constantly look for the latest and greatest technologies, designed to...
On October 31 Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law Senate Bill 1501. This bill would give the state’s only nuclear generator, the Millstone nuclear facility, the chance to...
Connected buildings, the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices are popular industry buzzwords. But do your clients have a true understanding of what a connected building..
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...
We are hearing a lot about replacing wired with wireless solutions today. While many agree with the wireless benefits, they also wonder which technology...
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...
In most regions, the hot summer days are finally behind us. Even though the temperature is falling, your HVAC system will still work hard over the coming months. October is National Energy Awareness Month...
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...
On September 25, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted unanimously to side with Suniva Inc. and SolarWorld Americas Inc.’s claims that foreign-made crystalline silicon solar cells and panels were...
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...
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...
The impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on natural gas prices was mostly muted. In fact for futures contracts, on Friday August 25, right when Harvey's Texas landfall was imminent, prompt-month...
Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, joined international leaders from business, government and civil society at Climate Week NYC 2017 in New York City to discuss the momentum of global climate action.
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...
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) released its anticipated study on wholesale electricity markets and reliability. Commissioned by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the report examines if...
Both Trane® and Ingersoll Rand remain committed to reducing the environmental impacts of the company’s operations and product portfolio. In fact, we reported significant progress toward...
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.
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...
In November 2016, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, announced that it would start to curtail its crude oil production in January 2017 for the first time in nine years...
The Aliso Canyon natural gas leak was a public health and environmental catastrophe. Thousands of families were relocated from their homes, many complaining of health issues. The damage done to...
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...
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 ...
In October 2015, Southern California’s Aliso Canyon, the second largest natural gas storage site in the U.S., sprung a leak. It took over four months to plug the blowout, which more than doubled the...
K-12 schools spend $8 billion annually on energy costs — more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined — and Energy Star® estimates about...
For many builders and property managers, the biggest reason to switch to a ductless heating and cooling system is the overall ultimate cost savings. Trane® is seeing ductless systems coming into major awareness and acceptance across the country - and no doubt the energy efficiency and cost savings is driving up the popularity.
When natural gas producers successfully drill a new well, they do not automatically extract all the gas. Some of these wells are capped, their gas to be used another day...
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 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.
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...
Ductless HVAC and air conditioning units are still coming into their own in the U.S., but ductless offers huge benefits. As awareness and acceptance grows, we are sure to see continued growth.
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...
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a group of high producing allies, including Russia, have agreed to extend their combined 1.8 million barrels per day production cuts for...
Restaurant owners and facility managers are challenged every day to improve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs. So what can be done about it...
With summer right around the corner, energy efficiency is at the top of every facility manager’s mind. No one wants to be forced into the position of having to choose between increases costs – either due to...
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...
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...
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...
In the past months two states have passed legislation creating Zero Emissions Credit, or ZEC, programs. While the name “Zero Emissions,” seems to hint at a...
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...
In the past weeks, two different efforts to change MISO’s capacity system have concluded. One, an in-the-weeds discussion on how transmission affects capacity pricing, ended with a...
The natural gas and crude oil exploration and production (E&P) sector took a hit in 2016. A downturn in both gas and crude pricing, where both traded at prices not seen in more than...
In late January, the New York Independent Service Operator (NYISO) released its updated Distributed Energy Roadmap. This document aims to address many of the concerns around...
All natural gas consumers should understand the dynamic U.S. gas demand structure as the competition for gas is becoming increasingly fierce. Given low prices and broadening environmental goals, natural gas is easily...
Independent Electricity System Operator, the Independent System Operator for Ontario, Canada, recently changed its capacity market to give medium-sized industrial customers the option to augment...
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...
Over the past decade, the “shale revolution” has redefined natural gas production in the United States. The combination of advancements in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling opened up numerous new drilling basins in...
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...
"On December 5th the New England Clean Power Link (NECPL) received its Presidential Permit, a required license for any transmission project that links the U.S. power grid to that of another country. The $1.2 billion project, financed by... "
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...
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...
The oil and gas price collapse has discouraged investments in future production in recent months and is setting up a potential spike in prices. The industry is caught in an underinvestment cycle that could reverberate much sooner than most realize...
President-elect Donald Trump is now in place. While promising to “cancel” the COP21 Paris Accord accepted under President Obama and pushing a fossil fuel-led revival to underpin job growth, a Trump administration will rearrange domestic energy and...
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?
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 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....
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.
With over 80% of all capital decisions being made by Executives, many healthcare organizations since 2009 have downsized their middle management ranks and thus more scrutiny is being placed on lower dollar capital decisions...
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...
The dog days of summer will soon be in your rear view mirror. Even though the temperature is falling, your building and equipment will still be called upon to work hard in the coming months...
Even though the temperature is falling, your building and equipment will still be called upon to work hard in the coming months. And now is the time to look ahead to ensure your systems and equipment are up to the task...
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...
In most cases in life, it’s better to be proactive than reactive, and now is the time to consider what improvement projects need to be done that will pay off...
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...
Taking stock of issues as summer wraps up — and getting a clear picture of the health of your systems and equipment — will help you prepare for the next summer season...
Each season is like a history lesson about your building — allowing building owners and managers to capture a snapshot of equipment performance, efficiency, energy use and...
Renewable energy solutions can be a feasible option to help reduce your building’s dependence on the grid so you are buying less energy in the summer...
Renewable energy solutions can be a feasible option to help reduce your building’s dependence on the grid so you are buying less energy in the summer — and all year long.
Renewable energy solutions can be a feasible option to help reduce your building’s dependence on the energy grid so you are buying less energy in the summer — and all year long...
With summer temps hitting record levels in May and June, it is important to look for ways to control energy costs. Energy spend is a big part of your budget, and...
With summer temps hitting record levels, building owners and managers are looking for ways to control energy costs. Your energy spend is a big part of your budget, and there are two main ways to impact it...
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...
Summer’s extreme heat and potential for severe weather increase the risk of unexpected equipment failure and power outages. These disruptions can occur for many reasons...
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...
Commercial building owners and managers know that summer typically brings much higher utility bills. But what you may not know is that even simple changes can have a big impact on your utility bills...
Commercial building owners and managers are often searching for relief from the much higher utility bills that summer can bring. This is especially true in California, where average electricity prices for commercial customers last summer were...
Finding performance-improving solutions for commercial 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...
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...
Summer in New York City can present a unique set of challenges for commercial building owners and managers. Beyond the need for increased power to cool buildings, there are a number of...
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...
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...
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...
Summer’s extreme temperatures and unpredictable severe weather can result in equipment or power outages. Being prepared for unexpected building failures can save you valuable time and...
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...
Once your building is summer-ready , it's important to be aware of some common pitfalls that can keep your building from performing at its most efficient level...
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...
We all know it is coming, but somehow it still sneaks up on us. Summer. It brings hotter temperatures, severe weather, and greater demand on building systems and the bottom line. Commercial customers typically pay...
Summer brings hotter temperatures — and higher energy bills. Energy costs for commercial buildings can run up to 35 percent higher in the hottest months of summer compared to other months of the year...
Last month, the PJM Interconnection's Market Implementation Committee advanced proposals related to capacity performance, agreeing to add three items to the list of parameters by which a resource’s schedule might be limited.
With the release of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO) yesterday came finalized figures for December 2015, allowing for balance of the year analysis, and revisions to forecasts.
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.
When Hopkins County Jail discovered outdated gas heat exchangers were at risk of leaking CO2 into a building with hundreds of inmates, its technicians knew they needed to take immediate action...
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.
Advancements in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technology have given restaurants a powerful system with a dual purpose — chilling refrigeration appliances while keeping facilities comfortable...
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...
Managing the built environment has evolved just like every other aspect of our lives. We expect more than the minimums of code compliance and a roof that doesn’t leak. Healthy, productive, secure and sustainable — all are words that apply in today’s facility management world. This post is part two...
Buildings impact business results. Or, perhaps better said, the environments we create to work, eat, play, learn, and live in impact the quality, productivity, quantity, and efficacy of all indoor activities we do in our modern society...
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...
For the 78th Civil Engineering Squadron at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), home to 60 military units and the largest industrial complex in Georgia, the poor lighting levels in its hangars and engine shop was a cause for concern in regards to safety and convenience...
When heat exchangers on the rooftop units at Murfreesboro School District’s high school cracked, administrators had to act quickly. Without a budget to completely finance a repair or upgrade, the district needed to rely on matching funds from the state...
There are three main factors that combine to impact how much money building owners and operators spend on energy. Think of these factors as three legs of the same stool — letting any one factor get out of balance will result in an unstable situation...
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...
Contractors and developers may face various challenges throughout the construction of a new building. Missed construction milestones and bad weather delays are a couple of the multitude of issues that a developer must be prepared to deal with...
(Hint: It has nothing to do with room rates or green fees) Owners at Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry, California were at a crossroads.
Many of the resort’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems were original to the facility...
This week, Trane launched the new Trane Building Advantage brand at the National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) Conference in Baltimore. The brand represents the suite of energy services...
It’s important for municipalities to manage their water treatment facilities with an eye to efficiency in every phase of the water treatment cycle. Trane, a known performance leader in the wastewater treatment industry, helped a client do just that in...
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...
For Hardin Medical Center in western Tennessee, an outdated HVAC system affected its ability to create an optimal environment of care, especially in the critical labor and delivery areas. Read how Trane helped update its HVAC system.
With continued variability in temperatures throughout the year, increasing energy efficiency becomes a top priority for organizations across many markets, including the government...
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...
Research results from Ecova predict that 2014 will be a challenging year for those responsible for managing energy resources. According to the research, 2014 will be the year that forces companies to take steps to improve results and build...
According to a ACHR article, ASHRAE’s latest revision to its Standard 105-2014 spells good news for the number crunchers among us as it creates a common basis in reporting performance data for...
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...
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...
Web-based tools can help building managers optimize building operation to meet tenant needs and energy consumption goals, utilizing alarm functions that alert the property manager if temperatures fall outside of desired levels...
In February, Trane featured a post highlighting Hammer & Hand’s top 10 predictions for the high performance building industry in 2014. Today, we offer thoughts on these predictions and how our company and solutions fit into forecasted trends...
When working with historic buildings, one of the unique challenges we face is upgrading building infrastructure systems without disturbing the unique architecture or the priceless and irreplaceable artifacts within.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill designed to ramp up efficiency in commercial buildings and data centers known as the “Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014.”
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.
An inside look at why it is important to engage in modelling before you make retrofit decisions, including financial factors to consider and how to use energy modelling to predict results
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.
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.
Energy efficiency is a journey, and the sooner started the better. Waiting for the next generation of technology sacrifices a significant net present value opportunity, and can also lead to the paralysis of...
When most people hear the word “sustainability” they think of consumer products, like post-consumer paper cup`s from a local coffee shop. It’s harder to get people to understand how sustainability applies to our infrastructure, like the buildings in which we all live, work, learn and play.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched the newest version of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Program, LEED v4, at the Greenbuild International Conference on November 20, 2013 in Philadelphia.
Is there money hidden in your building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system? One often overlooked cost savings opportunity may be lurking in your ducts if your building uses a traditional...
There is a huge opportunity to expand the number of green buildings in India, which currently make up less than five percent of the market, according to recent discussions at the 2013 Green Building Congress...
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...
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.
Although several U.S. cities have energy efficiency requirements for large commercial and residential buildings, Chicago has become the first one to mandate the verification of building energy data.
There has been a lot of discussion in the industry lately about the factors that are really driving how people are thinking about high performance buildings.
According to a study by Navigant Research, the worldwide market for green construction materials will more than double in the next seven years to more than $250 billion by 2020. Just how this impending spike in demand will impact the cost of green construction is difficult to predict, but it's safe to say that construction costs will increase for projects that involve these materials.
A recent Environmental Leader article claims that decision-makers at many organizations are faced with budgetary restrictions that often hinder the adoption of the best suited technology or project, even when the better solution will cost less over the long haul.
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.
Are small and mid-sized businesses being left out of the global race to improve energy efficiency? That’s the argument made by a recent article by Greentech Media.
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.
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.
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.
Can ‘the Next Big Thing’ Wait? In a recent article published in Sustainable Industries, Ingersoll Rand and Trane experts Randy Newton and Matt Gates analyze today’s business trends to talk about how emerging technologies, as well as the basics of energy efficiency, can have a significant impact on individual building performance as well as the overall global demand for energy.
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.
When measuring the performance of a building, whether new or retrofitted, it’s easy to get caught up in the metrics: the speeds, the volumes, the percentages, the of lengths time…the list goes on and on. But what many of us forget is the importance of subjective assessments when evaluating the operations of our high performance building (HPB).
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 (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.
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.
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.
In the last post we talked about how modern technologies and building practices are boosting building performance.
But with construction starts remaining low, the real opportunity to unlock energy savings potential lies within the current building inventory. In this post we’re expanding on the energy saving opportunities with existing buildings.
Sustainable technologies like wind and solar get a lot of press coverage, but when it comes to satisfying the world’s almost insatiable appetite for energy nothing today beats energy efficiency.
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) released a report this month that found the cost of constructing a green building is typically on par with a conventional one.
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.
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.
I recently returned from the 2013 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration (AHR) Expo in Dallas, where there was tremendous interest in Trane energy efficiency solutions. In fact, according to HPAC Engineering Magazine, the Trane booth was one of "the most talked about and most visited booths at the event."
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.
Sometimes the most important energy problems are ones we can’t see. Unlike pollution streaming from a power plant or exhaust billowing from a car’s tailpipe, other forms of pollution and waste are not so easy to spot.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
The primary concern for food manufacturers is meeting or exceeding customer expectations by ensuring the consistency and quality of their product. This approach helps shape how these manufacturers view their building systems and manufacturing processes as well.
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.
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.
Baxter International Inc., is a diversified healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other chronic and acute medical conditions.
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?
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.
Ferrero may be best known for delicious chocolate creations wrapped in gold foil, but the global confectionary company is setting an industry “gold standard” at its Belsk, Poland manufacturing plant by embracing environmentally responsible, energy-efficient systems.
We often focus on high performance from the perspective of building systems, but rarely do we get the opportunity to learn about “high performance" as seen through the eyes of a vertical industry.
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.
A lot of buildings today run 24-7, even though they are unoccupied at night. But with energy costs making up a significant portion of operating costs, it makes sense for building operators to consider alternatives.
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.
The historic New York City Center is a 2,750 capacity dance theater in New York City. The 12-story building has been owned by the City of New York since 1943, when Mayor LaGuardia saved the building from being demolished for a parking lot and turned it into a performing arts center.
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.
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.
In the last post we discussesd how technology and access to data gives building operators the tools they need to improve operations by performing maintenance when it is needed, rather than simply following a predetermined maintenance interval.
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. 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.
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.
Located in southwestern Ohio, Lakota is the seventh largest school district in the state, and the largest school district in Butler County. Lakota has grown in the last 20 years from a rural district to a suburban district with more than 18,000 students.
Three Rivers Community recently completed infrastructure upgrades that district leaders anticipate will cut energy costs by more than 30 percent and save more than $197,000 in annual energy and operational costs. The upgrades were made to reduce costs while improving the learning environment within classrooms and increasing sustainability district-wide.
As a minor league farm club for the Colorado Rockies, the Tulsa Drillers understand the importance of performing in the clutch. In professional sports, game time performance is critical, and the same goes for its stadium's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
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.
As local governments look for ways to cut costs and save money, one suburban Atlanta county turned an investment in energy efficiency into six-figure annual savings.
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.
In the last post I talked about how a building control strategy works in tandem with a building automation system (BAS) to operate a building efficiently and optimally. In this post I'll talk about the different approaches for new construction versus existing buildings, and the recommended approaches to ongoing building maintenance.
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.
Long before the information superhighway made the world more inter-connected, transportation advancements – trains, automobiles and airplanes – brought people together and gave them access to new and remote parts of the world.
As budgets tighten, school districts across the country are looking for ways to lower costs. For many districts, the cost savings of investments in energy efficiency upgrades can be significant enough to help districts avoid cutting back on staff or reducing school-funded programs to meet budget demands.
It's the situation every building owner wants to avoid –they've invested in new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and yet building performance is suffering.
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.
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.
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.
This week I'll be building off the previous post about defining the building mission, and will talk about defining the operational priorities for the building, understanding the potential tradeoffs of efficiency measures, and measuring performance against the building mission.
In the previous posts in this series I've talked about how industry visionaries better align building life cycle performance with organizational objectives, and the five steps leaders should consider when developing a long-term approach to improving building performance.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Keep your training and certification current with Trane's Engineers Newsletter Live! (ENL), a complementary learning program taught by a panel of experienced and knowledgeable applications engineers.
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.
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.
Use of LED lighting is transforming the role that lighting can play in an environment. Some LED lighting technology allows for variation in lighting intensity and color temperature that can help people augment their environment.
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.
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.
Building owners and managers are facing new pressures as we all navigate the “new normal.” While budget pressure may be higher than ever, there is also a pressing need to optimize the indoor environment – and progressing so can meet multiple business objectives.
By integrating work orders with the building automation system (BAS), Trane’s work order management software makes it easy to order parts and perform maintenance based on actual equipment run time.
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.
With the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, restaurant and retail building facility managers have an even greater opportunity to create and maintain healthier building management practices. However, maintaining, and in some cases creating, those practices are pushing facility managers to face new challenges – especially in commercial kitchens.
Tenants are innovating to facilitate social distancing, and that is causing headaches for facility managers. Trane streamlines tenant occupancy management, allowing occupants to change system scheduling by interacting directly with the building automation system (BAS). This process also optimizes energy use.
As we talk to customers today, it’s easy to recognize they’re being asked to think differently. Our products and services must also morph to meet these new challenges and opportunities. What used to be a seemingly endless drive towards energy efficiency is now a balance between indoor air quality and energy efficiency – and connectivity will play a huge role in achieving this goal. How will we offset the costs of conditioning this extra outside air?
Connectivity can drive significant results for building owners and managers. After all, connected buildings open the door to better service and technology for building owners and managers. Insightful data allows for solutions that improve a building’s performance — including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy savings, and helping building owners make the right decisions for both their facilities and the planet.
Working outside the confines of a professional, well-designed office space can be chaotic for an engineer (or anyone) who thrives on process and organization. While working remotely from home, Ken Durham, Trane’s Regional Operational Excellence Leader for the Pacific Southwest, took steps to restore his sense of order, and his advice can help anyone do the same.
Qualified districts may be able to complete IAQ projects immediately by bundling the cost of an IAQ Assessment, pertinent solutions and even ongoing service into one convenient financing solution, provided by Trane.
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.
While masking, surface cleaning and social distancing can help mitigate potential virus spread, considering other measures can help restauranteurs reduce potential spread of certain airborne virus in a restaurant environment.
Despite not producing any themselves, the six states in New England have surged their reliance on natural gas-fired electricity generation. ISO New England now receives approximately 50% of its power generation from natural gas, versus 10-15% a decade ago.
Energy efficiency is a journey, and the sooner started the better. Waiting for the next generation of technology sacrifices a significant net present value opportunity, and can also lead to the paralysis of...
When most people hear the word “sustainability” they think of consumer products, like post-consumer paper cup`s from a local coffee shop. It’s harder to get people to understand how sustainability applies to our infrastructure, like the buildings in which we all live, work, learn and play.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched the newest version of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Program, LEED v4, at the Greenbuild International Conference on November 20, 2013 in Philadelphia.
Is there money hidden in your building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system? One often overlooked cost savings opportunity may be lurking in your ducts if your building uses a traditional...
There is a huge opportunity to expand the number of green buildings in India, which currently make up less than five percent of the market, according to recent discussions at the 2013 Green Building Congress...
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...
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.
Although several U.S. cities have energy efficiency requirements for large commercial and residential buildings, Chicago has become the first one to mandate the verification of building energy data.
There has been a lot of discussion in the industry lately about the factors that are really driving how people are thinking about high performance buildings.
According to a study by Navigant Research, the worldwide market for green construction materials will more than double in the next seven years to more than $250 billion by 2020. Just how this impending spike in demand will impact the cost of green construction is difficult to predict, but it's safe to say that construction costs will increase for projects that involve these materials.
A recent Environmental Leader article claims that decision-makers at many organizations are faced with budgetary restrictions that often hinder the adoption of the best suited technology or project, even when the better solution will cost less over the long haul.
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.
Are small and mid-sized businesses being left out of the global race to improve energy efficiency? That’s the argument made by a recent article by Greentech Media.
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.
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.
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.
Can ‘the Next Big Thing’ Wait? In a recent article published in Sustainable Industries, Ingersoll Rand and Trane experts Randy Newton and Matt Gates analyze today’s business trends to talk about how emerging technologies, as well as the basics of energy efficiency, can have a significant impact on individual building performance as well as the overall global demand for energy.
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.
When measuring the performance of a building, whether new or retrofitted, it’s easy to get caught up in the metrics: the speeds, the volumes, the percentages, the of lengths time…the list goes on and on. But what many of us forget is the importance of subjective assessments when evaluating the operations of our high performance building (HPB).
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 (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.
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.
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.
In the last post we talked about how modern technologies and building practices are boosting building performance.
But with construction starts remaining low, the real opportunity to unlock energy savings potential lies within the current building inventory. In this post we’re expanding on the energy saving opportunities with existing buildings.
Sustainable technologies like wind and solar get a lot of press coverage, but when it comes to satisfying the world’s almost insatiable appetite for energy nothing today beats energy efficiency.
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) released a report this month that found the cost of constructing a green building is typically on par with a conventional one.
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.
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.
I recently returned from the 2013 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration (AHR) Expo in Dallas, where there was tremendous interest in Trane energy efficiency solutions. In fact, according to HPAC Engineering Magazine, the Trane booth was one of "the most talked about and most visited booths at the event."
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.
Sometimes the most important energy problems are ones we can’t see. Unlike pollution streaming from a power plant or exhaust billowing from a car’s tailpipe, other forms of pollution and waste are not so easy to spot.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
The primary concern for food manufacturers is meeting or exceeding customer expectations by ensuring the consistency and quality of their product. This approach helps shape how these manufacturers view their building systems and manufacturing processes as well.
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.
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.
Baxter International Inc., is a diversified healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other chronic and acute medical conditions.
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?
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.
Ferrero may be best known for delicious chocolate creations wrapped in gold foil, but the global confectionary company is setting an industry “gold standard” at its Belsk, Poland manufacturing plant by embracing environmentally responsible, energy-efficient systems.
We often focus on high performance from the perspective of building systems, but rarely do we get the opportunity to learn about “high performance" as seen through the eyes of a vertical industry.
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.
A lot of buildings today run 24-7, even though they are unoccupied at night. But with energy costs making up a significant portion of operating costs, it makes sense for building operators to consider alternatives.
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.
The historic New York City Center is a 2,750 capacity dance theater in New York City. The 12-story building has been owned by the City of New York since 1943, when Mayor LaGuardia saved the building from being demolished for a parking lot and turned it into a performing arts center.
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.
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.
In the last post we discussesd how technology and access to data gives building operators the tools they need to improve operations by performing maintenance when it is needed, rather than simply following a predetermined maintenance interval.
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. 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.
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.
Located in southwestern Ohio, Lakota is the seventh largest school district in the state, and the largest school district in Butler County. Lakota has grown in the last 20 years from a rural district to a suburban district with more than 18,000 students.
Three Rivers Community recently completed infrastructure upgrades that district leaders anticipate will cut energy costs by more than 30 percent and save more than $197,000 in annual energy and operational costs. The upgrades were made to reduce costs while improving the learning environment within classrooms and increasing sustainability district-wide.
As a minor league farm club for the Colorado Rockies, the Tulsa Drillers understand the importance of performing in the clutch. In professional sports, game time performance is critical, and the same goes for its stadium's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
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.
In business, access to the right information is the key to good decision making. As the world becomes increasingly networked and interconnected, the pace of business also increases, making timely access to information more important than ever.
As local governments look for ways to cut costs and save money, one suburban Atlanta county turned an investment in energy efficiency into six-figure annual savings.
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.
In the last post I talked about how a building control strategy works in tandem with a building automation system (BAS) to operate a building efficiently and optimally. In this post I'll talk about the different approaches for new construction versus existing buildings, and the recommended approaches to ongoing building maintenance.
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.
Long before the information superhighway made the world more inter-connected, transportation advancements – trains, automobiles and airplanes – brought people together and gave them access to new and remote parts of the world.
As budgets tighten, school districts across the country are looking for ways to lower costs. For many districts, the cost savings of investments in energy efficiency upgrades can be significant enough to help districts avoid cutting back on staff or reducing school-funded programs to meet budget demands.
It's the situation every building owner wants to avoid –they've invested in new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and yet building performance is suffering.
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.
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.
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.
This week I'll be building off the previous post about defining the building mission, and will talk about defining the operational priorities for the building, understanding the potential tradeoffs of efficiency measures, and measuring performance against the building mission.
In the previous posts in this series I've talked about how industry visionaries better align building life cycle performance with organizational objectives, and the five steps leaders should consider when developing a long-term approach to improving building performance.
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.
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.
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.
An inside look at why it is important to engage in modelling before you make retrofit decisions, including financial factors to consider and how to use energy modelling to predict results
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.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill designed to ramp up efficiency in commercial buildings and data centers known as the “Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014.”
When working with historic buildings, one of the unique challenges we face is upgrading building infrastructure systems without disturbing the unique architecture or the priceless and irreplaceable artifacts within.
In February, Trane featured a post highlighting Hammer & Hand’s top 10 predictions for the high performance building industry in 2014. Today, we offer thoughts on these predictions and how our company and solutions fit into forecasted trends...
Web-based tools can help building managers optimize building operation to meet tenant needs and energy consumption goals, utilizing alarm functions that alert the property manager if temperatures fall outside of desired levels...
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...
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...
Research results from Ecova predict that 2014 will be a challenging year for those responsible for managing energy resources. According to the research, 2014 will be the year that forces companies to take steps to improve results and build...
According to a ACHR article, ASHRAE’s latest revision to its Standard 105-2014 spells good news for the number crunchers among us as it creates a common basis in reporting performance data for...
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...
With continued variability in temperatures throughout the year, increasing energy efficiency becomes a top priority for organizations across many markets, including the government...
For Hardin Medical Center in western Tennessee, an outdated HVAC system affected its ability to create an optimal environment of care, especially in the critical labor and delivery areas. Read how Trane helped update its HVAC system.
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...
It’s important for municipalities to manage their water treatment facilities with an eye to efficiency in every phase of the water treatment cycle. Trane, a known performance leader in the wastewater treatment industry, helped a client do just that in...
This week, Trane launched the new Trane Building Advantage brand at the National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) Conference in Baltimore. The brand represents the suite of energy services...
(Hint: It has nothing to do with room rates or green fees) Owners at Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry, California were at a crossroads.
Many of the resort’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems were original to the facility...
Contractors and developers may face various challenges throughout the construction of a new building. Missed construction milestones and bad weather delays are a couple of the multitude of issues that a developer must be prepared to deal with...
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...
There are three main factors that combine to impact how much money building owners and operators spend on energy. Think of these factors as three legs of the same stool — letting any one factor get out of balance will result in an unstable situation...
When heat exchangers on the rooftop units at Murfreesboro School District’s high school cracked, administrators had to act quickly. Without a budget to completely finance a repair or upgrade, the district needed to rely on matching funds from the state...
For the 78th Civil Engineering Squadron at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), home to 60 military units and the largest industrial complex in Georgia, the poor lighting levels in its hangars and engine shop was a cause for concern in regards to safety and convenience...
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...
Buildings impact business results. Or, perhaps better said, the environments we create to work, eat, play, learn, and live in impact the quality, productivity, quantity, and efficacy of all indoor activities we do in our modern society...
Managing the built environment has evolved just like every other aspect of our lives. We expect more than the minimums of code compliance and a roof that doesn’t leak. Healthy, productive, secure and sustainable — all are words that apply in today’s facility management world. This post is part two...
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...
Advancements in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technology have given restaurants a powerful system with a dual purpose — chilling refrigeration appliances while keeping facilities comfortable...
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.
When Hopkins County Jail discovered outdated gas heat exchangers were at risk of leaking CO2 into a building with hundreds of inmates, its technicians knew they needed to take immediate action...
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.
With the release of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO) yesterday came finalized figures for December 2015, allowing for balance of the year analysis, and revisions to forecasts.
Last month, the PJM Interconnection's Market Implementation Committee advanced proposals related to capacity performance, agreeing to add three items to the list of parameters by which a resource’s schedule might be limited.
Summer brings hotter temperatures — and higher energy bills. Energy costs for commercial buildings can run up to 35 percent higher in the hottest months of summer compared to other months of the year...
We all know it is coming, but somehow it still sneaks up on us. Summer. It brings hotter temperatures, severe weather, and greater demand on building systems and the bottom line. Commercial customers typically pay...
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...
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...
Once your building is summer-ready , it's important to be aware of some common pitfalls that can keep your building from performing at its most efficient level...
Summer’s extreme temperatures and unpredictable severe weather can result in equipment or power outages. Being prepared for unexpected building failures can save you valuable time and...
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...
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...
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...
Summer in New York City can present a unique set of challenges for commercial building owners and managers. Beyond the need for increased power to cool buildings, there are a number of...
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...
Finding performance-improving solutions for commercial 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...
Commercial building owners and managers know that summer typically brings much higher utility bills. But what you may not know is that even simple changes can have a big impact on your utility bills...
Commercial building owners and managers are often searching for relief from the much higher utility bills that summer can bring. This is especially true in California, where average electricity prices for commercial customers last summer were...
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...
Summer’s extreme heat and potential for severe weather increase the risk of unexpected equipment failure and power outages. These disruptions can occur for many reasons...
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...
With summer temps hitting record levels, building owners and managers are looking for ways to control energy costs. Your energy spend is a big part of your budget, and there are two main ways to impact it...
Renewable energy solutions can be a feasible option to help reduce your building’s dependence on the energy grid so you are buying less energy in the summer — and all year long...
Renewable energy solutions can be a feasible option to help reduce your building’s dependence on the grid so you are buying less energy in the summer...
With summer temps hitting record levels in May and June, it is important to look for ways to control energy costs. Energy spend is a big part of your budget, and...
Renewable energy solutions can be a feasible option to help reduce your building’s dependence on the grid so you are buying less energy in the summer — and all year long.
Each season is like a history lesson about your building — allowing building owners and managers to capture a snapshot of equipment performance, efficiency, energy use and...
Taking stock of issues as summer wraps up — and getting a clear picture of the health of your systems and equipment — will help you prepare for the next summer season...
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...
In most cases in life, it’s better to be proactive than reactive, and now is the time to consider what improvement projects need to be done that will pay off...
Even though the temperature is falling, your building and equipment will still be called upon to work hard in the coming months. And now is the time to look ahead to ensure your systems and equipment are up to the task...
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...
The dog days of summer will soon be in your rear view mirror. Even though the temperature is falling, your building and equipment will still be called upon to work hard in the coming months...
With over 80% of all capital decisions being made by Executives, many healthcare organizations since 2009 have downsized their middle management ranks and thus more scrutiny is being placed on lower dollar capital decisions...
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...
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.
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....
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.
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?
President-elect Donald Trump is now in place. While promising to “cancel” the COP21 Paris Accord accepted under President Obama and pushing a fossil fuel-led revival to underpin job growth, a Trump administration will rearrange domestic energy and...
The oil and gas price collapse has discouraged investments in future production in recent months and is setting up a potential spike in prices. The industry is caught in an underinvestment cycle that could reverberate much sooner than most realize...
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...
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...
"On December 5th the New England Clean Power Link (NECPL) received its Presidential Permit, a required license for any transmission project that links the U.S. power grid to that of another country. The $1.2 billion project, financed by... "
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...
Over the past decade, the “shale revolution” has redefined natural gas production in the United States. The combination of advancements in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling opened up numerous new drilling basins in...
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...
Independent Electricity System Operator, the Independent System Operator for Ontario, Canada, recently changed its capacity market to give medium-sized industrial customers the option to augment...
All natural gas consumers should understand the dynamic U.S. gas demand structure as the competition for gas is becoming increasingly fierce. Given low prices and broadening environmental goals, natural gas is easily...
In late January, the New York Independent Service Operator (NYISO) released its updated Distributed Energy Roadmap. This document aims to address many of the concerns around...
The natural gas and crude oil exploration and production (E&P) sector took a hit in 2016. A downturn in both gas and crude pricing, where both traded at prices not seen in more than...
In the past weeks, two different efforts to change MISO’s capacity system have concluded. One, an in-the-weeds discussion on how transmission affects capacity pricing, ended with a...
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...
In the past months two states have passed legislation creating Zero Emissions Credit, or ZEC, programs. While the name “Zero Emissions,” seems to hint at a...
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...
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...
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...
With summer right around the corner, energy efficiency is at the top of every facility manager’s mind. No one wants to be forced into the position of having to choose between increases costs – either due to...
Restaurant owners and facility managers are challenged every day to improve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs. So what can be done about it...
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a group of high producing allies, including Russia, have agreed to extend their combined 1.8 million barrels per day production cuts for...
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...
Ductless HVAC and air conditioning units are still coming into their own in the U.S., but ductless offers huge benefits. As awareness and acceptance grows, we are sure to see continued growth.
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.
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...
When natural gas producers successfully drill a new well, they do not automatically extract all the gas. Some of these wells are capped, their gas to be used another day...
For many builders and property managers, the biggest reason to switch to a ductless heating and cooling system is the overall ultimate cost savings. Trane® is seeing ductless systems coming into major awareness and acceptance across the country - and no doubt the energy efficiency and cost savings is driving up the popularity.
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...
K-12 schools spend $8 billion annually on energy costs — more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined — and Energy Star® estimates about...
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 ...
In October 2015, Southern California’s Aliso Canyon, the second largest natural gas storage site in the U.S., sprung a leak. It took over four months to plug the blowout, which more than doubled the...
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...
The Aliso Canyon natural gas leak was a public health and environmental catastrophe. Thousands of families were relocated from their homes, many complaining of health issues. The damage done to...
In November 2016, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, announced that it would start to curtail its crude oil production in January 2017 for the first time in nine years...
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...
Both Trane® and Ingersoll Rand remain committed to reducing the environmental impacts of the company’s operations and product portfolio. In fact, we reported significant progress toward...
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) released its anticipated study on wholesale electricity markets and reliability. Commissioned by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the report examines if...
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...
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...
Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, joined international leaders from business, government and civil society at Climate Week NYC 2017 in New York City to discuss the momentum of global climate action.
The impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on natural gas prices was mostly muted. In fact for futures contracts, on Friday August 25, right when Harvey's Texas landfall was imminent, prompt-month...
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...
On September 25, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted unanimously to side with Suniva Inc. and SolarWorld Americas Inc.’s claims that foreign-made crystalline silicon solar cells and panels were...
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...
In most regions, the hot summer days are finally behind us. Even though the temperature is falling, your HVAC system will still work hard over the coming months. October is National Energy Awareness Month...
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...
We are hearing a lot about replacing wired with wireless solutions today. While many agree with the wireless benefits, they also wonder which technology...
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...
Connected buildings, the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices are popular industry buzzwords. But do your clients have a true understanding of what a connected building..
On October 31 Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law Senate Bill 1501. This bill would give the state’s only nuclear generator, the Millstone nuclear facility, the chance to...
Robots… drones… wearable technologies… the smartphone we carry in our pocket. As consumers, we constantly look for the latest and greatest technologies, designed to...
In its monthly Drilling Productivity Report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has recently combined its production data on the “Marcellus” and “Utica” shale plays into...
With the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, many state Public Utility Commissions (PUC) are now looking at how the bill will affect the utilities that they regulate.
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.
Last year was a down one for adding new oil and gas discoveries to the global stockpile. Less than 7 billion barrels of oil equivalent were discovered, the lowest total since the 1940s.
On Monday, January 22 President Trump approved new tariffs on imported solar panels and solar cells. The decision is in response to claims from SolarWorld and Suniva that increasing imports from foreign companies were negatively impacting domestic solar companies.
With people spending approximately 90% of their time indoors, the correlation between illness, respiratory problems and other issues with the indoor environment is quite strong.
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.
Regardless of the ups and downs of regulations in the U.S., the transition is going forward and has already begun. Our next generation products are available throughout our portfolio and are nonflammable so our customers have choices today.
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.
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.
In the average school day, children spend 75 percent of their time listening. They listen to their teacher, they listen to each other, they listen to presentations and videos and readings — they listen to learn.
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.
We talked to Charles Abbinanti, Product Manager for Trane® large commercial rooftop equipment, to ask him what’s in store for the latest product release, coming in May. What’s new? What’s improved? And how Is Intellipak maximizing outcomes for our customers? Read on.
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.
With every breath you take, you’re measuring the air quality around you. Maintaining good air quality is key to creating a comfortable environment in a facility, for patrons and residents.
But how do you attain good air quality, especially when you’re dealing with multiple factors like climate, the building systems, and regulations?
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.
Over the last five years, the terms “smart” or “connected” buildings have been used regularly, but what does that look like in practice? And how does it equate to business results?
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.
The energy market is going through a mass transformation. Fossil fuels are being used less and less and renewable energy is on the rise. As a result, an important element is disappearing – energy storage.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
With natural gas first and solar third, wind has been the second most prolific source of new U.S. power generation capacity over the past 15 years or so.
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.
Would you feel more confident in your building’s performance if technology could predict equipment failures before they happen? In the Internet of Things (IoT) age, this level of insight is possible and is known as predictive analytics.
Electricity bills can be painful. Ask businesses about their operating expenses, and most will say that energy is in their top three. If the utilities in your state are regulated, look to optimize your utility rate schedule.
Delaying building improvements because of budget can ultimately cost more in reduced performance and inefficiency. So don’t wait. Here are four opportunities for building optimization on a budget.
After years of waiting in uncertainty, LNG Canada, a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and export project in British Columbia, is finally moving forward.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Didn't make it to the 2019 AHR Expo or just want to re-live the excitement? Check out our booth tour video and read about booth highlights from this year's show.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Green plants, such as lettuce, kale, basil, and other crops, are being grown by indoor agriculture producers around the world. Maintaining an optimal environment is just as important when plants are grown indoors as when they are outside.
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.
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 storage may be the technology that fundamentally changes the grid. It’s important to know that buildings have two types of energy loads, electric and thermal, and each one has an optimal storage method.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Available grant money may provide the funding schools need to improve air flow, filtration and air cleaning technology that can help mitigate the spread of airborne pathogens,
When it comes to VRF installation, risk management is crucial. Contractors want to know their partners have the experience and information to help guide them from system installation to building opening. That’s why Trane offers a one-stop solution that includes a vast product portfolio featuring Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF technology, backed by the knowledge and expertise of industry leaders.
With HVAC demand expected to triple by 2050, connected buildings that incorporate digital controls will play a crucial role in ensuring ongoing efficient energy management and sustainable building operations
Learn how you can get ahead of future strains on the power grid – whether due to temperature spikes, intermittent or variable renewable resources, or raging wild fires Discover why and how to optimize your building’s grid resiliency from systems, services and controls to energy sources.
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology is becoming an increasingly common choice for commercial HVAC projects through its ability to provide outstanding efficiencies to not only the end user, but to engineers as well as contractors. Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric is uniquely positioned to offer complete VRF system solutions, including all VRF and ductless equipment, an integrated controls platform, Tracer® SC+ and industry-leading expertise you can rely on.
More popular than “toilet paper in April.” That’s how a recent CNBC story described the current shortage in high quality air filtration systems, many of which are currently back ordered. Due to COVID-19 and the subsequent ASHRAE® guidance to upgrade filtration to MERV 13 or greater, demand for MERV 13 pleated filters has hit unprecedented levels. Complicating this demand, both MERV 13 pleated filters and high-demand N95 masks depend on the same media: high electrostatic non-woven polypropylene fiber.
With 2020 driving unprecedented demands – at work and home – you may not yet have prepared your building for colder days.
There’s still time! Here are a few tips and recommendations from Trane® building professionals that can help you save energy and lower your utility bills during the colder months ahead.
The trend to decarbonize is transforming the U.S. power grid. The grid increasingly depends less upon fossil fuels and more upon distributed energy resources or technologies such as solar photovoltaic and offshore wind alongside new energy efficiency, demand response, energy storage and other customer-based technologies.
It’s critical for organizations to have an effective, proactive power and HVAC contingency plan in place. Not only can it reduce financial risk, the contingency plan can help protect the health and safety of building occupants and increase peace of mind for the organization and its stakeholders.
With COVID-19-related cases continuing across the nation, many businesses remain focused on safely operating and maintaining their buildings. In some cases, small changes are making big improvements and in others, long-term building health is getting much-needed attention.
To support building owners and others navigating this new IEQ era, Trane recently launched the Wellsphere platform. Designed to offer high-level thinking around IEQ, Wellsphere is our holistic approach to building wellness.
Imagine being able to hit one “shutdown” button, to manage the process of preparing those dozens, hundreds or even thousands of facilities for a shutdown. A manager responsible for approximately 200 retail facilities, most of them including commercial kitchens, for example, recently became the envy of his fellow facility managers when he shared during a pandemic update that he was able to do just that: complete what was essentially a “one-button shutdown.”
Schools, including K-12 institutions, can now take advantage of more than $80 billion in funding within the Education Stabilization Fund to improve their learning environment — including optimizing their indoor air quality (IAQ).
We know you want to get students back into classrooms as safely and as quickly as possible — and keep them there safely — and we want to help you through this monumental effort.
As 2021 unfolds, it may be safe to say that indoor environments have never received quite as much attention as they have now, particularly the environmental quality of enclosed spaces. People who may not have previously recognized the value of your role in the building industry might now be showing greater appreciation, or even pelting you with questions.
In the past year we have faced many challenges, not the least of which has been a global health crisis which continues to take its toll on our communities. The pandemic has raised awareness of the general indoor air quality (IAQ) topic, including not only aspects related to pathogens like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but also aspects related to other contaminants (dust, allergens, volatile organic compounds, etc.). People were already spending almost 95% of their time in enclosed spaces , and this percentage became even higher with the pandemic, so IAQ and the technologies that can preserve or improve it have taken center stage.
As vaccine manufacturers continue to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, thousands of health care networks, hospitals, and large and small pharmacy groups around the world are working to properly receive and house the critical cargo, which has unique and specific cold storage requirements.
In response, many building owners, managers and tenants are seeking validation through independent healthy building certifications and recognition. One of the leading organizations in the field is the International Well Building Institute® (IWBI).
As a proud member of the IWBI, Trane® is actively engaged with the organization. We are sharing research and latest innovations, working together to solve today’s IEQ challenges.
The importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) has truly changed. IAQ is now seen as a critical factor in determining the overall health of your building and addressing the well-being of those who occupy it. Even prior to 2020, EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicated that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels.
Re-opening schools required improving indoor air quality (IAQ) to mitigate health risks for a safer in-person learning environment. Located in an industrial center that generates airborne particulates and odors that preclude opening windows, the district also faced budgetary constraints. Additionally, the district’s outdated (HVAC) heating, ventilation and air conditioning system couldn’t support use of ASHRAE®-recommended MERV 13 filters.
The COVID-19 pandemic marked the beginning of changes for in-person learning and activities the likes of which have never been seen before in the State of New York. As thousands of K-12 schools closed and students, families and staff prepared for self-quarantine and limited social interactions, superintendents were confronted with complex and, in some cases, conflicting challenges.
A broken HVAC chiller. Mold issues. 500 students needing to return to school. The pressures around managing aging schools are never-ending and are further complicated when buildings close due to faulty or broken systems.
For an Alabama elementary school, this was a reality. A two-month replacement lead time only made it worse.
As we begin to transition into a post-pandemic world, indoor air quality (IAQ) continues to be a central focus for us, our customers and the world. While people collectively consider how and when to safely return to buildings, addressing airborne health risks in indoor spaces is a top priority.
“It’s more than good food that will bring customers back inside,” Greg DuChane, Trane Restaurant Vertical market leader and engineer said. “Restaurants will need to ensure both their employees and customers feel confident indoors. People are ready to dine again and ensuring worry-free dining will be a key marketing strategy in many areas.”
Life is slowly returning to normal, as more and more people are coming together in their favorite eating places. For restaurant owners and facility managers this uptick in indoor dining is a good sign after taking a $240 billion hit from pandemic shutdowns1. For many, recovery will take years.
But that recovery is happening, which is why many building owners and facility managers are working to ensure they are creating inviting, comfortable dining spaces where customers can breathe easy.
Restaurant owners and facility managers are among many who know how to deliver on cleaner environments. Their businesses are built on it and can easily be shut down because of it. Creating a worry-free dining experience and communicating that dedication to customers is fast becoming a marketing tactic to help obtain and keep customers.
When it comes to building automation systems, not all uses of the term “open system” are equal. The following tips can help you identify the most critical open system capabilities so you can make an informed decision for your building or project’s needs.When it comes to building automation systems, not all uses of the term “open system” are equal. The following tips can help you identify the most critical open system capabilities so you can make an informed decision for your building or project’s needs.
The 2020 pandemic magnified that buildings — along with the operations they house — are vulnerable to unseen health threats. Now more than ever, addressing people’s confidence and comfort inside a building can be core to business success and a vital part of a building’s value proposition, and its marketability. Taking the right long-term approach to your building’s indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can help you ensure your building’s wellness, and more importantly, the well-being of its occupants.
Chances are you’ve heard about decarbonization and electrification: two six-syllable words that may sound like a weird new diet. They are in a way – but for fossil fuel consumption, not calories. And engineers and building owners should be paying attention.
School systems across the country displayed superhuman creativity and resolve to make distance learning possible during the pandemic. Despite the herculean effort, 97% of educators believe students have suffered at least some learning disruption, with more than half believing that loss was significant1. In-person learning remains the most productive K12 educational environment.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the importance indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has on the comfort and well-being of people inside. It’s been an issue for a lot longer, though. So long, it even has a name: Sick Building Syndrome. Sick Building Syndrome is a condition affecting office workers attributed to poorly managed facilities or stressful factors in the working environment such as poor ventilation.
Our sense of smell has been a powerful motivator throughout human history. This natural olfactory instinct can drive the decisions we make - whether they’re good, bad or indifferent. So, when it comes to restaurants and kitchens, help ensure customers only get the very best of the smells in your building.
Many schools realized that their systems, particularly mechanical and HVAC systems, were not capable of handling the CDC- and ASHRAE-recommended modifications during the pandemic, such as increasing outdoor air. Especially in the Northeast, systems are not built to handle 100 percent outdoor air in the dead of winter. Therefore, it made schools consider more holistic and creative ways of preparing their classrooms for teachers and students, such as air cleaners or better controls strategies.
We talked with 3 superintendents from around the country to learn how their school districts are leveraging federal funding to improve building infrastructure for the upcoming school year and beyond.
We talked with 3 superintendents from around the country about how federal stimulus funds offer an opportunity to upgrade facilities in ways that will leave a lasting positive impact for generations to come.
We talked with 3 superintendents from around the country about the many long-term benefits of thoughtful infrastructure improvements, specifically for students today and of future generations.
When CORE Fitness in Providence, Rhode Island, began transforming an old brownstone into an upscale fitness center they turned to Coldmasters and Trane. Specializing in cycling, weight training and boxing classes, CORE knows the importance of bringing individualized comfort to its clients.
Hear from Scott Huffmaster, North America Sales Leader for Healthy Spaces with Trane, as he talks about what’s now, what’s new and what’s next for IEQ.
The current education stimulus funding represents the United States’ largest-ever investment in infrastructure upgrade opportunities for K-12 schools. (Source) These unprecedented stimulus funds can be leveraged for facility upgrades including indoor air quality improvements. As the district’s trusted facility advisor, one of the most important things you can do is help your school make the right decisions when it comes to funding district needs.
Cameron Griffith offers 15 years of energy services consulting experience helping customers leverage their buildings to meet improve their business performance. Cameron helps building owners meet or exceed business outcomes, using buildings as a resource to maximize asset potential.
A new report from the International Well Building Institute (IWBI), State of Our Schools 2021, shows a projected annual shortfall of $85 billion in annual U.S. K-12 public school facility funding, despite significant local and state efforts to deliver healthy and safe public-school buildings. This shortfall represents a nearly 80 percent increase since 2016 according to the report by the 21st Century School Fund, IWBI and the National Council on School Facilities.
There is not a silver bullet when addressing IEQ or IAQ issues. Every building is different, and every customer is different. It is important to assess each building to determine existing conditions of the space. It is also important to understand key factors from the customer (efficacy against pathogens, energy efficiency, mold/mildew mitigation, improved productivity, comfort issues, etc.). Most projects require a layered approach to meet the unique needs of the customer and their building’s current state.
Multiple studies have shown that the more comfortable people are, the more productive they become. Some applications, like healthcare, retail stores, grocery stores, and schools may have unique requirements related to one or more of the thermal comfort parameters for the comfort of the people – or food – inside their buildings.
How can schools leverage tomorrow’s energy savings to fund today’s K-12 school building improvements — and what risks are associated with these types of projects?
Join Dr. Timothy Unruh, Executive Director for the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO®), as he dives into the ins and outs of this funding vehicle known as an energy savings performance contract.
Typically when people think of “healthier indoor spaces” they are referring to the filtration or other air cleaning technologies. What many people don’t realize is that the health of their spaces is so much more that that. It starts with thermal comfort, ie the temperature and humidity in the space. ASHRAE has tons of research that shows that there are optimal ranges for temperature and humidity to keep occupants comfortable and prevent the spread of viruses, bacteria and other microbials.
Even well before the global pandemic, researchers reported that maintaining proper indoor air quality (IAQ) can help reduce absenteeism, affect test scores, and enhance student and staff perceptions of productivity. According to a literature review published in 2005 in Indoor Air Journal , evidence suggests that poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools is common and adversely influences the performance and attendance of students, primarily through health effects from indoor pollutants.
Why has the U.S. PK-12 school facilities’ funding gap increased to a staggering $85 billion a year — when the learning environment is more critical than ever — and what can be done about it? Join Mary Filardo, Executive Director of the 21st Century School Fund and Rachel Hodgdon, CEO of the International Well Building Institute®, as they delve into their organizations’ 2021 State of Our Schools Report.
When it comes to building automation systems, not all uses of the term “open system” are equal. When talking about open systems, definitions typically fall into three categories: open distribution, open protocols, and open service. This blog explores open distribution.
Technology and material advancements have been making buildings consistently more sustainable for decades. Some of what’s possible is truly remarkable. There are solutions readily available today that can reduce emissions while paying back building owners with financial benefits.
How has technical education changed and why should parents, students, businesses and communities consider a technical career pathway an important opportunity?
Prairie Trails School is on track to save more than $32,000 a year in annual gas and electricity costs while offering optimized indoor air quality and reliable, energy efficient performance.
As part of a holistic approach to building wellness, an energy service company such as Trane can help school leaders access unprecedented funding currently available to optimize indoor spaces in schools. Additionally, Trane can help leaders prepare a long-term replacement strategy should they be hit with a natural disaster or other surprises.
In response to COVID’s impact on our schools nationwide, the U.S. Department of Education has stepped in to provide an unprecedented amount of funding as part of its American Rescue Plan (ARP). Through this funding, community colleges around the nation received over $40 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF III) to address the financial burden faced by institutions of higher learning and students alike.
Join Anisa Heming, Director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, and Wanyu Rengie Chan, Ph.D, Healthy Schools Research Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as they unpack the latest studies and best practices in IEQ for K-12 school buildings.
A communication protocol is a set of rules used to share data. An open protocol means the communication rules are publicly available. Using an open protocol is a good first step but can become complicated if a single vendor owns the protocol. That vendor could keep some of the features for only their products, making it less open than would first appear. Or worse, the vendor may change the protocol leaving existing systems in a state where an upgrade may break existing interoperability.
Haley Whiting is an apprentice pipefitter in Chicago – Union Local 597. She’s been working in the trades for nearly five years and, in her early 30s, is one of the older apprentices. Her career started off in one direction before the construction industry finally found her.
Join podcast host, Portia Mount, vice president of marketing at Trane, and three guests from leading global design and architecture firm, Corgan — David Euscher, vice president; Sangeetha Karthik, associate principal; and AJ Sustaita, vice president — who wake up every morning thinking about how to create the best K-12 learning environments. These education design experts share an industry insider’s view as they lay out how to create effective and inclusive educational spaces for today’s highly engaged students.
Precisely maintained indoor environments make indoor growing operations highly efficient. They consume up to 95% less water, use less fertilizer and pesticide and are hundreds of times more productive per square foot compared to traditional farming methods. And growers don’t need to worry about Mother Nature spoiling the harvest.
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.
This year, there has been a lot of news around thermal energy storage as a way to reduce carbon emissions, and for good reason. Read more for two of the latest trends.
Since its inception, Trane® has strived to provide objective and useful information to engineers and contractors. Early examples include numerous bulletins covering new systems and equipment. In addition, the company began publishing the Trane Air Conditioning Manual in 1938.
Often, a central chilled water plant can be one of the most critical systems within a facility, especially during facility operations—so wouldn’t it be logical for the design and installation of these plants be considered critical as well?
Expecting a central plant to be reliable is a given, so it makes sense that the steps leading up to the startup of that first compressor be as reliable as possible, too. Putting standard work practices, pre-engineered sequences and documentation into place can go a long way in helping to ensure the reliability of the chilled water plant.
Kasey Boxleitner has more than five years’ experience doing her part to improve the energy efficiency of the world by designing and implementing HVAC solutions for our commercial building customers. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison She is past president of the university’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and currently serves on the chapter’s board of directors. She also volunteers for the university’s Women in Mechanical Engineering Mentor Program.
Many light commercial buildings have traditionally used several single-zone, packaged rooftop units with thermostats—often because better systems were thought to be too complicated and/or too expensive to install. If “zoning” was desired in these buildings, a changeover bypass system was traditionally used; this system allowed a single rooftop unit to provide independent temperature control to several zones. However, it used a constant-speed supply fan and a centralized bypass damper, resulting in higher energy use and sound levels than other system alternatives.
When K-12 students learn about science, technology and math (STEM) at school, that early exposure increases their interest in pursuing STEM careers . That’s why we developed the BTU Crew - a STEM education program just for K-12 students.
When joining Trane in 2000, with a background in electrical engineering, I found the Engineers Newsletters helpful in expanding my knowledge in the HVAC realm. The content was educational, timely, and well thought out with just enough technical detail to point me in the right direction and kick start my learning. It is an honor to be an EN author myself—having now authored or co-authored three newsletters. I hope to help Trane continue this goal of concise, timely education for many years to come.
Running a successful restaurant means making a million decisions daily. Ordering, staffing, menu planning, the list can seem never-ending. What if I told you that simple changes to your HVAC system could not only make it easier to operate your building’s energy systems, but could also save money?
Beth Rovazzini has been in charge of Indianapolis-based B&W Plumbing and Heating for 40 years. It’s a family business, first established in her parents’ garage in 1961. Growing up, Beth never thought she would take over the company – that would be her older brother’s job. She went to college at Indiana University and earned her degree in accounting.
The Trane Rental Services team is a small and passionate group. The team can wear many hats. In order to get to know the team better these spotlights highlight team members and their roles. From the Operations team to customer support these spotlights will let you know more about the Rental Services Team.
To protect community health and lower greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, some areas of California are regulating the nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions of commercial furnaces.
When school superintendent Blake A. Vargas stepped into his new role leading Caney Valley Unified School District 436, multiple challenges faced the Kansas school district. Beyond the district’s deferred maintenance issues, including unreliable and inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, the district lacked sufficient cash to meet day-to-day operating expenses—much less address necessary building improvements. Aware he needed a holistic solution that addressed far more than simply building systems and services, Vargas vetted his options and ultimately engaged Trane. He knew that Trane could help the district develop a master plan that assessed needs, identified the best solutions and uncovered the best funding options.
At Trane we get excited about engineering because it allows us to do things nobody has ever done before. For Kristin Sullivan, Senior Engineering Manager in La Crosse, Wisconsin, leading her team to take on new challenges, and finding creative ways to solve them, is just a great day at the office.
If you wish your building performed more efficiently and sustainability but don’t know how to get there, Wayform by Trane can help. Wayform is our people focused approach to delivering operational and energy outcomes that provides you with a trusted partner committed to developing customized building and energy solutions for your building.
It seems like almost every customer has targeted specific environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals today. While these goals are easy to identify, they can be challenging to achieve. That’s one area where we can help - whether it's reducing energy, improving comfort, delivering against decarbonization or other sustainability goals. Trane systems deliver against those key performance indicators (KPIs) and make our customers business better at the same time.
When you choose Trane to improve the indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency of your K-12 school building, you also get the opportunity to add Trane’s BTU Crew™ interactive lessons to your school. This educational program transforms your school into a living-learning energy lab that helps amplify students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as future STEM careers.
What really drew me in to be a sales engineer is that it’s a way to apply technical solutions in a really dynamic setting. I could take something technical — I could be still stimulating that left side of the brain and still enjoying that — while being in a social environment every day and applying it. So, it was the challenge, the variety, and the mix of technical and real-world applications.
Connecting your building doesn’t need to be complex, these five considerations can help you to have a conversation with a controls provider, like Trane, to design a system to meet your needs.
Spring has sprung, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere…for the 50th time since the Engineers Newsletters (EN) was first published in 1972! Be sure to get outside and enjoy the change of seasons. Right now, though, stay here for my segment around history of the Engineers Newsletters publications.
Lake Erie College took a step outside the box and is reaping the rewards. Founded in 1856, the school is based in Painesville, Ohio, about 30 miles from Cleveland. It’s the only four-year college in Lake County, giving the institution’s leadership, faculty, and staff an additional layer of responsibility for their community.
Customers are trying to balance their people and running whatever their business or operation does, while also caring about energy. In this environment where supply chain is crazy and there's not an end in sight, I think customers are really trying to figure out, “how do I, in the short, medium and long term, do the right thing?”
Adele Glaser is a Services Sales Leader in Pine Brook, New Jersey, and loves that Trane is so focused on great engineering. It’s a series of increasingly complex puzzles for her. She knows the answers are out there, she just has to dig deep to find them.
As the leader of the Intelligent Services program, Kurt drives the development and implementation of innovations directly linked to the optimization of client facilities. Learn about the steps he suggests taking to help you determine whether it makes good fiscal sense to stay the course or consider cost-saving upgrades for your K-12 building.
As an expert in comprehensive solutions and energy-based projects, Larry works closely with Trane's strategic clients to solve energy and infrastructure challenges, Learn how Larry's expertise in building and energy helps Trane customers reach their goals.
Together with Trane and Trane Technologies, the Neiman Marcus Group marks Earth Day by taking its New York City landmark building Bergdorf Goodman Women’s Store from gas power to fully electric power, for a greener-energy future. Take a look at this vital step in their highly customized decarbonization journey.
Building wellness isn’t just about limiting the spread of COVID-19. For parents & educators, it’s about addressing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) to create healthier learning spaces.
Wellsphere brings a more human and holistic approach to improving IEQ. Scott Huffmaster explains what you need to consider.
When it comes to optimizing your building performance, there are so many options, yet so little time. It can make good strategic and fiscal sense to partner with a trusted energy service provider to help you save energy, improve operating costs and reduce carbon emissions. But, how do you know what to look for in a partner? Found out the four key offerings to look for in an energy service partner.
At Trane, everything starts with engineering and Lindsay D’Albani is one of our best. D’Albani is a Senior Test Engineer in Clarksville, Tennessee and loves her engineering career at Trane because it’s flexible, interesting, and collaborative.
Lake Erie College was established in 1856. So, it’s no surprise the northeast Ohio campus has a wide range of HVAC equipment: chillers, hot water boilers, pneumatic systems…pretty much everything.
Hear from building and energy expert Dane Taival, vice president of Digital & Energy Services for Commercial HVAC Americas, about how Trane helps serve our customers and their building's energy needs.
Managing restaurant buildings is a complex job. From hot kitchens to drafty dining rooms, and heat and moisture-producing equipment, there is a lot happening in a small space. The fact is the overall comfort and environment inside of a restaurant can have as much impact on getting return customers as the food.
Hooray, it’s May! This reminds me of May flowers and “May the 4th” for you Star Wars™ fans. For those of us living in northern climates, the flowers have started to bloom, and it is time to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and nature. My name is Chris Hsieh and I have been with Trane® for the past 25 years. Throughout my time with Trane, I have supported a variety of initiatives, notably the international service market, Six Sigma projects, green buildings industry, and TRACE® energy modeling. My current role is as an applications engineer with a focus on airside and indoor air quality (IAQ) issues.
I always want to leave things better than when I found them. I think every customer wants to do the right thing when it comes to spending money, improving indoor air quality, improving their facilities and leaving a legacy. I think every person has that same goal of making an impact and leaving things better. Personally, I absolutely can do that every day in my job with Trane.
It’s also important to be there – always. I have a philosophy: if my phone rings, I'm going to answer it. That’s because I never know what the situation may be. It may be that a chiller is down, or it may be that a customer needs a quick answer on how they’re going to do their funding. So, it is critical to always be there, listen, and bring our full resources to the table to assist.
When you’re working with a supplier to solve a problem do you ever feel like you’re being offered an “off the shelf” solution that doesn’t quite fit your unique needs?
Us, too. That’s why we developed Wayform™ by Trane®, a new consultative approach that provides you with a personalized, outcome-driven plan based on your performance objectives and building needs.
In November 2021, the Federal Government established the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act (IIJA). Commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and touted as a “once-in-a-generation level of funding,” this bill aims deliver $1.2 trillion to rebuild roads and bridges, ensure access to safe drinking water and broadband, and improve America’s ports, airports, rails, and roads.
In Her Words is a three-part series highlighting the Manufacturing Institute’s 2022 STEP Ahead Award Honorees and Emerging Leaders. The STEP Ahead Awards “recognize women in science, technology, engineering and production careers who exemplify leadership within their companies. This national honor identifies top talent in the manufacturing industry and further encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue modern manufacturing careers. The STEP Ahead Awards give women across the country a platform to showcase the incredible opportunities the industry has to offer, whether they are running the company, designing the next big product or testing innovations on the shop floor.”
Smart design with new systems can often provide reasonable paybacks. Trane has a team of people that do this type of work every day. We evaluate buildings and listen to owners’ needs to identify comprehensive solutions to address these challenges.
The biggest benefit the BTU Crew offers is that it opens students’ eyes to possible jobs/careers that they never knew existed, especially in the renewable energy field. They also learn how energy how can directly impact their lives in the future, what their energy bills are going to look like, for example.
We can help people balance out reliability, resilience, energy emissions and operational goals without giving something up by starting with due diligence. We get into their buildings, ask people questions, and determine some of their issues and identify the best solutions to balance their needs. So, if they need an air handling unit replaced, for example, we try to make sure that it’s going to at least maintain or preferably improve their indoor environment.
Kelly Maniar, LEED AP, is a systems account manager in Orlando, Florida. With 17 years of experience working for Trane, she reports that she has “sold every product Trane makes!” Learn more about Kelly and how she loves connecting to her customers in this spotlight of women in construction.
IEQ vs. IAQ: Because their acronyms are so similar, these two concepts can easily be confused. In practice, while good indoor air quality or IAQ, is important, it’s just one critical component of creating a comfortable indoor space for occupants. After all, in the classic fairy tale, even if Goldilocks was breathing quality indoor air, if she also found the Three Bears’ home too cold, too dark or too loud – she would still be uncomfortable.
As public and private pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increases across industries, restaurants face several challenges to create more sustainable operations.
It is June and we are half-way through our Engineers Newsletter 50th anniversary celebration! As the temperature and humidity begin to rise, our appreciation for air-cooling equipment increases. One of the most prevalent cooling systems applied in our homes and small buildings are direct expansion (DX) split systems. Over the years, seven percent of the Engineering Newsletters have covered topics involving split systems. According to one EN, a split-system is nothing more than a packaged unit split in half, one half staying on the roof and the other half moved indoors into a central station air handler. While this is not always the case, it is a good place to start.
In Her Words is a three-part series highlighting the Manufacturing Institute’s 2022 STEP Ahead Award Honorees and Emerging Leaders. The STEP Ahead Awards “recognize women in science, technology, engineering and production careers who exemplify leadership within their companies. This national honor identifies top talent in the manufacturing industry and further encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue modern manufacturing careers. The STEP Ahead Awards give women across the country a platform to showcase the incredible opportunities the industry has to offer, whether they are running the company, designing the next big product or testing innovations on the shop floor.
As summer break commences, school district leaders face unprecedented challenges from staffing to supply shortages to rising inflation. The U.S. Department of Education recognized the mounting concerns and notified the American Association of School Superintendents (AASA) leadership that it will allow a timeline extension for American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funded school facilities and construction projects.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane employees in our weekly blog round up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve. This week’s weekly wrap from Trane:
With customer needs, like cost reduction or resiliency planning, carbon reduction or infrastructure upgrades likely already a moving target at your facilities, how can you stay ahead of the game?
Under the Buy American Act, federal agencies are required to use products manufactured in the United States for any contract performed within the U.S. While this law dates back to 1933, the exact requirements are continually changing, making it difficult for federal organizations and agencies to keep up.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, electrification, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The Healthcare industry has been concerned about indoor air quality (IAQ) for decades. Infection control and the rise of indoor infectious diseases made ventilation, HVAC, and filtration paramount. More recent global outbreaks accentuated the need to maintain or improve IAQ and how to help detect, remove, dilute, and disinfect pathogenic organisms from the hospital environment.
I really enjoy working with sales, Trane Rental Services Technical Support, and Trane Rental Services Operations teams to provide solutions for complex commercial/industrial HVAC applications that help our customers. I like the aspect of working with multiple teams across the business; especially cross-functional teams. I enjoy learning and that’s exactly what these complex applications force me to do. I learn about doing load calculations and such so we can meet the exact needs of our customers.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Everyone’s talking about decarbonization these days, and for good reason. Leaders across the grocery industry are responding to a groundswell of pressure from consumers, investors and regulators (not to mention their own children)—by setting emissions targets.
Packaged rooftop unit replacements often offer opportunities beyond the immediate need to replace end-of-life equipment. Important benefits to consider when selecting an appropriate replacement unit include reduced maintenance expenses, increased efficiency, reduced carbon footprint and upgraded capabilities.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Hello Summer! The heat and humidity of the season is finally knocking on our door. This means that our heavy lemon juice consumption season is coming to sporting events, neighborhood fundraisers, and local festivals. Speaking of juice, in our July Engineer Newsletter Blog, we will quickly browse through our past newsletters and other literature on refrigerants, the so-called “magic juice” inside air conditioners.
Trailblazing, as Robyn Boling sees it, requires a combination of determination, opportunity, and support.
Boling was recently honored by a Manufacturing Institute with a STEP Ahead Award for her own trailblazing career. She is the first female ductless HVAC technical specialist in her region for Trane — by Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT), a global climate innovator.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane employees in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve. This week’s weekly wrap from Trane
The federal government has extensive mission-critical facilities that continued to operate throughout this historic pandemic. These facilities rely on complex climate control systems to ensure indoor environmental quality remains consistent day to day and season to season. Simply put, these critical facilities cannot fail. Establishing redundancy and controls to ensure critical building infrastructure remains consistent in times of man-made or natural disasters is important for the safety and resilience of our communities.
In the wake of the recent pandemic and increasing instances of natural disasters, emerges the need to redefine what it means to be a “smart city.” Today, smart communities are the ones that invest in people-first solutions that enhance equity and quality of life. Ensuring community members have access to healthy environments, reliably comfortable public facilities, and safe spaces to seek shelter in the face of crisis are just a few examples of ways civic leaders are investing in these solutions today.
Recently, federal funds have been committed to State and Local Governments to help America recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and help improve infrastructure throughout the nation. When used to modernize and enhance the public spaces residents rely on the most, these investments can have ripple effects, improving the environmental, social, and economic health of communities. Simply put – better building infrastructure helps to creates better communities.
The recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)) – provides $550 billion to State and Local Governments to improve infrastructure throughout the nation. $62 billion of this funding has been allocated to the Department of Energy (DOE) to fund clean energy innovation, provide affordable and reliable energy, improve grid resiliency, fight climate change and create good-paying jobs in related industries. Through these programs, State and Local governments can:
We have all been there. It’s a hot summer day, and you go into the supermarket to buy a few items for your backyard cookout—but as you move from produce to chips to the frozen aisles you become progressively more uncomfortable as the temperature and humidity within the space drastically swing. (Say it with me: shivering shoppers don’t shop long.)
Since we spend an estimated 94 percent of our time indoors , indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is critical. Along with indoor air quality, thermal comfort and acoustics, lighting represents one of four key factors comprising IEQ. The right lighting offers a wealth of benefits so it can play a powerful role in determining your building’s IEQ.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Few organizations need to consider energy resiliency more than a hospital. An essential service of any community, the pandemic showed us firsthand the important role hospitals play in times of crisis. It also thrust facility management into the spotlight and illustrated how the health of our buildings — things like airflow control and ventilation — play an important role in our health outcomes.
For some students, combining Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning with competition can be a game changer, getting them more fully engaged and committed to learning. This hands-on learning approach can set students up for success in the classroom, and in STEM competitions, while fostering their interest in future STEM careers.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The warmth of the summer sun feels terrific after a lengthy, frigid winter but when it gets to be too much an escape to the cool, refreshing indoor air conditioning is a welcomed break. And living in western Wisconsin I can surely claim I enjoy both -- nothing feels more rejuvenating than an air-conditioned space after a hot, sunny day on the Mississippi River! My name is Dan Gentry, and I recently celebrated my five-year anniversary with Trane; I started my career with the company in the Centrifugal Product Support group. Previously, I worked in sales support at another chiller manufacturer where I primarily focused on heat recovery and heat pump type systems. About a year ago in the spirit of leveraging and strengthening my work experience, I transitioned to the role of Applications Engineer and now work with the field to help design energy efficient systems, many of which utilize some form of heat recovery, often with heat recovery chillers.
Imagine, if you will, a hospital without power. Severe weather took down the power lines leading to the hospital, or a cyber-attack destroyed the power station and the emergency generator stopped working. Whatever the reason, the hospital is now extremely limited in its ability to treat patients. Operating room staff are scrambling to find lights so they can finish surgeries. Nurses are using flashlights while trying to triage patients. Electronic medical records are instantly inaccessible.
As part of our mission to grow the pipeline from grade school to careers in emerging heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology, Trane offers hands-on education opportunities for students. Customers can leverage their projects for real and rigorous student learning through the Trane Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Capstone Program.
Given all these considerations, how can organizations reduce their risk? The opportunity cost of unplanned downtime can be devastating. Whether a cooling unit is down for a day or for a week can have enormous consequences: lost revenues, damaged product or inventories, lower employee satisfaction, slower speed to market and more. For example, if a chiller goes down for one day that might mean $1 million in lost revenues. But if that chiller can’t be serviced for four days, the lost revenue is significantly greater—to the tune of $4 million.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
President Biden’s administration has issued a variety of Executive Orders to address climate change. Through its Federal Sustainability Plan, the administration has “set a range of ambitious goals to deliver an emissions reduction pathway” to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by 2030. To successfully track progress on this goal, a standardized method of measurement is needed.
The need to holistically assess and optimize indoor air quality (IAQ) as part of your building’s indoor environmental quality (IEQ) program represents more than just a pandemic-response requirement. It can be key to employee health/wellbeing and business success.
Air Mechanical and Service Corp. (AMSCO) in Orlando likes big jobs. Part of a state-wide company, AMSCO Orlando specializes high-profile projects, often for local governments in Orlando, Orange and Seminole counties: schools, city and county buildings, courthouses.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
There is a need to fill the talent pipeline for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related jobs. Trane has a solution to help with this. The Trane Virtual Living Learning Lab (VL3) offers an innovative approach that turns your building into a broad-based learning tool for students, to help them be more prepared for their future careers.
Now a mechanical engineer and Director of Operations at Net Positive Consulting Engineers in Clovis, California, Hannah Brigdon, P.E., has a great career. Still, without a blunt conversation with an engineering professor, she might have gone in a different direction.
It is the situation no one wants to encounter; your system breaks down and equipment isn’t readily available. Along with, regulations regarding emissions and proper refrigerant handling and leak reporting can be costly mistakes if completed wrong. You may be saying this won’t happen to me, but the possibility is most likely will if your building is not properly maintained.
When leaders at Powhatan County were adding a new school building, they wanted to address a host of deferred maintenance issues that plagued four existing dark and gloomy school buildings before the new school building opened its doors. Powhatan County Public Schools leaders wanted to upgrade these existing buildings to create an equitable, optimized learning environment for all district students. Since the district lacked additional funding, Trane helped them fund the upgrades with future energy savings using a performance contract. The upgrades helped to improve the teaching and learning environment, enhancing comfort and indoor air quality while decreasing energy use and operational costs. Upgrades reduced energy costs by more than 20 percent and cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3.3 million pounds of CO2.
Industry 4.0 is here and is dramatically changing how industrial facilities are managed. Just as our watches have evolved from telling time and counting steps to sending text messages, measuring our heart rate and exercise and providing weather updates, building maintenance and management has evolved significantly as well. New products and technologies are being integrated into production facilities and throughout building operations.
“Sustainability” is a key priority for businesses, but its broad scope can make it difficult to translate goals into action. “Decarbonization” is a deliberate set of tactics that are part of a larger sustainable business model.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The school year is just around the corner, but there are lots of projects you can start now that will have a big impact on how your students, parents and staff feel about your building.
Data from Trane shows that 40-60% of truck rolls can be prevented with remote monitoring by factory-trained HVAC technicians. It may sound cost-effective to contract HVAC service with your refrigeration vendor. But we’ll show you why it’s the opposite. Modern mechanical systems are complex, and refrigeration technicians aren’t equipped to solve most issues. Trial and error at several hundred dollars a pop can add up quickly—in dollars, downtime and carbon emissions.
Many of our higher education, municipal and government customers need help navigating ESSER and other funding to complete much needed upgrades. They have always had deferred maintenance on their building operations but have not had enough funding to address it. When it comes to using that funding, it looks different for each customer. Ultimately, they are facing a lot of infrastructure challenges. This includes rising rates on the energy side and the need to keep up with technology.
A lighting upgrade recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) is expected to reduce energy use by more than 60 percent for the Holt Public School district, which serves more than 5,000 students in nine buildings in central Michigan. The upgrades have helped to make the learning environment more comfortable: previously, overbright lighting had driven some teachers to turning classroom lights off entirely.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
As a society, we can no longer ignore the impacts of climate change. The planet is warming at a rate twice as fast as typical levels, causing an increase in extreme weather events. Business and government alike have a role to play in combating the causes of climate change to ensure we have a thriving planet for future generations.
No one wants their HVAC unit to go down, but in a manufacturing plant the cost of downtime can add up—and quickly. More than likely, you have redundancies in place for your critical process equipment. If a machine goes down, you and your staff are prepared for a seamless transition. Perhaps you keep an inventory of key parts and have a technician on 24/7 call.
How important is the air inside your school? Air quality and performance in schools have long been a concern, especially since there are more than 50 million K-12 students in America who spend, on average, 1,000 hours in school each year.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The first-of many Trane Engineers Newsletters on chilled-water systems were published in 1973 with concentration on chilled and condenser system piping design. At that time, chilled-water systems had a constant-flow design. This began to change in the late 1970s as a new technology, the variable speed drive, was applied to chilled-water pumps. To educate the industry, “A Need for Variable Flow Chilled Water Systems” (1977), “Water Chiller (Control): Decoupler Variable Flow Systems” (1979), and “Chillers are Constant Flow Devices” (1980) were published. These articles provided background on primary-secondary (decoupled) systems which operated more efficiently and became common design practice for the next decade.
Streets, LLC is a family business that has provided philanthropic support and HVAC contracting for the Oklahoma City pediatric rehabilitation campus for more than 50 years.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
When it comes to optimizing the indoor air quality (IAQ) of your building, there is more to address than simply reducing the possibility of potential virus exposure for occupants. Factors such as bacteria, mold, fungi and volatile organic compounds pose a potential risk to IAQ. Removing the source of contaminants can help support the well-being of the building’s occupants
Dana Cheney, who has had two children who have participated in the Trane BTU Crew at Beloit Jr. High School in Beloit, Kansas, shares her perspective on how the program has impacted them. The BTU Crew, a science, technology, engineering and math program (STEM) transforms schools into Virtual Living, Learning Labs (VL3) – engaging students and teachers alike. The BTU Crew’s easily integrated lessons and activities take a project-based learning (PBL) approach to ask students to identify solutions to specific challenges, helping them understand energy while expanding their analytical and problem-solving skills.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Sustainable practices have become a key part of the planning process when it comes to assessing building assets today. Over one-fifth of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies have net zero commitments according to the report “Taking Stock: A global assessment of net zero targets.” These companies together represent annual sales of nearly $14 trillion. While we once strived for net zero, is that enough or can we push ourselves to go further and achieve net positive?
Is it October? We need to look at some monsters, but not the goblins and ghouls that come out at this time of year. We’re talking about energy monsters that take over facilities!
Energy security is a critical driver of our nation’s ability to sustain itself on many levels. One of the pillars of energy security is resilience, which has been a focus of many federal agencies over the last few years. This resiliency consists of the ability for a consumer to rapidly recover reliable power to critical building and campus systems. Resiliency can be achieved by synchronizing redundant systems through an advanced grid infrastructure and or having the ability to “island” or operate an independent energy microgrid until reliable primary power is accessible. Additionally, with the use of renewable energy sources on, or near, the customer site and largescale upgrades of mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems to improve energy efficiency; you can appreciate both the challenges and potential of energy security for our country.
The changing climate means rising temperatures in many places around the world. And while many industries are feeling the impact, building resiliency in data centers is particularly critical.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
When talking with manufacturers about the potential costs of downtime, we regularly hear that it is difficult to quantify all the components that factor into the true cost of downtime. There are three obvious costs that most companies consider and can easily calculate:
From contractors to engineers to welders to maintenance and service technicians, skilled employees are the number one resource the HVAC industry depends upon most to meet the growing demand for comfortable indoor climates.
Traditional On-Site Service utilizes on-site inspections to log the chiller operation on that specific day. This standard service method only provides an operational "snapshot in time" analysis. If you are using a typical quarterly inspection schedule, that’s 2189 hours between inspections or 6567 hours/year of no visibility to how your chiller is operating!
As mentioned in our January blog post, 2022 marks the 50-year anniversary of Trane’s Engineers Newsletter publication! This month we hear from a frequent EN author, Trane applications engineer John Murphy.
Mike Leach leads building automation sales for the Florida Region. He has been with Trane since 2009 in progressive positions as Sales Engineer, Controls Operations Manager, Systems Sales Manager, and his current role. Mike is based out of the Tampa office with his wife and two daughters. He is a licensed professional engineer and has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Florida.
Staying relevant in today’s competitive market can be challenging, especially since there's more to success than simply meeting traditional business goals.
Protecting our important data center infrastructure and making it resilient through extreme weather events is critical to our modern operating world. We must approach designing new buildings and retrofitting existing data center infrastructure to be able to withstand extreme temperatures with a sense of urgency.
With temperatures rising across the globe and heatwaves becoming increasingly common, designing data centers to be resilient through extreme weather events has never been more important. But how exactly do you approach designing and building a data center today that can withstand future climate shifts?
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
What’s changed to shift the lighting conversation to consulting engineers rather than electricians? Every technology prior to LED has been based on a prescribed form factor lamp with either a filament rate or a gas discharge. These lights could simply be turned on or off.
In this 3-part Insights from an Expert series, we are exploring the practical solutions Trane can provide to help you take advantage of electrified heating as a mechanism to achieving decarbonization goals. We will start by exploring the portfolio of all-electric and hybrid HVAC equipment Trane can provide and popular solutions customers are exploring to achieve decarbonization goals.
In this 3-part Insights from an Expert series, we are exploring the practical solutions Trane can provide to help you take advantage of electrified heating as a mechanism for achieving decarbonization goals. In this post, we’ll explore how energy services and controls can support you on your journey to electrification, including helping you to fund electrification projects.
In this 3-part Insights from an Expert series, we are exploring the practical solutions Trane can provide to help you take advantage of electrified heating as a mechanism for achieving decarbonization goals. In today’s discussion, we dig into how HVAC Building Services and Intelligent Services are a critical piece of any customer’s sustainability story.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Effective learning goes beyond ensuring that you have great teachers. Empowering them with educational tools and the right learning environment plays a critical role in helping students thrive
Carbon emissions (or carbon production) is a general measurement of the amount of CO2 generated through direct, indirect, or value-chain emissions. Discover the common causes of carbon emissions in buildings.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Jessica Ely grew up in Western Pennsylvania and fondly remembers visiting her grandparents on the other side of the state, near Philadelphia. Her grandfather worked in the building industry as an inspector and would often take her with him to work.
With so many viable options for every building, knowing which ones to use and when to use them can be confusing. As a result, building communications are frequently misconstrued in the industry. To help clarify, we’re shedding light on some of these common misconceptions.
Heating systems that run on natural gas and other fossil fuels have been keeping America’s buildings warm for decades. But now, as many in the private and public sectors are doubling down on commitments to mitigate climate change and create more sustainable spaces, that era may be ending.
Through our people, passion, and purpose, we create comfortable and energy-efficient environments around the world. Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The changing of the seasons and approaching cold weather creates a perfect time to discuss a new way to use ice storage for the electrification of heat. And the timing is also very relevant, as US building owners can now take an investment tax credit for thermal energy storage systems!
Buildings talk, And when you understand what they’re saying, you can do a lot with that information—like reducing energy costs, carbon emissions, ensuring occupant comfort, and making a positive impact on the world. Learn more about building communication protocols, mediums and topologies, how they can be used, and where to apply them.
In recent years, much attention has been focused on the concept of energy efficiency. Companies of all sizes are prioritizing decarbonization and other energy saving efforts by creating short- and long-term sustainability plans.
Improve your school's energy efficiency and reduce your energy and operational costs with funding from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Learn about the timing, coverage and scope of the IIJA grant and more.
What can you do to help ensure that your building provides an optimized environment to support well-being for students, teachers and staff as national illness rates soar?
Together, Trane and Claremont leveraged the buildings that residents rely on most to fund community infrastructure modernization needs and accelerate decarbonization goals - without relying on additional tax dollars.
As mentioned in our January blog post, 2022 marks the 50-year anniversary of Trane’s Engineers Newsletter publication! This month we hear from EN author, Trane Systems Development Engineer Dustin Meredith.
Together, Trane and Claremont leveraged the buildings that residents rely on most to fund community infrastructure modernization needs and accelerate decarbonization goals - without relying on additional tax dollars.
Four St. Louis area cities – Des Peres, St. Ann, St. Charles, and Wentzville – are achieving an array of goals with one common solution: better building infrastructure.
South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) partnered with the experts at Trane to reduce their building’s energy use by 41 percent while helping to improve building comfort, indoor air quality and lighting.
South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) partnered with the experts at Trane to reduce their building’s energy use by 41 percent while helping to improve building comfort, indoor air quality and lighting.
Understanding how your building consumes energy is a vital step in effective energy management. Discover the process of an energy efficiency audit and how it can help you on your decarbonization journey.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Over the years, Steve Kujak has built internal networks at Trane and external ones through ASHRAE and AHRI, broadening his knowledge, boosting his network, and gathering tools to sharpen innovation.
With decarbonization, electrification, energy efficiency, and other ever-changing hot topics being discussed, where can you go for reliable info relevant to your world? Turn to Trane thought leaders who go behind the curtain each week with new blogs sharing industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Using leadership in building technology and energy solutions
to get it right for the customer and the climate.
How do you meet the needs of your data center and business today while preparing for the future? Discover the 3 of the key strategies to future-proof the sustainability of your data center.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Engineers make it possible for us to get it right for both the customer and the climate. Learn how we’re supporting their growth and development through education and training, mentoring and networking, and diversity and inclusion.
Are you 'equipped' to specify modular chillers? Join us for the Q1 Trane® Engineers Newsletter LIVE to learn about modular chiller essentials including equipment considerations, systems considerations, and more.
Any idea how hot your warehouse might get on the hottest summer day? We understand if that question isn’t even on your radar right now given the challenges in warehouse supply chain and real estate.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Effectively managing refrigerant use can be a complex task. As industry regulations evolve, innovations like the new Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric HVRF system can help achieve more ambitious decarbonization goals.
In this Engineers Newsletter, Dustin Meredith, Systems Development Engineer, explains guidelines for choosing direct-expansion coils for heating and cooling in heat pump split systems.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) is one of the largest community colleges in the country with over 30 buildings across 6 campuses.
You've heard the buzz about connected buildings. Providers are probably contacting you. When you’re evaluating the options, the question isn’t “What is it?” The real question is, “How will it transform my business?” Here are 10 questions to help you find out.
Connected controls and solutions use data to report and predict HVAC equipment performance. So you can react before trouble strikes. Optimize and maintain building performance with today’s building automation.
Trane offers personalized, data-driven strategies to help schools reduce energy and operational costs, using our portfolio of energy-efficient HVAC equipment, connected controls, and outcome-driven solutions.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The demand for high tech manufacturing is growing, and so are supply chain challenges. Lessen the impact of these hurdles with the right approach and partner.
Discover how Trane partnered with Crosstown Concourse, a mixed-use development in Memphis, Tennessee, to enable optimal daily operations, tracks tenant energy use, troubleshoots issues, and more through connectivity.
This week from Trane: April 10, 2023
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
District leaders wanted to reduce the building’s energy and operational costs and address indoor air quality (IAQ) concerns while increasing staff productivity. Based on their more than 20-year relationship with Trane, they turned to consultants at the building technology and energy solutions company for answers√
Organizations face challenges to create more efficient operations and achieve sustainability goals. But it doesn't have to be a challenge. Here are 3 steps to successfully decarbonize your building and business.
Whether an outage is induced by a natural disaster, facility distress or equipment failure, having an intelligent contingency plan for your HVAC processes is indispensable.
When leaders at Beloit Unified School District 273 undertook building upgrades, they also took the opportunity to elevate STEM learning and help prepare students for future technical careers by implementing the Trane BTU Crew™ program.
This week from Trane: April 17, 2023
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
How can sustainable, smart buildings bring value to local communities? See the results of Crosstown Concourse's sustainable infrastructure project through a collaboration with Trane on initial redesign and ongoing building and energy management.
In this Engineers Newsletter Live, we review the factors that influence building pressure and use a model building to demonstrate several common building pressure control techniques.
This Week from Trane: April 24, 2023.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
We know that educators are devoted to preparing kids for the future. You can help ensure that their future has a livable planet too. Learn about decarbonization and what it means for schools.
Discover how a life-long interest in solving problems lead Jamie Simmons from a controls technician to leading a team of data analysts and the role that data played along the way.
Sustainability and decarbonization buzzwords are everywhere, but what do they all mean? Dive into the decarbonization dictionary for insight on key energy terms and how they can help you.
For Angela (Pearse) Puent, Trane is the family business. Read the story of how her family's commitment and passion for Trane began and still lives on four generations later.
Manufacturing for high-tech products is growing, and it seems like supply can't happen fast enough. New and retrofitted facilities, which often need to be built quickly, despite the complexity of the indoor air environment required. Developing a consultative approach can help.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
As organizations begin to pursue sustainability and environmental goals, Energy Savings Contracting can be a great option to help deliver the outcomes to support their goals.
With competing priorities for limited funds, putting off infrastructure upgrades may seem like a smart choice. The following can help you determine whether it makes good fiscal sense to stay the course or consider cost-saving upgrades.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Explore how creating an optimized, safe, and efficient learning environment in your school can lead to the opportunity for hands-on STEM learning pathways for your students of all ages.
In this Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane applications engineers Eric Sturm and Greg DuChane explain the new humidity control requirement in ASHRAE® Standard 62.1.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
In areas with centralized airflow, like many military facilities, it can be challenging to enforce airflow practices that can help reduce mold. But there are many ways to help mitigate mold - with air-cleaning devices and more.
Trane Design Assist™ is a complimentary web-based Building Automation System design and collaboration tool. See how easy it is to collaborate and share work among colleagues, clients, and your Trane account team.
Many things you do to reach sustainability goals and decarbonize are invisible - but not lighting. Choosing the right lighting solutions today will allow for bigger opportunities tomorrow. Learn about the value of lighting investments with Trane expert, Tate Honaker.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Decarbonization is a universal challenge for building owners to reduce emissions through energy efficiency, electrification and renewable energy. Here are six ways you can fund decarbonization efforts and grow value for your business.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Hear from Trane refrigerant expert, Keri Taylor, on upcoming and ongoing changes to refrigerant use in commercial buildings, what you can do to ensure you are ready, and how Trane can help.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Don't just replace, replace and improve. While it can be easy to swap your HVAC equipment when a failure happens, consider upgrading your systems to invest in your facility and meet organizational goals.
There's good news and bad news when it comes to refrigerant regulations and it can be confusing to know what is right for you and your building. Discover 3 HVAC refrigerant success strategies and how the experts at Trane can help you navigate the related regulations.
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and microgrids can create organizational value by helping manage energy expenses, ensure reliability and resiliency, and accelerate sustainability efforts.
For 2023, Trane is proud to announce that Trane® Connected Service and Ascend® Air-to-Water Heat Pump, Model ACX have each received Product of the Year awards from Consulting-Specifying Engineer (CSE).
Multi-pipe technology has a unique ability to serve both the chilled-water and hot-water needs of a building simultaneously, allowing for the design of highly-flexible thermal distribution systems. Dive in to learn more.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Investing in infrastructure is a complex undertaking, with a wide range of options and challenges that organizations must navigate. Careful consideration is required to develop a well-defined plan that sets the stage for future success.
Energy plans play a critical role in helping organizations achieve sustainability goals, offset rising energy costs, and optimize a comfortable environment for all.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Decarbonization in buildings is an important sustainability topic. National commitments have resulted in funding opportunities that schools can take advantage of to help reduce their carbon emissions.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Welcome to the start of the weekly BTU Crew™ "Watt's in the News?" newsletter for 2022-2023! Most newsletters won't be this long, but I would like to take this opportunity to share the vision for what we will be working to do with this resource to help support your efforts in the classroom.
When it comes to building infrastructure, the systems of the future will be leaner and greener. The transformation to carbon-reduced and carbon-free solutions is well underway. What will the decarbonation transformation mean for your schools? We sat down with Trane’s Ty Vierling and Eric Bauer to find out.
Electrification can be an important element in a plan to meet sustainability and carbon reduction goals. Listen to Trane expert, Charlie Jelen, as he provides key considerations to help maximize the benefits of electrification for your building and organization – from carbon reduction to cost savings.
Through the new Best Practices Guide from ASHRAE®, design engineers and end users can deep dive into the unique challenges and influencing factors for commercial kitchen ventilation. Follow along with Trane® Application Engineer and restaurant vertical market expert, Greg DuChane, as we discuss his perspective on this new publication.
Your journey to achieve environmental sustainability goals can become more complicated when you have multiple facilities and facilities located in different geographies. Finding a partner to help consistently implement carbon reduction solutions and strategies across a portfolio can be a key factor in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving validated outcomes that can be measured and reported.
Meet Trane's Educator in Residence, Bill Nelson, and learn how he acts as a bridge between industry and the classroom through the Trane BTU Crew™, our interactive curriculum that brings STEM learning to life using students' own school building as an educational tool.
Meet Trane's Educator in Residence Bill NelsonJuly 24, 2023
Module 2 of the upper level of the Trane BTU Crew™ curriculum focuses on energy usage, so this week we want to share one of the best resources we are aware of to have accurate, virtually real-time data for Kansas and the central US region that you can share with your students. (This is an example of a lesson that can't be taught using a textbook if it is going to be relevant.)
A lot of energy-related curricular materials focus on the various types of resources that can be used for electrical generation, but before that electricity can reach the end consumer it has to go through the grid. Just as the terms "producer" and "consumer" are used in life science classes to discuss the flow of matter & energy, these terms are also appropriate for helping students understand the electricity (and other forms of energy) must be moved from a generation site to the end consumer, so infrastructure is needed. (i.e. - electrical grid, natural gas pipelines, etc.)
Here's a great two-minute STEM video to help students understand the important role HVAC systems and the physics of thermodynamics taking place behind the scenes in our homes and in commercial buildings on a much larger scale.
Want to take the BTU Crew™ lessons regarding renewable and non-renewable energy sources a step further? Here's a fun activity that can help provide students with additional review with a little bit of competition added in!
Looking for a way to provide additional review for the energy lessons students are learning in the BTU Crew™ modules? Here is a short (5 min.) TED-Ed video that does a great job of pulling lots of energy and environmental topics together. I encourage you to take a look!
Now that everyone is settled into the school year, here's a chance to do some long-range planning for you and your students. As a xc and track & field coach, I always wanted each athlete and the team to have goals for the season. This can be just as effective for students in the classroom.
Which States Stepped Up with Renewable Energy Production Last Year?
When it comes to the production of electricity by wind and solar means, one state clearly led the way by producing twice the number of gigawatts of electricity than any other state.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
We're committing to advance school sustainability, encompassing infrastructure, health, environmental sustainability education, climate, and environmental justice in America.
There have been a lot of articles published over the past month from a wide variety of sources expressing views on the "gas vs electric stove" debate at the federal level. The use of natural gas, though, goes far beyond just cooking our food. Here is a series of articles that can be shared over the next two months as we take a look at energy transformation and resources that can help identify regional production/consumption data for a variety of energy sources.
Much like Aldo Leopold's quote about the importance of understanding heat doesn't come from the furnace, many states are now looking at the resources used to provide space heating in buildings. This article from The Washington Examiner covers a proposal from New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, banning natural gas in all new buildings.
Here's a great resource from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) that you and your students can use to find out more about energy production and consumption trends in your state. Before you have students reference this site, ask them: "What do you think are the top three energy sources our state produces? What are the top three sources that are consumed?"
There has been a lot of focus on the "gas vs. electric stove" discussion lately, but to really understand the big pictures as it relates to natural gas, we need to take a closer look at all of the ways we use it to do far more than just cook our food.
The Energy Information Administration offers some statistics about how U.S. commercial buildings consume energy. How do you think most energy is used in big buildings? What is a BTU? How much is a trillion?
What principle building activities exhibited the largest increase in energy efficiency from 2012 to 2018? Did any show an increase in energy intensity? If so, which ones?
In connected buildings, an app can save the day. Scheduling errors, equipment faults and other conditions that undermine comfort and drive up energy use can be solved remotely, in minutes.
Trane Zoned Rooftop Systems help to provide affordable options for small buildings, to increase comfort and efficiency, while simplifying installation, startup, and maintenance.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Purchasing equipment with peak efficiency ratings is only the tip of the iceberg for potential energy savings. A capable building automation system can mine deeper energy cuts using data from internal and external sources. The cost benefits can be significant.
The study of energy hits all STEM subjects and includes developing an understanding of politics and environmental policy, too. We want and need affordable energy in various forms to meet demands in our daily lives, but how and where this energy is produced/delivered can sometimes create challenges.
As we work with students in the Information Age, it is easy to look up details/answers that have a specific answer. To help them develop more problem solving and critical thinking skills, facilitating discussions of topics like this that aren't as easily answered can lead to interesting and sometimes eye-opening conversations with students. In a lot of cases, we simply take things for granted and don't give a lot of thought to what's behind the scenes. Again, taking a step back to help students see connections in the bigger picture and involving local resources can be time well spent.
Keeping students’ attention while teaching sustainability is not always easy, the article below lays out three climate-friendly tax credits coming this year, with one topic in particular that is bound to catch students’ attention and interest… “free money”.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/12/29/climate-tax-credits-clean-energy/?utm_medium=email
This article by internationally best-selling author Bernard Marr shines a spotlight on the growing need and opportunities for students in the area of data analytics. The need for data analytics skills reaches across all industries, so these are skills that all students should be learning.
Energy is needed to heat and cool buildings. Buildings have a carbon footprint when they consume electricity that emit carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions are common from heating of buildings with a direct fossil fuel source such as burning natural gas with furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. Buildings are also responsible for carbon emissions when they use electricity for heating and cooling which was produced by fossil fuels at the utility generation plant.
TRACE® 3D Plus is the industry go-to for load calculations and energy analysis. See first-hand how TRACE® 3D Plus Zone Multiplier could save you time on your next energy analysis project.
With student teams in many schools around the country preparing for competition in this year's KidWind Challenge events, here is a great site that shows how wind turbines work. Have fun and good luck to the competing teams!
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
It is critical for organizations to have a plan for what to do in case of an emergency. With Trane Emergency Response planning, you can protect your business when hardship hits.
Learn about building technology and Trane emergency response.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Last month, Trane’s High Tech vertical team traveled to San Francisco to participate in SEMICON West with other industry innovators. While there, Director of Global and Complex Accounts, Andy Alcorn, joined Semiconductor Digest Editor-in-Chief, Pete Singer, for a video Q&A.
Over 65 years after the school was built, St. James Catholic School was on a mission to turn their aging building into the optimal environment for their students, teachers, and staff to succeed.
Transitioning military service members joined Combat to Controls, Trane's controls technician program for veterans. The program addresses the industrywide shortage of controls technicians while helping military service members train for their next careers as Trane building automation controls technicians.
Modernizing school infrastructure through HVAC, lighting and other facility upgrades can help to improve student performance by optimizing learning conditions . A recent influx of federal funding has created a window of opportunity to manage deferred maintenance or kick off modernization projects.
Learn about Semiconductor Efficiency, Schools transforming with VRF, and veterans becoming Trane Controls Technician.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
The Thermal Battery™ Storage-Source Heat Pump System is the innovative, all-electric cooling and heating solution that helps to decarbonize and reduce energy costs by using thermal energy storage to use today's waste energy for tomorrow's heating need. This makes all-electric heat pump heating possible even in very cold climates or dense urban environments where roof space is limited.
By leveraging the power of connected buildings, businesses can not only mitigate the adverse impacts of the skilled labor shortage but also utilize their data to impact the operational success of their buildings.
This week from Trane: August 21, 2023
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Three generations, five family members and a new trajectory for the future. Don Fiegen, late Trane Engineer, paved the way for his family. Read more about Don's legacy, including two sons and two grandsons.
Learn about Trane legacy, Innovative Building automation, energy savings for hospitals, and optimizing indoor air quality.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Trane offers a suite of load design and energy analysis tools like TRACE 3D PLUS. We know that when you need support using these tools, you need it now. The Trane Customer Direct Service (CDS) group is your go-to resource for collaboration during the design process to troubleshoot applications and specifying challenges.
Trane offers a suite of load design and energy analysis tools like TRACE 3D PLUS. We know that when you need support using these tools, you need it now. The Trane Customer Direct Service (CDS) group is your go-to resource for collaboration during the design process to troubleshoot applications and specifying challenges.
Think about when you enter a building. What do you need to be productive or comfortable? It might depend on what is happening outside – a hot day or a big storm. With extreme climate and weather events like wildfires and heat waves, it is crucial to allow building occupants to be comfortable, healthy, and productive.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
As a Building Services Sales Leader at Trane, Keri Taylor has the expertise and experience to help Trane's customers find opportunities in the challenges of building operations and ownership.
Throughout centuries, we have turned to technology to conquer complex challenges and attain desired results. As businesses confront the critical task of reducing their carbon footprint, technology emerges once more as a solution to solve challenges.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Designing a modern, connected building automation system requires balancing a range of factors from increased occupant expectations around comfort control to changing energy efficiency standards and broader sustainability and decarbonization goals. Trane® Design Assist™ is a collaborative design tool built to put proven control strategies and industry best practices at your fingertips.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
When you think about optimizing indoor environmental quality (IEQ), you might think about sacrificing energy efficiency. However, there are many ways to enhance air quality, lighting, temperature, and acoustics of a building without sacrificing energy goals - and oftentimes, continue to work towards them.
This is part one of a three-part series that explores decarbonization, solutions and the importance of modern equipment controls in buildings today. Trane experts discuss how regulations and incentives for decarbonization are impacting customer decisions about which projects to pursue and why controls are included in virtually every one.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
This is part two of a three-part series that explores decarbonization, solutions and the importance of modern equipment controls in buildings today. Trane experts discuss how regulations and incentives for decarbonization are impacting customer decisions about which projects to pursue and why controls are included in virtually every one.
In this Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) program, we delve into how heat-recovery chillers, heat pumps, and chiller-heaters can be configured and controlled in a hydronic system to provide heat efficiently.
This is part three of a three-part series that explores decarbonization, solutions and the importance of modern equipment controls in buildings today. Trane experts discuss how regulations and incentives for decarbonization are impacting customer decisions about which projects to pursue and why controls are included in virtually every one.
Recently, Kristie Upton, Senior Marketing Manager at Trane, sat down with Robert Beck, president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and CEO of John W. Danforth Company, and Trane Vice President and North America Commercial Business Leader Terry Dugan to discuss the flourishing innovation in the HVAC industry and the deep collaborations between manufacturers and contractors to meet the country’s net-zero goals.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
In this Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane spotlights hydronic variable refrigerant flow systems; the next generation of all-electric heat pump systems that can help achieve building decarbonization goals, while satisfying upcoming demands for reduced refrigerant charge.
As the seasons change, what happens outside has an impact on what happens inside. When it comes to thermal comfort, lighting, and indoor air quality, there are several solutions to consider as the outdoors get warmer, colder, lighter, darker, and everything in between.
Designing mechanical systems for commercial buildings requires managing small details, big decisions and complex analysis – all while keeping building owners happy. Trane’s suite of CDS Design and Analysis tools are purpose-built to support your design process from initial system selection and concepting, through energy load analysis and detailed design development.
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
For the fourth time in a row, Trane has been awarded a US Department of Energy (DoE) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, known as an IDIQ. This lists Trane as a trusted provider that the DoE allows to bid on large energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs).
Tap into the minds of Trane thought leaders in our weekly blog round-up that connects you with the latest industry insights, innovations, and inspiration on optimizing indoor environments across an array of markets we serve.
Using leadership in building technology and energy solutions
to get it right for the customer and the climate.
In this Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) program, the various technologies used for air-to-air energy recovery are explored, reviewing considerations for integrating these technologies into HVAC systems and explaining proper control.
In the high tech manufacturing industry, even the smallest deviation from the required environmental conditions can have a significant negative impact on product quality. Therefore, precision control and quality management are of utmost importance.
Advanced manufacturing processes are diverse and complex. From semiconductor fabricators to EVs and batteries, each industry has specific indoor environmental needs that include precise temperature control, humidity management and air quality standards.
One of the benefits of using energy as a theme for PBL/WBL is that it truly brings an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning. This real-world application involves science, math, economics, and politics all in the same lesson, taking us back to Barry Commoner’s Law of Ecology – “Everything is connected to everything else.”
BTU Crew Newsletter Volume #17: A Growing Trend: Consumption & Demand Charges. With a goal to spread out electrical demand and reduce stress on the grid, many utility companies are in the process of implementing demand charges and/or time-of-use rate charges. Here are two short videos from two utility companies in the Midwest, Understanding Demand Rates & Time Based Plans, to have your students watch to help explain these new rate programs.
In the 2024-Q1 Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane applications engineer Mick Schwedler digs deeply into the design, operation, and control of hydronic systems that incorporate heat recovery.
Meet Tyler Malm, VAV Portfolio Leader from Detroit, Michigan. Tyler's tenure has spanned over 13 years, with a variety of experiences and opportunities along the way.
Meet Bill Faulkner, a seasoned sales engineer with over 50 years of experience at Trane. Bill is committed to helping his customers achieve their objectives through building technology and energy solutions.
Our enterprise, Trane Technologies, is setting hefty goals to help reduce our customers' carbon footprints. Trane is an integral player within the Gigaton Challenge, setting the pace through innovation and efficiency.
Meet Sophie Meloro, Seth Revere, and Brysen Tyler, three young Trane sales engineers who have shared their stories of starting out in the engineering field.
Discover a comprehensive plan for life science decarbonization, from enhancing energy efficiency and electrifying heat to managing refrigerants and adopting renewable energy solutions.
Discover Trane's Tracer® Ensemble®, equipped with Critical Control, designed to help life science manufacturers achieve compliance with 21 CFR Part 11.
To bring agriculture inside, design-build engineers must create precisely-controlled environments. Canadian contractor Navada collaborated with Lufa Farms and Trane to develop sustainable and economical indoor farms.
BTU Crew Newsletter Volume #28: Natural Gas to the Rescue!
Energy has been one of the main themes for our newsletter this year. This edition will also focus on a component of the energy sector. In a recent Inside Clean Energy article it was noted how natural gas has been filling the void created by the removal of many coal-fired power plants in the United States. After all, natural gas burns much cleaner than coal, making this trend a winning move for the environment.
In this Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) Program, we’ll uncover the latest plant control and design tool support for various chiller-heater systems, including those with heat recovery, auxiliary heat, and thermal energy storage.
As the weather warms, HVAC system maintenance becomes crucial. Discover how Trane Rental Services can provide stop-gap coverage, avoiding disruptions and ensuring operational efficiency.
In the 2024-Q2 Engineers Newsletter (EN), Trane applications engineer Scott Delo discusses ways to apply ASHRAE® Standard 100-2024 to the built environment.
Trane Rental Services offers a turnkey approach to custom-engineered solutions. From design to deployment and decommissioning, our experts ensure optimal performance.
COVID-19 brought Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) to the forefront, yet the lack of established standards caused confusion and ineffective measures taken. ASHRAE stepped in, releasing Standard 241 to provide comprehensive guidance on ventilation and IAQ, optimizing indoor environments and reducing disease transmission.
Discover the story behind New Mexico's VRF Lab, a state-of-the-art training facility created by Trane and SMART Local Union 49 to provide comprehensive VRF and BAS training.
Unlock the power of Connected Mechanical Service Agreements (CMSAs) and revolutionize your HVAC maintenance. With real-time monitoring, remote diagnostics, and proactive maintenance, CMSAs optimize asset performance, reduce costs, and enhance occupant comfort.
Discover how data centers are adapting to the power demands of the booming AI industry, from optimizing infrastructure to implementing energy storage solutions, in order to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.
Is liquid cooling the future for data centers? Tech giants like Meta, Google, NVIDIA, Intel, and Equinix are already adopting this innovative technology, but find out why air-cooled systems still have their place in the data center industry.
Unlock the hidden power of your data center's HVAC system with Trane. Discover how our expertise can enhance growth, boost profitability, and revolutionize sustainability by maximizing energy efficiency, leveraging renewable sources, and implementing cutting-edge cooling technologies. Don't miss out on this game-changing opportunity for your data center
In this Engineers Newsletter Live (ENL) Program, we will discuss how ASHRAE® Guideline 36 can be applied to maximize energy efficiency and performance and how it can enable real-time fault detection and diagnostics.
Changing to next-generation, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants is critical to lowering the carbon impact of buildings and Trane is staying a step ahead. Learn how, from accessing your equipment needs, all the way to implementing and practicing new Trane field safety standards, we can help as you face the new industry requirements.
Familiar refrigerants, including R-410A and R-134A for chillers, are being phased out in newly manufactured equipment, with next-generation, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants becoming the new reality. Discover how Trane can help you prepare for these new refrigerants by boosting confidence with facts, recognizing what is changing and what is not, learning new handling processes and leak detection and site modifications, and practicing safe storage and transportation.
The HVAC industry is moving to next-generation refrigerants that are more friendly to the environment. Discover the Top 10 reasons why Trane, with our complete approach, full portfolio of heating and cooling equipment and trusted* industry expertise, has you covered during this transition.
Decarbonization is essential for reducing carbon footprints, cutting costs, and minimizing environmental impact in healthcare facilities. Trane helps you achieve this through energy efficiency, electrification, eco-friendly refrigerants, and renewable energy solutions.
Trane is committed to helping customers transition to next-generation, low-GWP refrigerants, ensuring the right solution for each application. With insights from Steve Kujak, Trane's Director of Next Generation Refrigerant Research, we explore the role of refrigerants in decarbonization and the benefits of A2L refrigerants.
Discover how connected mechanical service agreements (CMSAs) use real-time data, proactive maintenance, and remote monitoring to reduce downtime, cut costs, and boost efficiency, allowing businesses to focus on their core activities.
Trane and RenewAire have teamed up with the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Engineering Summer Program (ESP) to inspire the next generation of engineers. This collaboration introduces high school students to HVAC technology and engineering disciplines through hands-on activities, industrial tours, and mentorship.
When Rockwall County, Texas, needed to expand its jail facilities, it turned to the Brandt Companies, Trane and others to get the job done. The team helped build an 83,000 square-foot addition and shepherd it through the state’s rigorous oversight process.
Global Director for Data Centers, Danielle Rossi discusses Trane's innovative cooling technology & its commitment to help meet its customers’ evolving needs.