Skip to content
  • Looking for Parts? Visit Trane Supply
  • Education Plattform

Select Your Language

Selecting a language changes the language and content on the Trane site.

  • United States English
  • Canada English
  • Argentina Spanish
  • Mexico Spanish
  • Brazil Portuguese Spanish
  • Aruba English
  • Bahamas English
  • Belize English
  • Bermuda English
  • Bolivia Spanish
  • Bonaire English
  • Cayman Islands English
  • Chile Spanish
  • Colombia Spanish
  • Costa Rica Spanish
  • Curacao English
  • Dominican Republic Spanish
  • Ecuador Spanish
  • El Salvador Spanish
  • Grenada English
  • Guadeloupe English
  • Guatemala Spanish
  • Guyana English
  • Haiti English
  • Jamaica English
  • Martinique English
  • Netherland Antilles English
  • Nicaragua Spanish
  • Panama Spanish
  • Paraguay Spanish
  • Peru Spanish
  • Puerto Rico Spanish
  • Saint Lucia English
  • St. Vincent & Grenadines English
  • Suriname English
  • Trinidad & Tobago English
  • Venezuela Spanish
  • Armenia English
  • Austria German
  • Belarus Russian
  • Belgium English
  • Croatia English
  • Czech Republic Czech
  • Denmark English
  • Estonia English
  • Finland English
  • France French
  • Georgia English
  • Germany German
  • Greece Greek
  • Hungary Hungarian
  • Israel English
  • Ireland English
  • Italy Italian
  • Kazakhstan Russian
  • Latvia English
  • Lithuania English
  • The Netherlands Dutch
  • Norway English
  • Poland English
  • Portugal Portuguese
  • Romania English
  • Russia Russian
  • Serbia Russian
  • Slovakia Czech
  • Slovenia English
  • Spain Spanish
  • Sweden English
  • Switzerland French German Italian
  • Turkey Turkish
  • Ukraine English
  • United Kingdom English
  • Azerbaijan Русский
  • Tajikistan Русский
  • Uzbekistan Русский
  • Turkmenistan Русский
  • United Arab Emirates English Arabic
  • Qatar English
  • Kuwait English
  • Egypt English
  • Lebanon English Arabic French
  • Iraq English
  • Jordan English
  • Mainland of China 选择语言
  • Korea, Republic of (South Korea) Korean
  • Vietnam Vietnamese
  • India English
  • Australia English
  • Japan Japanese
  • Guam English
  • Thailand Thai
  • Taiwan Traditional Chinese
  • Hong Kong SAR English
  • Indonesia English
  • Malaysia English
  • Philippines English
  • Singapore English
  • New Zealand English
  • Services
    • Services
    • Energy & Sustainability
      • Energy & Sustainability
      • Energy Monitoring & Analysis
      • Energy Supply
      • Active Energy Management
      • Renewable Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
      • Energy Conservation Measures (energy efficiency)
    • Operate, Maintain & Repair
      • Operate, Maintain & Repair
      • Connectivity & Cloud Services
      • HVAC System Management
      • HVAC System Repair
      • Rental
    • Upgrade & Modernize
      • Upgrade & Modernize
      • Building Systems
      • HVAC System Retrofits
      • HVAC Equipment Upgrades
      • Financing & Energy Services Contracting
      • Indoor Air Quality Assessment
      • Ready for now
  • Products
    • Products
    • VRF & Ductless Solutions
      • VRF & Ductless Solutions
      • N-Gen CITY MULTI VRF
      • P Series
      • Nv Series
      • VRF System Design
    • Chillers
      • Chillers
      • Water-Cooled Chillers
      • Air-Cooled Chillers
      • Cold Gen Scroll Chillers
    • Packaged Units & Split Systems
      • Packaged Units & Split Systems
      • Rooftop Units
      • Split Systems
      • Self-Contained Units
      • Water Source Heat Pumps
      • Dedicated Outdoor Air Units
    • Energy Management & Controls
      • Energy Management & Controls
      • Building Management Systems
      • Building Automation Systems
      • Trane® Air-Fi™ Wireless Systems
      • Controllers
      • Thermostats
      • Accessories
    • Air Handling
      • Air Handling
      • Terminals
      • Sensible-Cooling Terminal Unit
      • VAV (Variable Air Volume) Units
      • Performance Air Handlers
      • Air Handling Accessories & Controls
    • Energy Storage
      • Energy Storage
      • Energy Storage Systems
    • Precision Cooling
      • Precision Cooling
      • Precision Cooling
    • Residential Units
  • Industries
    • Industries
    • Higher Education
    • Indoor Agriculture
    • K-12
    • Data Centers
    • Restaurants
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Healthcare
    • Local Government
    • Hospitality
      • Hospitality
    • Industrial
  • About
    • About
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Customer Stories
    • Looking for Parts? Visit Trane Supply
    • Education Plattform
    • North America
      • North America

      • United States English
      • Canada English
    • Latin America
      • Latin America

      • Argentina Spanish
      • Mexico Spanish
      • Brazil Portuguese Spanish
      • Aruba English
      • Bahamas English
      • Belize English
      • Bermuda English
      • Bolivia Spanish
      • Bonaire English
      • Cayman Islands English
      • Chile Spanish
      • Colombia Spanish
      • Costa Rica Spanish
      • Curacao English
      • Dominican Republic Spanish
      • Ecuador Spanish
      • El Salvador Spanish
      • Grenada English
      • Guadeloupe English
      • Guatemala Spanish
      • Guyana English
      • Haiti English
      • Jamaica English
      • Martinique English
      • Netherland Antilles English
      • Nicaragua Spanish
      • Panama Spanish
      • Paraguay Spanish
      • Peru Spanish
      • Puerto Rico Spanish
      • Saint Lucia English
      • St. Vincent & Grenadines English
      • Suriname English
      • Trinidad & Tobago English
      • Venezuela Spanish
    • Europe
      • Europe

      • Armenia English
      • Austria German
      • Belarus Russian
      • Belgium English
      • Croatia English
      • Czech Republic Czech
      • Denmark English
      • Estonia English
      • Finland English
      • France French
      • Georgia English
      • Germany German
      • Greece Greek
      • Hungary Hungarian
      • Israel English
      • Ireland English
      • Italy Italian
      • Kazakhstan Russian
      • Latvia English
      • Lithuania English
      • The Netherlands Dutch
      • Norway English
      • Poland English
      • Portugal Portuguese
      • Romania English
      • Russia Russian
      • Serbia Russian
      • Slovakia Czech
      • Slovenia English
      • Spain Spanish
      • Sweden English
      • Switzerland French German Italian
      • Turkey Turkish
      • Ukraine English
      • United Kingdom English
      • Azerbaijan Русский
      • Tajikistan Русский
      • Uzbekistan Русский
      • Turkmenistan Русский
    • Middle East
      • Middle East

      • United Arab Emirates English Arabic
      • Qatar English
      • Kuwait English
      • Egypt English
      • Lebanon English Arabic French
      • Iraq English
      • Jordan English
    • Asia Pacific
      • Asia Pacific

      • Mainland of China 选择语言
      • Korea, Republic of (South Korea) Korean
      • Vietnam Vietnamese
      • India English
      • Australia English
      • Japan Japanese
      • Guam English
      • Thailand Thai
      • Taiwan Traditional Chinese
      • Hong Kong SAR English
      • Indonesia English
      • Malaysia English
      • Philippines English
      • Singapore English
      • New Zealand English
  • Energy & Sustainability
  • Operate, Maintain & Repair
  • Upgrade & Modernize
  • Energy Monitoring & Analysis
    Energy Monitoring & Analysis
  • Energy Supply
    Energy Supply
  • Active Energy Management
    Active Energy Management
  • Renewable Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
    Renewable Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
  • Energy Conservation Measures (energy efficiency)
    Energy Conservation Measures (energy efficiency)
More on Energy & Sustainability
  • Connectivity & Cloud Services
    Connectivity & Cloud Services
  • HVAC System Management
    HVAC System Management
  • HVAC System Repair
    HVAC System Repair
  • Rental
    Rental
More on Operate, Maintain & Repair
  • Building Systems
    Building Systems
  • HVAC System Retrofits
    HVAC System Retrofits
  • HVAC Equipment Upgrades
    HVAC Equipment Upgrades
  • Financing  & Energy Services Contracting
    Financing & Energy Services Contracting
  • Indoor Air Quality Assessment
    Indoor Air Quality Assessment
  • Ready for now.
    Ready for now
More on Upgrade & Modernize
  • VRF & Ductless Solutions
  • Chillers
  • Packaged Units & Split Systems
  • Energy Management & Controls
  • Air Handling
  • Energy Storage
  • Precision Cooling
  • Residential Units
  • N-Gen CITY MULTI VRF
    N-Gen CITY MULTI VRF
  • P Series
    P Series
  • Nv Series
    Nv Series
  • VRF System Design
    VRF System Design
More on VRF & Ductless Solutions
  • Water-Cooled Chillers
    Water-Cooled Chillers
  • Air-Cooled Chillers
    Air-Cooled Chillers
  • Cold Gen Scroll Chiller
    Cold Gen Scroll Chillers
More on Chillers
  • Rooftop Units
    Rooftop Units
  • Split Systems
    Split Systems
  • Self-Contained Units
    Self-Contained Units
  • Water Source Heat Pumps
    Water Source Heat Pumps
  • Dedicated Outdoor Air Units
    Dedicated Outdoor Air Units
More on Packaged Units & Split Systems
  • Building Management Systems
    Building Management Systems
  • Building Automation Systems
    Building Automation Systems
  • Trane® Air-Fi™ Wireless Systems
    Trane® Air-Fi™ Wireless Systems
  • Controllers
    Controllers
  • Thermostats
    Thermostats
  • Accessories
    Accessories
More on Energy Management & Controls
  • Terminal units
    Terminals
  • Sensible-Cooling Terminal Unit
    Sensible-Cooling Terminal Unit
  • VAV Units
    VAV (Variable Air Volume) Units
  • perf-CSAA
    Performance Air Handlers
  • Air Handling Accessories & Controls
    Air Handling Accessories & Controls
More on Air Handling
  • Energy Storage Systems
    Energy Storage Systems
More on Energy Storage
  • Precision Cooling
More on Precision Cooling
Read Customer Story

Creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for 1177 West Hastings

Higher Education K-12 Restaurants Healthcare Hospitality Industrial
Indoor Agriculture Data Centers Commercial Real Estate Local Government
Read Blog Post

4 Questions to Determine Your Equipment Upgrade Strategy

About Us Customer Stories
Contact Us

CONTACT A TRANE EXPERT

Puerto Rico Sales & Service Office

Preparing Your District: The ABCs of Optimizing Indoor Air Quality

July 27, 2020

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.

Why this matters : Your re-opening preparations should include ensuring your heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) system is working the way it is designed to perform. The system needs to address comfort, safety and efficiency.

It is important to realize the transmission and mitigation of COVID-19 in buildings has not yet been tested and confirmed, and there are still many unknowns about the spread of the coronavirus. Based on recent research, as well as guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), HVAC systems can help with overall IAQ by filtering air, improving ventilation, and managing airflows. Read more about airborne transmission findings.

Taking a three-pronged approach to optimizing your schools’ IAQ can help provide comfort to teachers, staff and parents, and build confidence in your schools’ re-opening. This approach includes:

·         Aligning with guidelines from leading experts

·         Optimizing building IAQ based on data-driven assessments

·         Collaborating with experienced partners who have proven expertise in enhancing building IAQ

Aligning with health and industry expert guidelines

When optimizing your school’s environment, you can ensure your approach is on track by following guidelines provided by ASHRAE® (formerly the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Note that ASHRAE aligns its guidelines with those issued by the CDC.

For background, ASHRAE is a global industry society advancing HVAC systems research and education for buildings systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability for more than 100 years.

Data-driven path to optimizing building IAQ

While the pandemic is shining the spotlight on IAQ, studies have shown that addressing IAQ concerns has long been of major importance in schools as well as other built environments. Previous research found nearly half of the nation’s school buildings reported problems [i] related to IAQ. 

ASHRAE’s current HVAC-related recommendations, designed to optimize building environments, generally focus on the following four key areas of addressing IAQ:

1.    Dilute: Proper ventilation ensures that plenty of fresh, outdoor air comes into the building to dilute the buildup of indoor contaminants and help reduce the total volume of particles in the air. Adjusting building ventilation is one tool that can influence IAQ.

2.   Exhaust: Getting exhaust air out efficiently is equally important—especially air from kitchens, restrooms and combustion systems

3.   Contain: Maintaining indoor humidity levels within the ASHRAE-recommended range maximizes the comfort of building occupants and reduces the risk of microbial growth

4.    Clean: Of increasing concern is the HVAC system’s ability to reduce microorganisms, such as mold, bacteria and viruses. While filters are one cleaning technology that are often used in both commercial buildings and homes, they are not the only option. Additionally, cleaning technologies should be approached as part of a holistic plan to address IAQ needs now and long-term — rather than as an “ideal-solution widget.” 

This video graphic provides a visual depiction of the 4 Key Areas of Indoor Air Quality “in action.”

Undertaking an IAQ assessment on your building will address the four key areas above and help identify and prioritize the most critical updates using a fact-based, data-driven analysis of your building’s air quality.

The assessment should provide you with the following:

·         A report of documented findings with strategic recommendations to improve overall IAQ

·         Guidance on system updates or improvements to address critical issues

·         Options for turn-key implementation of recommendations  with Documented results once complete

Collaborating with experienced partners

During this time of rapid change, it can be tempting to rush to a solution. Gain third-party credibility by collaborating with an expert who uses a holistic approach to optimizing IAQ. They can help direct your efforts and ensure that you complete your project on time and on budget.

Here are key capabilities to look for in selecting your partner:

Responsive to you – you need a consultant now; look for a ready-now expert.

Responsive to the changing environment – your consulting team should stay abreast of the quickly moving research, news and options so you do not have to. Are they watching for any updates on ASHRAE guidelines? Can they help you filter out less-than-credible news?

Experienced and knowledgeable – while the world is focused on IAQ for a “moment” so to speak, find an industry-leading organization that has focused on it for a significant period of time and can take a holistic approach to the current challenges.

Helps solve funding issue – although you understand how critical it is to optimize the school environment, you also need to find a way to pay for any improvements. Look for a partner who can help you identify financing solutions to get it done –– so that you can focus on the job at hand.

IAQ Award

Enhances credibility with key stakeholders - look for a consulting team who can help you address concerns with parents, teachers and staff that you have a process in place to prepare for building re-entry. The Trane Air System Quality Recognition award, for example, helps identify organizations who have made quantitative improvements to their buildings’ indoor air quality. 

By taking a strategic, thoughtful approach to the IAQ improvement process, you can pave the way for a re-entry that addresses the concerns of your learning community.

As a long-standing educational partner with more than a century of IAQ experience and focused expertise, Trane is ready now to assist you with reopening campaigns. To learn more about indoor air quality, visit our "Ready for Now. Resilient for Tomorrow" page.

 

Learn more about solutions for K-12 Schools >>

 

 

 

[i] United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2014 National Center for Education Study

  • About Trane
  • Customer Stories
  • Locate a Sales Office
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Environmental Compliance
  • Quality
  • Ethical Business Conduct
  • Supplier Terms
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Privacy Policy  |   Terms of Use

Trane Technologies