Press Release
River Trails School District 26 Awarded for Outstanding Energy Efficiency Commitments
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. Solar panels, combined with other energy saving design elements, are successfully offsetting the building’s annual electricity consumption. The district is confidently progressing toward achieving the goal of a full 12 months of net-zero energy consumption.
District’s first net-zero energy consumption facility on track to save $32,000 annually.
Davidson, N.C., Oct. 18, 2021 – Trane® - by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator - has recognized the River Trails School District 26 in Mount Prospect, Illinois, with a Reducing the Energy Intensity of the World Award for their impressive sustainability commitments, including a significant reduction in energy consumption at their facilities. This coincided with the christening of the newly renovated Prairie Trails School – Mount Prospect’s first net-zero energy consumption facility. Net-zero energy consumption buildings use a total amount of energy annually that is equal to or less than the amount of renewable energy created onsite.
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. Solar panels, combined with other energy saving design elements, are successfully offsetting the building’s annual electricity consumption. The district is confidently progressing toward achieving the goal of a full 12 months of net-zero energy consumption.
“The renovation of Prairie Trails School was a significant project for our district,” said Lyndl Schuster, Ed.D, CSBO, assistant superintendent for Business Services, River Trails School District 26. “Not only did we require an upgrade to our facilities in order to best serve our students, we also wanted to remain committed to a district-wide sustainability initiative. Trane has been a trusted partner in past projects so it was clear early on that we would turn to them to shepherd us through this critical process. The River Trails District 26 community had high expectations for the Prairie Trails renovation and Trane ensured we were able to meet them.”
Working consultatively with the district’s project team, Trane aligned the facility’s HVAC infrastructure to support the district’s sustainability commitments, identified opportunities to achieve net zero-energy consumption requirements, facilitated the purchase of a a rooftop photovoltaic solar panel system designed to offset the building’s annual electricity consumption, and helped the district find alternative funding sources for the project.
“We are proud to recognize River Trails School District 26 for the important work they are doing to create a sustainable future for our planet and to make a positive impact on the students who will be affected by climate change,” said Donny Simmons, president, Trane Commercial HVAC Americas.
Prairie Trails is the latest project in the district’s active commitment to sustainability. Three of the district’s four facilities have earned ENERGY STAR® certification, and the River Trails Middle School received the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon School Award in 2015. The district has already exceeded its U.S. Dept. of Energy Better Building Challenge by 2026 goal, achieving a 23 percent reduction in energy consumption, 11 years ahead of schedule.
For more information on the Prairie Trails School project, read the case study on Trane.com or view the video case study.
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About River Trails School District
River Trails School District 26 serves students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Our four schools provide a healthy learning environment that allows students to grow academically and emotionally so they can become Life Ready. For more information, please visit www.rtsd26.org.
About Trane
Trane – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator – creates comfortable, energy efficient indoor environments for commercial and residential applications. For more information, please visit www.trane.com or www.tranetechnologies.com.
About Trane Technologies
Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes and transportation. Visit tranetechnologies.com.