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Thermal Energy Storage

Proven thermal energy storage solutions and energy services expertise for a more resilient, energy-independent building.

How Does Thermal Energy Storage Work?

Thermal energy storage works by collecting, storing, and discharging heating and cooling energy to shift building electrical demand to optimize energy costs, resiliency, and or carbon emissions. Liken it to a battery for your HVAC system. It gives you the ability to store and recover thermal energy, as well as charge or discharge based on operational needs, utility rates/programs, availability of renewable resources, etc.

Thermal energy storage can also be used in conjunction with other comprehensive energy services, like active energy management to further optimize your energy supply and demand, essentially turning your building into a virtual power plant.

Trane Thermal Energy Storage

Benefits of Thermal Energy Storage

Thermal energy storage is a reliable, cost-effective solution for off-setting the inevitable utility peaks during periods of high-demand. But that’s not all. Here are some of most impactful benefits of thermal energy storage for commercial buildings:

Lower cooling and heating costs
Decarbonize
Improve grid and building resiliency
Support renewable energy sources like wind and solar
Ability to participate in grid capacity and demand limit revenue programs

Questions? Contact Your Local Trane Experts

Next-Gen CALMAC® Model C Energy Storage Tanks

Ideal for larger commercial and institutional buildings, these versatile second-generation tanks make siting and installation easy. Designed with a 20% smaller footprint requirement, Model C tanks can be bolted together to eliminate external piping and reduce installation time and costs.
Classic CALMAC® Model A Energy Storage Tanks

Since its introduction in 1979, our Classic Model A tank has endured as the “gold standard” for thermal energy storage. Designed for seamless individual connection with distribution piping, the CALMAC Model A tank is ideal for smaller installations.

Thermal Battery Storage Systems

Trane Thermal Battery systems are chiller plants that charge (store energy) whenever energy rates drop or excess / renewable power is available, and discharge (use power) when energy rates spike or during periods of high demand / capacity. The result is a more resilient, sustainable, self-sufficient operation with lower utility bills.
Trane® System Completion Modules

While thermal energy storage may provide an ideal solution, designing a thermal energy storage system can require some special considerations to maximize its value. Benefits: Provides a streamlined user experience. Ideal for: Air-cooled chiller plants. Engineers focused on reducing risk and engineering cost. Building owners focused on simple monitoring solutions.
CALMAC™ Glycol Management System

Ideal for Contractors and Facility Operators who value simplicity and reliability, The CALMAC Glycol Management System (GMS) makes solution mixing easy by maintaining the proper volume of coolant in a building circulating loop. It allows for quicker startup, less downtime and extended system performance.
CALMAC™ Plate Heat Exchanger

The CALMAC Plate Heat Exchanger is ideal for avoiding cross-contamination in confined spaces. Designed to carefully transfer thermal energy between two dissimilar fluids, this high-efficiency, low-maintenance product provides a close temperature approach for even the highest working pressures.

Thermal Energy Storage vs Electricity Storage

Buildings have thermal and electric loads and will benefit by storing both forms of energy. While electrochemical batteries are the more widely-known method of energy storage, they are really designed to store electricity specifically.

For maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness, it’s important to store energy in the same form in which it will be consumed. That means using electrochemical storage to meet electric loads and thermal energy storage for thermal loads. Here’s quick breakdown to help further distinguish between the two methods:

Thermal Energy Storage	Electrochemical Storage
Stores thermal energy, mainly for heating and cooling	Stores electrons for electric devices
Medium to long discharge duration	Short discharge duration
Long life span (35 Years)	Medium life span
Supports building and grid resiliency	Supports building and grid resiliency
Outdoor or Indoor	Indoor

Thermal Energy Storage Case Studies

Delta College

Improvements have saved over $100,000 per year in energy costs, reduced electric demand by 1.5 MW during peak demand, and eliminated over 2000 metric tons of CO2 emissions produced by the facility.
Shooting Star Casino

Thermal Battery™ System Expected to Cut Shooting Star Casino Annual Energy Costs by up to 35 Percent
TIAA-CREF

Turnkey project is saving $765,000 in annual operating expenses, generating a 25 percent internal rate of return and avoiding 6.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions -- the equivalent of removing 560 cars from the road, or planting 828 acres of trees.
Jefferson Community College

A Trane Ice-Enhanced Air-Cooled Chiller Plant has allowed the Jefferson Community College to nearly double its cooling capacity while decreasing utility costs. Efficient system provides the college with load shifting flexibility to help manage peak demand, avoid a costly electrical substation upgrade, and take advantage of lower cost off-peak electricity.
Kings County Courthouse

Thermal energy storage system enabled the courthouse to save 26 percent in energy costs or more than $100,000 annually. The redesigned Kings County Courthouse also met the county’s objective to achieve LEED Silver certification.
Nebraska Furniture Mart

Shifting energy usage to lower-cost nighttime hours has lowered facility utility rates and eliminated 1.6 megawatts of electricity from the afternoon grid, helping avoid area brown outs.
Albert Gallatin High School

Ice storage tanks help Albert Gallatin High School reduce electrical consumption and energy costs, while managing peak demands.