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

November 23, 2021

Indoor Agriculture

Blog

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

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

November 23, 2021

Blog

6 ways for indoor agriculture to grow sustainability

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.

November 17, 2021

Blog

Get Smart on Creating Productive Learning Environments

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.

November 11, 2021

Blog

Open systems in building management systems

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.

Chuck Lehn November 03, 2021

Blog

3 ways colleges are using stimulus and savings to create healthier, more prosperous communities

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.

October 29, 2021

Blog

Get smart on efficient and healthy schools from research to practice

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.

October 28, 2021

Blog

Insights from an expert: IEQ and back to school

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.

Jason Turner October 15, 2021

Blog

Open distribution in building automation systems

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.

Andrew Disher October 04, 2021

Blog

6 Ways to Make HVAC Systems as Green as Can Be

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.

October 01, 2021

Blog

Get Smart on the State of the Schools: America's K–12 Facilities

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.

September 30, 2021

Blog

It’s Elementary: IAQ Management and Monitoring Matter in Schools

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.

September 28, 2021

Blog

Insights from an expert: IEQ and back to school

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.

Cameron Griffith September 23, 2021

Blog

Insights from an expert: Designing for healthier spaces

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.

Tyler Malm September 21, 2021

Blog

Get Smart: How to use energy contracting to your school's advantage

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.

September 16, 2021

Blog

There’s more to indoor comfort than temperature

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.

Eric Sturm September 14, 2021

Blog

Insights from an engineer: Designing for healthier spaces

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.

Jeff Wiseman September 09, 2021

Blog

Annual School Facility Funding Gap Grows to $85 Billion

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.

September 08, 2021

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3 Ways Facilities Managers Can Partner with Superintendents on Infrastructure Improvements

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.

August 25, 2021

Blog

Insights from an engineer: Designing for healthier spaces

It’s important for building designers to understand what owners desire when they ask for healthier spaces. In addition to this, owners may have specific acoustical and lighting requests. Designing for healthier spaces is more holistic, meaning everything from temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, acoustics, and lighting, are considered.

Eric Sturm August 18, 2021

Blog

IEQ: What's now, what's new and what's next

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.

Scott Huffmaster August 17, 2021

Customer Story

VRF: The right solution for CORE Fitness

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.

August 16, 2021

Blog

Insights from an expert: IEQ and back to school

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.

Morgan Perras July 28, 2021

Blog

Drive customers in and odors out – is your restaurant properly pressurized?

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.

July 22, 2021

Blog

5 great reasons to assess indoor environmental quality – and 1 bad reason.

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.

July 22, 2021

Blog

5 ways to boost peace of mind about in-person learning

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.

July 19, 2021

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Navigating fundamental changes in the energy landscape

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.

July 14, 2021

Blog

Keep the balance: Monitoring your building’s IEQ

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.

July 09, 2021

Blog

Five Tips to Navigating the Complexity of Open System Building Controls

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.

Chuck Lehn July 09, 2021

Blog

Creating a Cleaner Environment for Dining Experiences

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.

June 25, 2021

Blog

Creating Comfort Through Humidity Control

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.

June 07, 2021

Blog

Bring the Outdoors in with Optimized Ventilation

“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.”

May 24, 2021

Blog

Making the invisible visible

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.

May 17, 2021

Blog

K-12 Rental Programs: Short-Term Agility in an Emergency

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.

May 11, 2021

Blog

Powering Up Indoor Air Quality in New York State Schools

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.

May 10, 2021

Achieving the Water-Energy Conservation “Sweet Spot"

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

Blog

Three-Step Approach Helps School District Open Classrooms Quickly

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.

April 29, 2021

Blog

Are You Prioritizing IAQ Efficiently?

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.

April 22, 2021

Blog

Is Your Building WELL?

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.

April 16, 2021

Trane Offers New Cold Storage Option to Boost Vaccine Effort

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.

No Silver Bullets for Indoor Air Quality

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.

Avoid the Filter Frenzy: Take a Methodical Approach to IAQ

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.

Expand Your Expertise on Healthy and Efficient Spaces

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.

Shutdown Ready – Identify Your Best Building Connectivity-Level

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.”

Commercial Indoor Air Quality: Best Practices and Trends

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.

Emergency Contingency Planning: Key Best Practices

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.

Blog

Lowering emissions in the Northeast: Key Strategy for a New, Sustainable Grid

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.

November 18, 2020

Cold Ahead: Prepare Your Facility Now

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.

3 Ways Trane’s Tracer® SC+ Controls Provide Outstanding Efficiency for Your VRF System

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.

Now is the Time to Optimize Your Building’s Grid Resiliency

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.

Seven Ways to Minimize Installation Risk With Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF Systems

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.

Blog

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

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

October 06, 2020

Trane Trends: Work-From-Home Solutions for Personal Productivity and Team Collaboration

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.

Optimize Your Restaurant Environment with Confidence

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.

Connectivity Drives Results for Crosstown Concourse

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.

Trane® Trends: Adapting to new building priorities

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?

Trane Trends: Growing through new challenges

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

Blog

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

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

August 05, 2020

Blog

Preparing Your District: The ABCs of Optimizing Indoor Air Quality

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

July 27, 2020

World Refrigeration Day: Honoring our Climate

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

8 Reasons Contractors Should Embrace Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF)

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

Trane // Your Partner in Resilience

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

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

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

Your Checklist to Optimize Remote Building Management

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

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

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

Next Generation Lighting Illuminates New Options, Simplifies HVAC Integration

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

The Benefits of Wireless Controls for Connected Buildings

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

Approaching Zero Energy

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

Energy Cost Saving Methods for Data Centers

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

Air vs. Water Cooled Chillers

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

Contingency planning

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

The Future of Data Center Energy Use

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

Comfort vs Precision Cooling

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

Ductless Blog, two or three pipe

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

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

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

An Update on PG&E's Bankruptcy

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

4 Questions to Determine Your Equipment Upgrade Strategy

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

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

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

Thinking differently about VPPAs

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

The High Cost of Processing Your Own Energy Invoices

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

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

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

Corporate Sustainability need not be Controversial

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

Five Questions with Mike Patterson, Agility Product Manager

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

Blog

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

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

August 21, 2018

Nevada Looks toward Electricity Deregulation Vote

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

Summer Energy Best Practices

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

How to Get Started with Connected Buildings

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

Do the Bulls Have a Chance?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4 Reasons VRF is the HVAC solution for your building

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

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

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

What Five Actions Would Real Resiliency Address?

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

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

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

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

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

Thermal Storage Systems - Remarkable Resilience from a Sustainable Footprint

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

How Will Two New PJM Proposals Impact Your Power?

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

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

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

Oil Prices Are Finally Starting To Rise

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

Natural Gas Production Reaches Record Levels

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

EPA Repeals Clean Power Plan

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

Department of Energy Proposes Market Changes

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

Sustainable Alchemy in Vermont

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

Does Your School Have Poor IAQ?

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

Lessons in Power Deregulation: Montana

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

Birmingham Takes Bold Actions to Cut Energy Costs

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

Organizing a Critical Systems Contingency Plan

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

Global Action That Matters

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

The Relationship Between Oil and Natural Gas Prices?

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

PJM Power Prices Are Down…A Lot

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

How to Know if Ductless HVAC is Right For You

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

Commitment to Climate Action

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

World FM Day: Honoring Our Building’s Heroes

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

Tips for Reviewing the Progress in Your Energy Projects

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

The Triad of U.S. Natural Gas Demand Growth

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

New Transmission Required for More Wind and Solar

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

The Outlook for U.S. Nuclear Power

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

U.S. Northeast Gas Plays Getting Critical Pipeline Relief

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

The U.S. Leading a Globalizing Natural Gas Market

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

OPEC’s Production Cuts: Will They Matter?

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

Energy Modeling Software

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

Mexico’s Natural Gas Production Expected To Increase

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

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

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

Hearing on the Clean Power Plan Inconclusive

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

Canada’s Future Natural Gas Production

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

Rising U.S. Natural Gas Production

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

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

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

Now is the Time to Consider Building Improvements

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

Canada’s Future Natural Gas Production

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

Nuclear Decay

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

Better Control for Greater Efficiency

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

Four phases of Retrocommissioning

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

How Heat Impacts Building Performance

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

ERCOT Price Spikes

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

Keep your Building On-Track this Summer

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

Use validation to maintain your savings

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

Federal Judge Overturns Fracking Rules

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

Charting a path to summer savings

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

U.S. Exports First LNG Cargo from Gulf Coast

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

Increasing Efficiency and Driving Innovation at Mercedes-Benz USA

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

Emergency Contingency Planning: 7 Steps Hospitals and Schools Must Follow

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

Trane Improves Comfort, Saves Costs for Vancouver Area Mall

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

Saving Energy While Improving Campus Operations in North Carolina

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

Trane: Keeping the Friday Night Lights On in City Parks

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

Teaching the Value of Sustainability

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

Why You Should Use Energy Modeling Tools

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

2014 Could Be Even Better than 2013 for Energy Efficiency

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

How Does Your Company Define Sustainability?

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

What's Next for High Performance Buildings?

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

Improving the Performance of Historic Buildings While Preserving Their Unique Characteristics

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

A Tale of Two Buildings [Author: Neil Madeis]

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

Industrial Energy Efficiency is Key to Global Competitiveness

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

Technology Advancements will Drive Increased Building Efficiency

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

Benchmarking Can Reveal Surprising Results

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

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10 Concepts to Take Energy Efficiency to New Heights

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

June 07, 2013

A Collective Approach to Increase High Performance Building Adoptions

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

Trane High Performance Building Profiled in Case Study

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

Sweat the Small Things; They may Make a Huge Difference

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

Energy Conservation Measures: Justifying Investment with a Holistic Approach

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

Energy Conservation Measures: Making the Business Case Before and After

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

Upping the Ante on Sustainable Buildings

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

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

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

Evaluating the Journey of a High Performance Building

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

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

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

Trane Launches its Second Century with New Innovations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

K. Raheja Corp. in Mumbai Drives Environmentally Responsible Construction

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

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

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

Why Benchmarking Matters

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

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

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

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

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

High Performance Buildings Insights: Hotels

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

Intelligent services enable high performance buildings

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

Trane Puts Municipal Square on the Path to High Performance

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

Using Technology to Help Facility Managers Maximize Budgets

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

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

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

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

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

Trane Intelligent Services: Enhancing Building Mission

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

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

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

Building Automation Systems and Energy Saving Control Strategies

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

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

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

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

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

High Performance Buildings Case Study: Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

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

The 5 Key Steps to Adopting a High Performance Buildings Approach

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

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

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

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

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

August 05, 2020

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Next Generation Lighting Illuminates New Options, Simplifies HVAC Integration

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

February 26, 2020

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

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

March 06, 2020

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Your Checklist to Optimize Remote Building Management

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

April 10, 2020

Blog

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

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

April 15, 2020

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Trane // Your Partner in Resilience

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

May 28, 2020

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Trane Trends: Growing through new challenges

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

August 19, 2020

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Restaurants and Retail: Common Challenges for Optimizing Commercial Kitchen Environments

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.

August 27, 2020

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Trane® Trends: Adapting to new building priorities

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?

September 14, 2020

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Connectivity Drives Results for Crosstown Concourse

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.

September 22, 2020

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Trane Trends: Work-From-Home Solutions for Personal Productivity and Team Collaboration

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.

October 01, 2020

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

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

October 06, 2020

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Optimize Your Restaurant Environment with Confidence

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.

September 23, 2020

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A Tale of Two Buildings [Author: Neil Madeis]

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

October 31, 2013

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Industrial Energy Efficiency is Key to Global Competitiveness

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

October 23, 2013

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Don't Let Rising Costs of Building Materials Cut Short Your High Performance Buildings Journey

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.

September 25, 2013

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Technology Advancements will Drive Increased Building Efficiency

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

July 01, 2013

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10 Concepts to Take Energy Efficiency to New Heights

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

June 07, 2013

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Benchmarking Can Reveal Surprising Results

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

June 11, 2013

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A Collective Approach to Increase High Performance Building Adoptions

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

June 05, 2013

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Trane High Performance Building Profiled in Case Study

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

May 29, 2013

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Trane Experts Talk About the 'Next Big Thing' in Energy Efficiency in Sustainable Industries Article

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.

May 22, 2013

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Sweat the Small Things; They may Make a Huge Difference

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

May 13, 2013

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Subjective Assessments of High Performance Buildings: What the Numbers Don’t Tell You

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).

May 07, 2013

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Energy Conservation Measures: Justifying Investment with a Holistic Approach

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

April 30, 2013

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Energy Conservation Measures: Making the Business Case Before and After

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

April 22, 2013

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Upping the Ante on Sustainable Buildings

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

April 15, 2013

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

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

April 08, 2013

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Evaluating the Journey of a High Performance Building

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

March 12, 2013

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

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

March 04, 2013

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Intelligent Variable Air Systems Deliver 20 to 30 Percent Better Energy Efficiency

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."

February 25, 2013

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Trane Launches its Second Century with New Innovations

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

February 15, 2013

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How Intesa Sanpaolo Cut its “Invisible” Inefficiencies

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.

February 07, 2013

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

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

January 30, 2013

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

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

January 23, 2013

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Improving the Performance of Historic Buildings While Preserving Their Unique Characteristics

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

January 11, 2014

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

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

January 04, 2013

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

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

December 27, 2012

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

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

December 20, 2012

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K. Raheja Corp. in Mumbai Drives Environmentally Responsible Construction

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

December 06, 2012

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

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

December 03, 2012

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Why Benchmarking Matters

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

November 15, 2012

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

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

November 08, 2012

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How Healthcare is Driven Towards High Performance

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.

October 10, 2012

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

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

September 21, 2012

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A Better Alternative to Running Building Systems 24-7

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.

September 13, 2012

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High Performance Buildings Insights: Hotels

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

September 06, 2012

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Intelligent services enable high performance buildings

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

August 22, 2012

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Trane Puts Municipal Square on the Path to High Performance

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

August 14, 2012

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Using Technology to Help Facility Managers Maximize Budgets

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

July 27, 2012

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

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

July 20, 2012

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

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

July 12, 2012

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Trane Intelligent Services: Enhancing Building Mission

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

June 07, 2012

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Trane Intelligent Services: Driving Operational Efficiency

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.

May 31, 2012

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

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

May 16, 2012

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Building Automation Systems and Energy Saving Control Strategies

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

May 03, 2012

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

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

March 12, 2012

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

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

February 29, 2012

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High Performance Buildings Case Study: Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

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

February 15, 2012

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The 5 Key Steps to Adopting a High Performance Buildings Approach

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

January 18, 2012

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

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

January 10, 2012

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What's Next for High Performance Buildings?

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

February 28, 2014

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How Does Your Company Define Sustainability?

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

March 11, 2014

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Tech Tip: Manage Buildings Effectively in Extreme Weather

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...

April 18, 2014

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2014 Could Be Even Better than 2013 for Energy Efficiency

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

April 25, 2014

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Why You Should Use Energy Modeling Tools

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

May 13, 2014

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Energy and Sustainability: Key Factors to Staying Competitive

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...

May 22, 2014

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Teaching the Value of Sustainability

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

May 28, 2014

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Trane: Keeping the Friday Night Lights On in City Parks

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

February 24, 2015

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How Trane Helped a Luxury Resort Unlock $500K in Annual Savings

(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...

March 24, 2015

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Saving Energy While Improving Campus Operations in North Carolina

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

April 21, 2015

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Trane Sheds Light on Energy Savings With Installation at Robins AFB

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...

July 20, 2015

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Trane Improves Comfort, Saves Costs for Vancouver Area Mall

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

July 27, 2015

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Emergency Contingency Planning: 7 Steps Hospitals and Schools Must Follow

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

October 30, 2015

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Increasing Efficiency and Driving Innovation at Mercedes-Benz USA

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

February 17, 2016

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U.S. Exports First LNG Cargo from Gulf Coast

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

February 26, 2016

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Charting a path to summer savings

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

June 20, 2016

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Federal Judge Overturns Fracking Rules

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

June 27, 2016

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Use validation to maintain your savings

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

July 05, 2016

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Keep your Building On-Track this Summer

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

July 07, 2016

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How Heat Impacts Building Performance

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

July 12, 2016

Blog

ERCOT Price Spikes

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

July 12, 2016

Blog

Four phases of Retrocommissioning

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

July 14, 2016

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Better Control for Greater Efficiency

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

July 18, 2016

Blog

Nuclear Decay

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

July 26, 2016

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Canada’s Future Natural Gas Production

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

August 02, 2016

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How to Identify Opportunities for Improvement

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...

August 25, 2016

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Now is the Time to Consider Building Improvements

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

August 29, 2016

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Colder Days are Coming — Now is the Time to Prepare

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...

September 06, 2016

Blog

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

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

September 06, 2016

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Get Your Building Ready for the Changing Seasons

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...

September 12, 2016

Blog

Canada’s Future Natural Gas Production

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

October 04, 2016

Blog

Rising U.S. Natural Gas Production

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

October 04, 2016

Blog

Hearing on the Clean Power Plan Inconclusive

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

October 11, 2016

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

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

October 17, 2016

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Mexico’s Natural Gas Production Expected To Increase

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

October 25, 2016

Blog

Energy Modeling Software

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

November 02, 2016

Blog

CAPEX Reductions Today Could Lay the Foundation for a Price Spike

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...

November 21, 2016

Blog

OPEC’s Production Cuts: Will They Matter?

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

December 01, 2016

Blog

The U.S. Leading a Globalizing Natural Gas Market

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

December 12, 2016

Blog

U.S. Northeast Gas Plays Getting Critical Pipeline Relief

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

December 28, 2016

Blog

Natural Gas Production Falls in 2016, Looks to Rebound in 2017

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...

January 30, 2017

Blog

The Outlook for U.S. Nuclear Power

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

February 01, 2017

Blog

New Transmission Required for More Wind and Solar

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

March 31, 2017

Blog

The Triad of U.S. Natural Gas Demand Growth

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

April 21, 2017

Blog

World FM Day: Honoring Our Building’s Heroes

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

May 17, 2017

Blog

Tips for Reviewing the Progress in Your Energy Projects

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

May 17, 2017

Blog

Commitment to Climate Action

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

June 02, 2017

Blog

How to Know if Ductless HVAC is Right For You

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

June 13, 2017

Blog

The Relationship Between Oil and Natural Gas Prices?

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

June 28, 2017

Blog

Global Action That Matters

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

July 07, 2017

Blog

PJM Power Prices Are Down…A Lot

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

June 23, 2017

Blog

Organizing a Critical Systems Contingency Plan

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

July 27, 2017

Blog

Birmingham Takes Bold Actions to Cut Energy Costs

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

July 31, 2017

Blog

Lessons in Power Deregulation: Montana

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

September 01, 2017

Blog

Does Your School Have Poor IAQ?

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

September 14, 2017

Blog

Sustainable Alchemy in Vermont

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

October 03, 2017

Blog

Department of Energy Proposes Market Changes

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

October 16, 2017

Blog

EPA Repeals Clean Power Plan

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

October 23, 2017

Blog

Colder Days are Coming, Now is the Time to Prepare

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...

October 26, 2017

Blog

Natural Gas Production Reaches Record Levels

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

November 03, 2017

Blog

Oil Prices Are Finally Starting To Rise

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

November 09, 2017

Blog

Connecticut Moves Closer to a Nuclear Subsidy

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...

November 29, 2017