Trane Commercial Blog & Industry Updates

Designing an HVAC System When Your Building Occupants are Green

November 15, 2019 08:15 AM

Green plants, such as lettuce, kale, basil, and other crops, are being grown by indoor agriculture producers around the world. Maintaining an optimal environment is just as important when plants are grown indoors as when they are outside.

Energy Cost Saving Methods for Data Centers

Justin Wieman, Trane Applications Engineer November 4, 2019 08:15 AM

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: Which is Best for Data Centers?

Justin Wieman, Trane Applications Engineer October 31, 2019 08:15 AM

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

October 18, 2019 08:15 AM

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: Mastering Complexity with Artificial Intelligence

October 7, 2019 03:30 PM

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

October 7, 2019 08:15 AM

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.

Achieving the Water-Energy Conservation “Sweet Spot"

July 30, 2019 08:15 AM

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.

ASHRAE® 90.1-2016 Sets New Sustainability Baselines

June 28, 2019 03:30 PM

Business values are driving even greater progress

What’s Happening with the Skilled Labor Shortage?: And how it is impacting the HVAC industry

John Collins May 30, 2019 10:30 AM

As the dynamic HVAC industry continues to grow and change, it finds itself faced with a growing skilled labor shortage.

Is two- or three-pipe VRF system right for you?

May 24, 2019 01:00 AM

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.