Save Money and Enhance Comfort with the New HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit and App
Key takeaways:
• The HVAC monitoring sensors can be installed on any brand of HVAC system.
• The app lets you see your energy usage, when you need maintenance, and more.
• Your system sends your Trane HVAC pro data that can help them spot performance issues before they cause a breakdown.
• Predictive maintenance can enhance your comfort, enhance energy efficiency, and save you money on HVAC repairs.
• HVAC system remote monitoring & maintenance can help prolong the life of your system.
By Anne Fonda
Trane is happy to introduce the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit and App, designed to give you peace of mind, help you enhance home comfort, and save money on energy bills and HVAC repairs.
We recently sat down with Noah Gates, Product Management Leader, Software, to learn more about this new HVAC monitoring system – how it works, what it costs, and the benefits to you as a homeowner.
Here are some highlights of our conversation.
What is the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit?
“The HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit keeps homeowners and dealers connected to what matters most—the health and performance of the HVAC system. With remote visibility into 24V equipment of nearly any age or brand, it makes it easier to spot changes early and address issues before they become larger, more costly problems.”
- Noah Gates, Product Management Leader, Software
Why would I want an HVAC remote monitoring system?
It all boils down to whether you want to keep your HVAC system performing as well as it can, for as long as it can. Here are four benefits of this HVAC monitoring kit.
#1: Peace of mind
Using the HVAC Performance app, you can have a clear view into your system performance whether you’re at home or on vacation. If you have a rental home, you can get a separate kit installed there for even greater peace of mind.
#2: Keep service visits small and scheduled
Knowing when to do proactive maintenance on HVAC issues before they snowball into something big and out of budget saves you money and stress.
#3: Data validation on system issues
You can trust what your dealer is saying – you’ll receive tangible data to back up the need for HVAC maintenance and HVAC repair visits.
#4: Protecting your investment
Your HVAC system is one of the more complicated and more expensive systems in your home. The HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit helps you maintain the HVAC system and minimize any decline in performance by getting ahead of servicing over time before problems snowball.
How does the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit work?
“The HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit comes with 8 sensors contained in 2 sensor modules that get installed on the indoor and outdoor units of a standard, non-communicating split system.
These sensors pull data from the HVAC system and get transmitted up to an IoT cloud that runs through several algorithms to share simultaneous alerts to a homeowner through the HVAC Performance app (available through the App Store and Google Play), as well as to a dealer through Diagnostics.”
What you as a homeowner see
“You’ll get access to view what your system runtime is, filter health, and energy usage. If an alert comes up, the app sends you a push notification to let you know that your system needs maintenance or deeper attention. From the app, you can send a message directly to your Trane dealer to schedule a service visit, with the alert code already auto-populated into the message,” Gates said.
What the dealer sees
Your Trane dealer sees only what is going on with your HVAC system, at any given moment, as well as performance trends. They also receive an alert for any performance issues.
The sensors send them information on key performance areas including:
- Overall performance metrics
- Temperatures
- Pressures
- Electrical issues
- Airflow
This allows your dealer to catch dips in system performance before they snowball into bigger issues, and arrive on the scene for a service visit with much more insight than a technician might otherwise have.
How can the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit save me money?
“The HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit helps homeowners turn energy insights into savings. By tracking how efficiently a system is running, it can highlight issues that may be increasing energy costs. Working together, homeowners and dealers can catch smaller problems early and help prevent larger, more costly repairs later.”
- Noah Gates, Product Management Leader, Software
Do I need to have a Trane HVAC system for it to work?
No, that’s the beauty of it. You get Trane HVAC expertise even if you don’t have a Trane system. This works on standard single-stage, two-stage, and multi-speed non-communicating equipment from competitor brands as well as Trane HVAC equipment.
Do I need a Trane smart thermostat?
No. The HVAC equipment monitoring sensors use cellular connectivity, so there’s no need to connect to your WiFi or smart thermostat. Gates added, “However, the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit can be used in tandem with a Trane smart thermostat for even deeper HVAC Diagnostics information that a dealer can see and act on to enhance your system’s performance.”
What happens if the dealer spots a problem?
If the problem is big enough to trigger an alert, both you and the dealer will receive a notification of the issue. If you don’t reach out to your dealer in a reasonable time, they will reach out to you.
If you have a Trane smart thermostat and have enabled Diagnostics, your dealer may be able to solve the problem remotely. Otherwise, the HVAC company will schedule a service visit.
What does the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit cost?
Downloading the HVAC Performance App is free. Your local Trane dealer pays for the monitoring kit. Talk to your local Trane HVAC pro for details.
Have you tested the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit in the real world? What were the results?
“Yes! Through beta testing in a real-world environment, we identified early success with the kits and the app. With the help of an internal technician, we tested systems at the homes of Trane Technologies employees to ensure we had full access to the data.
One of our employees was having higher energy bills than normal. After installing the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit with their local dealer and accessing the HVAC Performance app, the individual got an alert that their system was running inefficiently, and the energy usage of the system was higher than it should be.
They called their local dealer and discovered there was an issue with one of the settings in the equipment that was causing it to operate inefficiently. The dealer was able to quickly identify and fix the problem.”
Anything else you think homeowners should know?
“Yes. This is an opt-in program. Dealers can only access your HVAC system information with your approval,” Gates concluded.
Interested in HVAC remote monitoring and HVAC diagnostics?
For the first time, you can reap the benefits of Trane HVAC Performance Monitoring and HVAC diagnostics without having a Trane smart thermostat or Trane HVAC system. While we certainly hope you’ll upgrade to Trane products when it’s time to replace your existing HVAC system, we want to help you get the most out of your current system. Contact your local Trane dealer today.
A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.
She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.
Expert review by Noah Gates, Product Management Leader, Software
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