TRANE RECEIVES POPULAR MECHANICS BREAKTHROUGH AWARD

Trane has built a reputation for legendary innovation and reliability and now the company has raised the bar by developing one of “The Year’s 10 Most Transformative Products,” as proclaimed by POPULAR MECHANICS. Trane was honored with the annual POPULAR MECHANICS Breakthrough Award at a ceremony Tuesday, October 5, at the Hearst Tower in New York City for its ComfortLink™ II Control. The POPULAR MECHANICS Breakthrough Awards, now in their sixth year, were created to recognize products that set new benchmarks in design, creativity and engineering as well as individuals and teams that are helping to improve lives and expand possibilities in the realms of science, technology and exploration.

“The 2010 POPULAR MECHANICS Breakthrough Award honorees are the people and products leading the way into the future, and we’re thrilled to recognize their advances,” said James B. Meigs, editor in chief of POPULAR MECHANICS.

In early 2011, Trane will launch the ComfortLink II Control, which will be the most advanced home comfort device on the market. This innovative thermostat is a seven-inch interactive high-definition color touch screen that serves as an easy-to-use central planning calendar. It’s designed with busy homeowners in mind as it’s easy to use, see and understand with simple programming features, service reminders and a system runtime monitor, which includes weekly and monthly views.

“The ComfortLink II Control is not your typical thermostat and up to this point, there has been nothing like it available to consumers,” said Tim Storm, controls and zoning product manager, Trane Residential Solutions. “Consumers are looking for a more interactive, personalized experience when it comes to technology, especially with energy management solutions for the home, and that’s exactly what this thermostat offers.”

Features of the Trane ComfortLink II Thermostat include:

• A personal computer application allows homeowners with a wireless router to control comfort from any room in the house, the backyard, or even from the office
• The intuitive user interface allows homeowners to see different room temperatures from one single control, providing the ideal temperature and humidity 24-7. Homeowners are able to program as much information as they want to see on their screen, including the status of their indoor air quality, humidity and individual room temperatures
• In addition to providing the ideal indoor temperature, the ComfortLink II Control provides homeowners with a five-day forecast, complete with radar image and weather alerts personalized for their ZIP code
• When not in use, the thermostat defaults to a screen saver, which complements the look and feel of a home’s décor. Or, you can load photos and use the unit as a digital picture frame.

In selecting the candidates and winners of the 2010 Breakthrough Awards program, the editors of POPULAR MECHANICS canvassed a wide range of experts to come up with a list of worthy nominees. In addition, members of POPULAR MECHANICS’ editorial board of advisers — which includes astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Amy B. Smith, and contributing editors, including MythBuster Jamie Hyneman — reviewed the nominations to help choose the innovators. POPULAR MECHANICS editors test hundreds of products in a wide range of categories all year in order to arrive at the true game changers for the Breakthrough product awards.

“Trane is truly honored to be a part of this distinguished group of winners and to receive the POPULAR MECHANICS Breakthrough Award because it represents the best in innovations and advances that promise to improve our lives and expand human horizons,” added Storm.