Moving forward with new technologies and customer-centric operation models

While interacting with Thermal Control Business Update, Kishor Patil, Country Head of Trane HVAC Business India & SAARC Markets, says the products with innovative and customer-centric solutions have benefitted diversified segments.

 

Trane Technologies product profile Trane Technologies brings sustainable and efficient solutions based on its broad portfolio of products and services and strategic brands in sectors such as buildings, homes and transportation. Our products with innovative and customer-centric solutions have benefitted diversified segments, including commercial real estate, healthcare, hospitality, industrial and extensive infrastructure.

Chillers Trane offers a portfolio of a wide range of Air Cooled & Water-Cooled Chillers for a variety of applications ranging from maintaining comfort in a building to cooling a process. These products were developed based on decades of knowledge and industry leadership and included centrifugal, helical-rotary and scroll compressor chillers, ranging in capacities from 20 to 4,000+ tons. Our energy-efficient solutions offer our customers multiple choices of Chillers to best meet their requirements. This helps customers to select an HVAC system with the lowest operating cost that reduces energy intensity and minimises the environmental impact. High efficiency and low noise have always been a hallmark of our Chillers and other Chilled water products.

With an intent to provide an environmentally conscious and sustainable solution, Trane has pioneered in introducing low GWP solutions and Ultra-low GWP solutions through various ranges of Chillers with the next generation and low global warming (GWP) .

HFO refrigerants like R-514a, R-513a, R-1233zd(e), R-1234ze& R-1234yf. They also help in offering high full-load and partload efficiencies along with the lowest noise rating in the market. Options like free cooling, partial heat recovery and adiabatic kit can be easily configured without impacting the design.

Trane has unparalleled energy efficiency expertise and reliable systems engineered to meet the rigorous demands of mission-critical data centres. Our high-efficiency systems are designed to produce the lowest power usage effectiveness (PUE) for data centres and the lowest cost of ownership.Trane also delivers reliable and cost-effective cooling & heating solutions for the pharmaceutical industry with varying levels of design complexity. This helps our customers sustain the HVAC capacity they need in this industry, where process control plays an essential role in the quality and consistency of formulas, their testing and the end product. Exceptional standards are required to ensure the highest quality products. One way to ensure precise quality control is through accurate temperature and humidity management at each step of production.When planned shutdowns, emergencies and production peaks occur, our Trane Rental Services have the expertise and equipment to mitigate any risk to the production process substantially.

 

Trane also offers its highly efficient, state-of-the-art, classleading advanced oil-free water & Air cooledMaglev Chillers with Magnetic bearing compressor technology and an industry-leading, next-generation heat exchanger design. The thoughtful approach of enhancing reliability through the simplicity of the design means more savings as it operates without a gearbox and oil lubrication system. Trane Maglev Chiller packs more greatness in its compact size than it seems. Trane Maglev chillers’ leading features are high efficiency, lower noise levels, increased uptime, and compact size that fits through standard double doors with no disassembly required.

 

Controls 

With Trane Building Management System, building managers can create a technology platform to increase the performance of the building. Trane BMS is based on the latest U.C. series – Direct Digital Controllers and Tracer ensemble software that creates an intelligent system. Trane BMS can integrate the HVAC system with other controls system into a single platform to make a smart building ecosystem for enhanced monitoring and control. The combination of factory-built logic and site customisation programs in the software provides guaranteed energy savings to the users and ensures a payback for the system. The reliability and flexibility of Trane’s Air-Fi range of wireless BMS enable the building owners to avoid the wired components and increase the efficiency of the complete system. Many pharmaceutical users across the globe are using Trane’s 21 CFR part 11 complied software ‘Ensemble’ to fulfil their compliance requirements and successfully pass the audits.

 

• New Trane controls technology – Tracer Symbio 800 controller: It features advanced algorithms ensuring smooth, reliable operation with a low cost of ownership. In addition, it also offers six arbitration choices to optimise performances for the application. 
• Trane’s new suite of air cleaning solutions helps reduce pathogens and other contaminants in indoor environments, including particles, gases and viruses. The technologies are PCO+UVGI (Photocatalytic Oxidation + Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation), high voltage electrostatic filtration, and Trane Catalytic Air Cleaning System (TCACS).

 

Priority sectors for Trane Technologies

 We are committed to helping all the sectors that need energy-efficient and effective HVAC and Cooling solutions. In India, we have been helping businesses like commercial properties, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, hospitality, automobile, electronics, textile, industrial and data centre. Even during the pandemic-led lockdown, our team worked tirelessly and aided the smooth functioning of critical businesses. Our Thermo King solutions have been used to transport Covid-19 vaccines in India since the initial dosage phase.

 

Organisations’ commitment to Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) 

As a global climate innovator, our purpose is to challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world boldly. Our ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets have been verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). We are also the first in our industry (HVAC/climate) to have our GHG emission targets verified by SBTi, and one of only 47 companies globally to verify its targets twice.Our ambitious 2030 Climate Commitments include the Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer emissions by a billion metric tons. It leads by example by achieving carbon neutrality across its global footprint, zero-waste to landfill, sustainable water use, and absolute energy reduction and Opportunity for all. This is by creating a workforce reflective of its communities and gender parity in senior leadership, in addition to uplifting communities through STEM learning. These goals are even bolder and more ambitious than the company’s 2020 climate commitments, which were already met in 2019. They also align with The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

The Gigaton Challenge makes Trane Technologies the first industrial manufacturer to commit to reducing its customers’ carbon footprint by 1 billion metric tons of CO2e, which equals two per cent of the world’s annual emissions — or the combined annual emissions of Italy, France and the U.K.

To meet the goal of the Gigaton Challenge, we have developed a set of four initiatives which include: addressing emissions at the source using innovative ways to heat and cool buildings and transport perishables; initiating system-level attitudes to energy efficiency; minimising food loss in transport; and removing hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) and high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants in cooling systems. According to our lately announced 2021 ESG report, we have reduced 50 million metric tons of carbon from customers’ emissions since 2019.In 2021, we launched Sustainable Futures, our new corporate citizenship strategy, committed to contributing $100 million and 500,000 volunteer hours worldwide. As of April 2022, our worldwide employees have contributed 30,041 volunteer hours, and corporate charitable donation has reached more than USD 11.3 million To achieve these sustainability goals, we have been actively working with suppliers and external partners to collaborate on sustainable solutions, minimise our environmental impact, and improve the world by upholding a vision of excellence. This includes a commitment to RE100 and EP100 (100% Renewable Energy and 100% Energy Productivity), the U.N. Environment Cool Coalition, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) Race toZero to meet net-zero global emissions by 2050. We also became a founding member of Drawdown Labs to advance climate leadership on decarbonisation topics.

We have also earned several prestigious awards and rankings that recognise the company’s ongoing environmental, social and governance leadership (ESG). For example, we have been named to the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the 11th consecutive year.

 

Trane Technologies practices energy efficient HVAC solutions

The Indian HVAC market is expected to grow to $31,598.6 million by 2030. This means it will be essential to implement strategies to decarbonise buildings if India stays on track with its emissions reduction goals. About 15% of global carbon emissions are due to heating and cooling buildings, and global heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) demand is expected to triple by 2050. At Trane Technologies, we believe that one company can change an industry, and industry can change the world. As a climate innovator, this is why we have set ambitious 2030 Climate Commitments. It is believed that accelerated refrigerant transition management, innovation in system-level energy efficiency and electrification are three key elements that can significantly help decrease carbon emissions of buildings.

 

Refrigerant transition management

• Developing HVAC solutions applying the next-generation low GWP refrigerant for buildings is one of the fundamentals of improving the efficiency of the built environment. 
• Our next-generation chillers using low GWP refrigerant are already sold in more than 30 countries, most of which do not have regulations.
• We are also pioneering new ways to encourage the collection and destruction of the old high-GWP refrigerant gases that are removed from these systems or sitting in containers no longer being used. 

 

Addressing System-level energy efficiency

• Beyond simple equipment offerings, we need a full suite of services focused on maximising system-level energy efficiency while meeting users’ expectations of climate experience and air quality. 
• A connected and coordinated building, home or transport fleet is much more preferable and can widen our building operator’s margins or help homeowners keep more dollars in their pockets. 
• System HVAC Optimisation = Equipment works when as much as it needs to. Controls paired with building automation help reduce or even eliminate energy waste. Of course, this also drives down the emissions intensity of a building, home, or transport trailer. 
• Share some best practices for one of India’s luxurious firstclass business hotels to help reduce operation costs with High-Efficient Retrofit Solutions. The existing Trane watercooled chiller RTHD retrofitted with variable frequency drive (VFD) has exceeded customers’ expectations with the return on investment (ROI) on a highly efficient HVAC solution coupled with reliability and comfort. It is estimated that the operational savings for the hotel would be more than USD 20,000 per year.

 

Electrification of heating refrigeration 

• A range of technologies is available to increase buildings’ energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. This includes a holistic approach to building systems that reduce energy demand and fossil fuel use and operate on renewable energy sources. Examples include heat pump technologies that eliminate the need for fossil fuel boilers, thermal energy storage, and connected building controls. 
• The demand for residential air conditioning is growing globally, including in India. Worldwide, homes account for about 25% of all carbon emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by up to 20% in homes through the adoption of higher-efficiency HVAC and changes in consumer behaviour to reduce energy use. 

Our customers value our services and expertise. We were recently honoured with the “Partner of the Year 2022” award by CtrlS Data centres in recognition of our relentless services as a strategic partner, especially during the difficult period of a pandemic. Trane India has served CtrlS for over eight years, offering high-efficiency solutions for four sites in Noida and Mumbai.

 

Trane’s energy-efficient products and the uptick for sustainable products in India

At Trane technologies, sustainability is at the very foundation of our business. Our commitment to sustainability extends to the environmental impact of our people, operations, products, and services. Our offerings in India are aligned with our global strategy and play a key role in minimising the environmental impact.

Every state has a unique weather condition and heating/cooling requirement. We see more and more customers have evolved and are demanding the latest technologies, which include low global warming potential refrigerants and energy-efficient products. For example, some of our clients have requirements only for HFO-based products as the customers are moving towards sustainable solutions due to actions required to phasing out of HFC-based products.

In addition, people and businesses have become cost and environment conscious. All these factors place energy efficient HVAC systems in a strong position.

 

Growth trajectory in India 

We see an immense opportunity for growth moving forward with new technologies and customer-centric operating models. Sustainable products are catching up firmly as more and more focus is on going green and becoming more efficient. We expect the India HVAC market size to grow at a CAGR of roughly 15 to 16%. A couple of factors are driving the demand, such as favourable policies in the country for manufacturers (MSMEs), lifestyle upgrades, and growth in the country’s commercial, industrial and residential infrastructures investments. 

 

There are two areas where Trane leads innovation to bring value to the industry.

• Our energy-efficient products and services are designed to develop such equipment to meet all energy standards of the highest efficiency. This is winning in our B2B segments as well.
• The next area is ozone depletion and global warming through refrigerants used in our equipment, and we are a little far ahead in the industry right now in bringing a significant change towards low GWP.

 

Plans and innovations 

We are committed to introducing innovations across HVAC&R that align well with India’s sustainability and growth mission. Our product innovations during the Covid-19 phase testify to how we take people’s health, customer efficiency and energy efficiency seriously. We will continue to tread this path.