Innovation for Education

Raising performance in K-12 schools

2 Innovation for Education

Excellence: It’s in the air

Developing young minds deserve the best

possible learning environment. Students

perform better in schools that are comfortable,

quiet, properly-ventilated and well-lit. Children

demonstrate this fact in classrooms every day.

Teachers confirm it. And it is proven by research

time and time again.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, schools that adopt best practices in

school design and maintenance can expect a

number of positive outcomes:

•   Higher test scores

•    Increased average daily attendance

•   Lower operational costs

•   Improved teacher satisfaction and retention1

Trane focuses on the intangible factors that are

essential to effective teaching and learning. Our

school-focused solutions for improving indoor air

quality, temperature and acoustics save energy,

and they’re good for the environment, too.

Comfortable, quiet and efficient

HVAC systems that feature rooftop units 

designed specifically for schools improve

indoor air quality and temperature

control, while reducing ambient noise.

They save money too, thanks to

energy efficiency that surpasses federal

minimum standards.

Learn more at Trane.com/k12schools  3

Engaging students

Using energy wisely is everyone’s responsibility—

even kids can make a difference! Trane energy

education programs use hands-on, interactive

learning to engage students and teachers in

your district’s sustainability objectives.

The BTU Crew™Students learn about energy: what energy really

is and things they can do to conserve energy at

school and at home. The BTU Crew introduces

students to careers in science, technology,

engineering and math (STEM) that can make a

positive contribution to the environment. It is

designed for students in grades 4–6, yet easily

adaptable for students of all ages.

Education Green DashboardThis online tool enables school districts to access

data from building control systems to support

classroom teaching. Using interactive web

pages, students learn about the environmental

conditions inside their classrooms, while

gaining an understanding of how their own

everyday actions impact school energy

consumption and the environment.

The Trane Education Green Dashboard teaches

students about a variety of energy conservation

projects, and suggests ways to apply the concepts

within their school building.

Optimizing school environments

Trane capabilities for managing temperature,

humidity, air quality and sound levels create

conditions that foster success for students and

teachers alike.

Clear the airResearch has proven that school environments

strongly influence educational outcomes. The

intangible factors that contribute to “indoor air

quality” may be just as important as the physical

structure.

•   Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has been linked 

to reduced teacher and student performance,

short- and long-term health problems and low

staff retention2

•    Students and teachers struggle when they’re

distracted by poor acoustics, glare, mildew,

lack of fresh air, and temperatures that are too

hot or too cold3

The good news: Students’ speed and accuracy on

a number of tasks can be significantly improved

by increasing the outdoor air supply rate

through improved ventilation and reducing even

moderately elevated classroom temperature.4

These common indoor air quality problems can be

readily alleviated through Trane technology and

service solutions.

4 Innovation for Education

5

Improve acousticsSound management is particularly important in

schools. Much of the education that takes place

hinges on verbal communication, after all. 

Unfortunately, as many as one-third of all

students miss up to 33 percent of the oral

communication that occurs in the classroom.7

That’s particularly problematic, since children lack

the knowledge and maturity to infer meaning

from missed and misheard words.8

What’s more, poor school acoustics create

extra challenges for students who are coping

with learning disabilities or impaired hearing, or

struggling to learn in a non-native language.9

Find affordable solutionsOptimum background sound levels for learning

are defined by the ANSI/ASA Standard S12.60 

for classroom acoustics. In our work with schools,

Trane has demonstrated that these acoustical

requirements can be met with little or no added

cost using off-the-shelf HVAC equipment and 

industry-accepted design and construction practices,

when acoustics is included as a design parameter.

Tools such as the Trane Acoustical Program (TAP)

simplify the acoustics design process.

Learn more at Trane.com/k12schools  5

Assure proper ventilation Schools are especially susceptible to poor

environmental conditions. They contain numerous

pollution sources—lab chemicals, cleaning

supplies, chalk dust and mold—and they average

four times the number of occupants per square

foot than a typical office building.5

Improving indoor air quality problems requires a

two-step approach:

1. Prevent outdoor pollution sources from

entering classrooms as much as possible

2.  Provide adequate ventilation to dilute the 

build-up of indoor contaminants and utilize air

cleaning technology to remove dust, spores,

particles, gases and other pollutants

Maintain ideal temperature and humidity levelsOptimum conditions for learning are well defined

and quite specific:

•   Temperatures that are too hot or too cold

adversely affect reading and mathematics skills.

The problem is alleviated when classrooms and

HVAC systems are designed or upgraded to 

maintain temperature and humidity within the

comfort zone of 67° to 73°F with 50 percent 

relative humidity.6

Facility managers can effectively manage

classroom conditions in a single building or

district-wide using Trane Controls. The graphical

user interface makes it much easier to sustain

energy efficiency and maintain optimal learning

conditions than previous controls allowed.

Clean air technology

The Trane Catalytic Air Cleaning System™ improves indoor air quality

through an innovative blend of three technologies: filtration, germ-

killing ultraviolet light and a photo catalytic oxidation process. Dust,

particles, odors, VOCs, viruses and bacteria are virtually eliminated.

6 Innovation for Education

Saving money

Utilities are the biggest line item in the typical

school operating budget, driven by the high

cost of energy that’s consumed for heating,

cooling and lighting. Energy efficient systems

by Trane bring welcome relief to stressed

operating budgets, and help create more

sustainable K-12 schools.

Start with an energy auditInitiating a school energy audit in collaboration

with Trane will help you discover exactly how

energy is being used in your buildings, where

you can save, and what the effects will be.

Trane engineers identify the best opportunities

to reduce energy costs district-wide, or

building by building. During the analysis, our

professionals use industry-leading Trace™ 700 

energy modeling software, which can document 

compliance with ASHRAE Standard 90.1 

and validate a building’s eligibility for LEED® 

certification.

Remove financial barriersTrane can help you take advantage of financing

options that enable school districts to implement

much-needed HVAC upgrades and other 

energy conservation measures with a minimal

capital investment. As the improvements bring

in the projected energy cost savings, the new

equipment can pay for itself.

This is how Trane has helped schools achieve

over $1.2 billion in operating improvements 

over the years.

Calculate the savingsThe energy conservation measures (ECMs)

Trane recommends—and the resulting financial

benefits—will be unique to your district and

based on the condition of your buildings. In

general, Trane has found that implementing

upgrades to achieve performance improvements

typically yields the following energy savings:

•   Lighting: Up to 10–15 percent  •   Building Automation/Controls: 

Up to 5–15 percent

•   HVAC upgrade: Up to 5–15 percent

•   Chiller plant upgrade: Up to 5–15 percent •   Pump and motor replacements: 

Up to 5–15 percent •   Comprehensive energy savings projects:  Up to 20–30 percent

•   Sub-metering program: 2–5 percent

Electric End-Use Profile for U.S.K-12 School Facilities

Natural Gas End-Use Profile for U.S.K-12 School Facilities

Other6%Cooking

4%

Water heating8%

Space heating82%

Cooling27%

© E source; data from U.S. Energy Information Administration

O�ce equipment20%

Lighting27%

Other10%

Ventilation7%

Space heating5%

Refrigeration4%

Cooking1%

Water heating1%

Heating, cooling and lighting are the biggest consumers of electricity

and natural gas in a typical K-12 school building.

Learn more at Trane.com/k12schools  7

High performance schools provide ideal 

conditions for teaching and learning. Trane takes

an integrated “whole building” approach to

building systems and technologies that support

the mission of education. A few of our signature

solutions for K-12 schools are listed below.

•   Trane Acoustical Program (TAP™) predicts

and compares the sound levels of various HVAC 

system and construction options

•   Geothermal HVAC systems use the earth as

a heat sink when cooling and as a heat source

when heating. They operate 10 to 30 percent 

more efficiently than conventional systems.

•   Tracer™ SC building controls optimize

comfort and help reduce the carbon footprint

of schools buildings

•   Tracer ES™ is a multi-building control system

that gives facility managers single-access

control over all buildings in the district from

any PC on the network. During emergency

events such as snow days, alternative

scheduling for all schools can be implemented

with “one-click” ease.

•   Trane eView™ is an energy reporting and

dashboard solution that provides information

on energy use and costs and greenhouse

gas emissions

•   Energy Retrofit Systems reveal cost-effective

opportunities for renewing infrastructure

performance through a free, no-obligation

energy analysis

Trane: Making your schools better

Are you realizing your building’s potential? How can we raise the grade?

The data that’s being generated by your building controls provides a true indicator of whether or not the facility is performing to its highest potential. Trane Intelligent Services is the innovative technology platform that allows us to capture that data, and use it to identify the actions you can take to gain cost-effective, outcome-based results. It’s the enabler to the host of performance-based services that are offered by Trane. And it’s how you can make informed decisions about your building operations—decisions that make schools healthier for students, easier on the environment, and better for learning.

•   Rental Systems provide reliable and

affordable back-up during planned HVAC 

system service and renovations, or in

emergency situations

•   Trane Building Services ensures that

installed systems continue to provide the best

possible conditions for education by offering a

continuum of service and maintenance plans

Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR) is a world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments in commercial, residential and industrial markets. Our people and our family of brands—including Club Car®, Ingersoll Rand®, Schlage®, Thermo King® and Trane®—work together to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and increase industrial productivity and efficiency. We are a $14 billion global business committed to sustainable business practices within our company and for our customers. For more information, visit www.ingersollrand.com.

© 2012 Trane   All rights reserved  trane.com EDU-SLB032-EN   February 14, 2012  ingersollrand.com

We are committed to using environmentally conscious print practices that reduce waste.

End Notes:

1.   The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Benefits of a High Performance School,”  http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/highperformance.html (Accessed Dec. 5, 2011.)

2.   “Market Sector Snapshot: K-12 Schools,” E SOURCE Report, March 2008. 

3.   Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “Do Indoor Environments in Schools Influence Student Performance?” 2006.

4.   Source for HVAC experiments: 1) EFA. 2001. Indoor air pollution in schools. Helsinki: European Federation of  Asthma and Allergy Associations. 2) Wargocki, P. and D.P. Wyon. 2006a. “The effects of outdoor air supply rate  and supply air filter condition in classrooms on the performance of schoolwork.”

5.   Rosen and Richardson, 1999, EPA 2000.

6.   “Market Sector Snapshot: K-12 Schools,” E SOURCE Report, March 2008.

7. M. Nixon, “Acoustical Standards Begin to Reverberate: Controlling Noise within School Facilities,” School Construction News Online, 2002, http://www.schoolconstructionnews.com (Accessed January 2003).

8.   P. Nelson, “Sound in the Classroom: Why Children Need Quiet,” ASHRAE Journal 45 (2): 24, 2003. 

9.   Nelson and S. Soli, “Acoustical Barriers to Learning: Children at Risk in Every Classroom,”  Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools 31:358, 2000. 

Energy Star is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.LEED is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Learn more…

Visit www.trane.com/k12schools

or contact your Trane Account Manager.