Trane Technologies: Enhancing Energy Efficiency with Tech
Trane Technologies, a company specialising in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration systems, outlines in its 2024 sustainability report how energy efficiency and renewable sourcing are becoming central to both operations and customer solutions.
The World Health Organisation reports an increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat and heatwaves, leading more people and businesses to depend on cooling solutions.
Trane is using its supply chains, emerging technologies and AI to deliver energy-saving innovations while reducing emissions.
Reducing energy use and emissions
Trane’s sustainability report states the company has removed 237 million tonnes of CO₂e from customers’ carbon footprints since 2019 through its Gigaton Challenge.
The company sources 68% of its total electricity from renewable energy.
“Propelled by our target to reduce our customers’ carbon footprint by a gigaton of emissions, we are proving that it is possible to be a growth company, meet ambitious sustainability commitments and add value to customers by helping them meet theirs,” writes Mauro J. Atalla Senior Vice President and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at Trane Technologies, in the report.
In 2024, the company’s total energy use from operations was approximately 848,000 MWh, a 3.2% reduction from its 2019 baseline, despite higher manufacturing and production demands.
Facilities in water-stressed locations have cut water use by 27% since 2019.
“Our advanced technologies, including thermal management systems and thermal storage, waste heat recovery, all-electric heat pumps and refrigerated transport solutions, as well as purpose-built digital solutions and AI, enable our customers to optimise system performance while reducing energy use, carbon emissions and operational costs,” writes Dave Regnery, Chair and CEO of Trane Technologies, in the report.
“We also continue to lead by example as we reduce carbon emissions, water, waste and energy use within our own operations.
“In 2024, Trane Technologies announced an industry-first, precedent-setting commitment to reduce embodied carbon in our products by 40% by 2030.”
To meet its zero waste to landfill goal, 36 sites achieved this status in 2024, covering 80% of facilities.
The company is also advancing material circularity for steel, copper and aluminium.
Strengthening circular supply chains
Trane says it is "striving to extend product life cycles and build long-term strategic relationships with customers to create a more circular supply chain".
Its six key pillars include sustainable and circular design, recycling, remanufacturing and repairing, material selection, maintaining and prolonging products and reuse and redistribution.
“We are known for credible action on climate and the very real way that our employees are committed to our purpose,” says Chris Kuehn, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at Trane Technologies in the report.
“We are seeing this consistency translate into growth.”
By replacing virgin resins with post-industrial and post-consumer recycled material, the company expects a 30% reduction in total carbon, reusing more than 350,000 pounds of scrap and recycled material annually.
Trane also promotes reusable or returnable packaging to reduce wood-based and single-use plastic packaging.
All of the company's significant suppliers are enrolled in sustainability reporting platforms.
A 2024 procurement policy now considers embodied carbon when sourcing materials, in line with its 40% reduction goal for embodied carbon in products by 2030.
AI and sustainable technology investments
The report details more than US$309m in 2024 research and development expenses under US GAAP, focused on energy-related improvements such as product and system efficiency, electrification of heating and transport, low-global warming potential refrigerants, reduced material content, design for circularity and AI-based energy optimisation.
“In a continually warming world, demand for cooling is only increasing,” writes Riaz Raihan, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Trane Technologies, in the report.
“HVAC systems play a crucial role in our shared vision for a net zero future and their integration of advanced AI technology is supercharging what’s possible for reducing built environment emissions.”
In 2023, Trane acquired Nuvolo, a cloud-based software provider for intelligent workplace solutions and enterprise asset management.
In January 2025, it completed the acquisition of BrainBox AI, a developer of autonomous HVAC controls and generative AI building technology.
BrainBox AI’s deep learning algorithms can forecast building energy needs and automate HVAC systems, cutting energy use by up to 25% and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40%.
