Trane Chicago: Engineering Excellence And Innovation In Commercial HVAC

Whether you’re in the HVAC industry or not, you’re familiar with Trane. The nearly 150-year-old company is a household name thanks to a long history of innovation in heating and cooling. Today, Trane Technologies employs more than 40,000 people in 100-plus countries. Over 200 of those employees work in Trane’s Chicago sales office, which specializes in commercial HVAC systems and solutions. And the work they’re doing in Illinois is paving a pathway toward increased efficiency, decreased emissions and large sums of money saved in the commercial building sector.

Trane’s Chicago team offers a comprehensive portfolio encompassing HVAC equipment, building automation systems, controls, digital and traditional services, parts, turnkey solutions, asset management services and energy services. The team takes a holistic approach to their work, recognizing buildings as integrated systems rather than collections of independent components.

“We strive to embody the company’s vision by delivering our diverse offerings to customers across a wide range of industries, serving as a trusted collaborator and innovator,” Trane Chicago Sales Engineer Tyler Szekely said.

Szekely initially joined Trane Chicago as a sales engineering intern in the summer of 2021. When he finished his mechanical engineering degree at Ohio State in 2022, Szekely returned to the company’s Chicago branch as a full-time sales engineer. For the past three years, he’s supported consulting engineers and mechanical contractors throughout all phases of mechanical system design, procurement and installation.
These aren’t the only helpful services Trane Chicago offers. Szekely highlights a comprehensive range of training and educational programs on the proper, safe and efficient installation of HVAC systems as something he’s proud of. These programs include local and regional in-person trainings, online courses, webinars, self-paced modules and customized programs tailored for specific projects. After all, technology is nothing if you don’t know how to use it!

Maybe that last sentence hit a little too close to home? With the advent of smart building controls and AI, the HVAC industry is in the middle of a technology boom. Szekely says his office is seeing growing interest in integrated, sustainable building system approaches, and they’re ready to meet that with a growing offering of innovative solutions.

“For example, our storage source heat pump, a fully electric heat recovery system, leverages thermal energy storage (ice tanks) and advanced heat pump technology for efficient low-ambient operation, enabling clients to benefit from local utility rebates and federal tax incentives,” Szekely said. “Additionally, owners are utilizing Trane controls and digital service offerings to gain valuable insights that enhance system reliability, maximize uptime, support financial decision-making and validate their investments on projects.”

These tools are changing how HVAC systems function within buildings, shifting them from passive infrastructure to active components of building performance. And the next level of sophistication promises to offer increased data-based insight, functional control and efficiency.

Trane recently announced AI Control and ARIA, which apply artificial intelligence to building optimization and energy management.

“These AI innovations will help us achieve our vision of unlocking next-generation building performance, delivering both immediate and long-term benefits for our customers and the planet,” Szekely said.

Trane’s current collaboration with Northern Illinois University on energy-saving infrastructure upgrades to its DeKalb campus illustrates this approach in practice. The upgrades include new high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, smart HVAC building controls, thermal energy storage for cooling, the installation of solar photovoltaic panels and systems, building weatherization improvements and more. With everything up and running, NIU’s DeKalb campus is projected to see an energy consumption reduction of over 26%, and an 11% reduction of emissions — which supports NIU’s 2030 sustainability and climate action plan. Projects like this show how energy savings and emissions reduction goals can be addressed through infrastructure planning and technology implementation.

From the company’s founding in 1913 to its emerging work with AI-powered building management systems, Trane has stood out as an innovator in HVAC technology. For contractors navigating the technical complexities of modern building systems and the practical realities of installation and service, Trane’s experience and comprehensive approach provides valuable solutions and resources in an increasingly complex market.

Aero’s data-driven approach yields impressive results, achieving remarkable energy savings for MBCx clients across Chicago. 110 N. Wacker Dr. saw an energy use reduction of 2,441,976 kilowatt-hours for a verified annual cost savings of $275,887 and an equivalent emissions reduction of 1,820 tons of CO2. 353 N. Clark St. achieved a reduction of 2,680,402 kilowatt-hours with $170,243 in annual savings and an equivalent emissions reduction of 1,900 tons of CO2. Chicago Hospital saw an energy use reduction of 3,067,507 kilowatt-hours for a verified annual cost savings of $539,785 and an equivalent emissions reduction of 5,239 tons of CO2. Those are big numbers with big impact.

The company’s scope is equally impressive, touching over 1,300 jobs annually across major healthcare facilities, large-scale data centers, K-12 schools, commercial high-rises, restaurants and more. This diversity requires a broad skill set.

“Working in a company like this, you do need to know a little bit about everything,” Nick says. “You need to know the service side of the business, you need to know construction, design and project management.”

The knowledge base at Aero has also recently expanded with the company’s acquisition of CEPro, a premier provider of critical environment solutions, specializing in healthcare, clean rooms, laboratories and pharmaceutical facilities.

“Clean rooms and other critical environments have a
lot of very stringent standards they need to adhere to,” Nick explains. “We’re able to help with design, build, compliance testing and repairing those systems.”

Obviously, Aero Performance Group’s work relies on compiling and analyzing massive amounts of data. Processing this huge amount of information efficiently requires leaning on advanced technology, including AI-driven data analytics. That tech is crucial, but Nick emphasizes that the human element remains central to Aero’s success.
“There’s no replacing the hands-on aspect of it,” he says. “You can do so much with data. Data is great, and AI is great — there’s an AI portion of the data we do, but in the end it’s all about the people and understanding how a building operates and understanding that when you make changes it will affect the occupants. You don’t just want to arbitrarily make changes based on what data tells you without having a conversation and understanding what the benefits will be.”

While Aero Performance Group excels at the technical aspects of building optimization, Nick takes pride in the broader impact of their work. The energy savings achieved through their monitor-based commissioning and optimization services translate directly into reduced carbon footprints and environmental benefits for the communities they serve.

“We fix things. We are very mechanical, and we get things done. But a byproduct of what we do — that energy savings — is lower carbon footprints,” he notes. “That really affects the community, and it affects the world around us.”

In an industry where building performance standards continue to rise and energy efficiency becomes increasingly critical, Aero Performance Group’s comprehensive approach offers a roadmap for success — one that honors traditional expertise while embracing the technologies
of tomorrow.