Case Study: Brown County achieves lower energy costs and better comfort with Trane Commercial HVAC

Brown County

Brown County, a local government in Minnesota, faced a challenge with its aging and deteriorating courthouse HVAC system, which was unreliable and costly to operate. The county also lacked backup cooling for its Law Enforcement Center and was dealing with high energy bills. Working with Trane Commercial, the county sought a solution to improve reliability and lower energy costs within a tight budget.

Trane implemented an Energy Performance Guaranteed Savings contract that included installing a new 90-ton chiller, replacing pneumatic controls with a Tracer Summit building automation system, and converting the air handling system to variable air volume. The results were significant, with first-year energy savings exceeding $77,000 and a nearly 16% decrease in countywide utility expenditures. The project also provided critical cooling redundancy, improved comfort, and better air quality for both county buildings.

Brown County