Case Study: The Toledo Zoo achieves lower electrical consumption and avoids a substation upgrade with Trane ice storage cooling

The Toledo Zoo - Customer Case Study

The Toledo Zoo needed to replace an aging HVAC system in its Museum of Science building, which served offices, exhibits, a theater, and event space. With an old 80-ton Trane chiller nearing the end of its life and the facility’s electrical substation already close to capacity, the zoo faced a potential utility upgrade and rising electricity costs. Trane Commercial proposed an EarthWise™ Ice Enhanced Air-Cooled Chiller Plant System to add cooling without increasing peak electrical demand.

Trane Commercial implemented a system with a 40-ton air-cooled CGAM chiller, two ice storage tanks, and building controls, allowing the zoo to make ice at night and use it during the day. The result was increased cooling capacity, reduced electricity consumption, and avoidance of a costly substation upgrade. The smaller chiller also lowered first costs and improved serviceability, and the zoo reported that on average summer days the chiller often does not run at all because the building is cooled mainly on ice.

The Toledo Zoo

Dave Ruhl

Assistant Director of Facilities Construction