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Nashville, Tenn. — June 7, 2016 — Trane, a leading global provider of indoor solutions and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has presented its Energy Efficiency Leader Award to Belmont University, a Christian teaching university in Nashville that offers liberal arts and professional education to more than 7,400 students.
Each year, Trane recognizes organizations demonstrating an outstanding commitment to implementing best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability. Belmont University was selected as the first of just two recipients to be recognized in 2016.
Dave Regnery, president of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Commercial for North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Ingersoll Rand, presented the award to Steve Lasley, vice president, Finance and Operations at Belmont University, at an awards ceremony.
Trane is recognizing Belmont University for best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability throughout the campus. With enrollment more than doubling in 15 years, Belmont University grew from a campus of 1.5 million square feet to a 50-building campus of 4 million square feet.
Leaders undertook energy efficient and sustainable design and improvements that held energy cost increases to just 10 percent, despite a more than 70 percent increase in building square footage. These upgrades represent a larger, long-term commitment to sustainability that reflects the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Recent improvements at the school include implementing an integrated campus-wide controls system to track energy use, proactively manage costs, and drive better operational decisions. The upgrades enable the university’s facilities team to use the Web-based tool to manage operational performance, in individual buildings or campus-wide, from most personal computers, tablets, and smart phones.
The following organizations collaborated with the university on the recent campus expansion: Chaseco, LLC, served as the owner representative; Nashville-based ESa served as the architectural firm; I.C. Thomasson served as the consulting engineering firm; R.C. Mathews Contractor provided general contracting; Lee Co. provided mechanical contracting; and Enterprise Solutions provided electrical contracting.
These recent operational improvements reflect a larger university-wide commitment to sustainability that align with the university’s Christian values. In addition to a commitment to prevent pollution, recycle, and use renewable resources whenever feasible, the focus on sustainability features a variety of efforts including:
• Designation as a Nashville Tree Foundation Arboretum and USA Tree Campus ─ serves as an arboretum to preserve more than 100 species of trees and shrubs.
• The McAfee Concert Hall uses an ice thermal storage system to produce ice at night, when it is more efficient and energy rates are less expensive, generating 30 percent energy savings for the hall.
• A geothermal heating and cooling system under the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center uses the earth’s natural temperature to regulate interior climate.
• The university boasts two LEED buildings: Janet Ayers Academic Center is certified LEED Platinum, the first university in Tennessee and the first LEED for New Construction project in Nashville to achieve that level, and the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center is certified LEED Gold.
• An innovative and interactive irrigation system collects run-off rainwater in underground tanks and uses current weather data to dictate the need for water.
Educational and sustainable green roofs provide learning labs for students, while serving the environment through better building insulation.
Ingersoll Rand advances the quality of life by creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments. It is a $13 billion global business committed to a world of sustainable progress and enduring results. Trane solutions optimize indoor environments with a broad portfolio of energy efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, building and contracting services, parts support, and advanced control.
