Trane – by Trane Technologies has announced the new Trane Hydronic Branch Conductor that helps retrofit and new buildings achieve higher energy efficiency and zone comfort from decarbonized, electrified heating and cooling without major structural disruptions. The Hydronic Branch Conductor, patent pending, supports simultaneous heating and cooling capabilities, and in certain applications can improve heating efficiency by more than 35%.
“To advance the decarbonization of buildings, we need innovations that simplify the retrofitting process to more efficient heat pump systems,” said Oakley Roberts, vice president of product management, commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies. “The Hydronic Branch Conductor from Trane is an excellent example of such an innovation, effectively addressing this challenge in hydronic-based thermal systems.”
The new Trane Hydronic Branch Conductor is a system component that enables the repurposing of existing water piping for both heating and cooling distribution, even in buildings with existing two-pipe branch systems, to help achieve sustainable comfort with minimal structural changes and installation costs.
When it is paired with hydronic heat pump systems, building owners and managers can change heating and cooling loads zone by zone multiple times a day without the need to switch from hot to cold water seasonally for the entire building, replace six-way valves at each terminal unit on a branch with a single conductor and convert existing buildings with 140 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit hot water (60 – 82 degrees Celsius) to a more energy efficient 105 degrees Fahrenheit hot water electrified heating supply (40 degrees Celsius).
The Hydronic Branch Conductor is ideal for education and government buildings, commercial offices, hotels, medical offices, and high-rise residential buildings with multiple thermal zones, the company said.
