In 2018, Bank of America Stadium set out to improve fan comfort and indoor air quality while reducing costs and lowering the venue's energy use. The solution included collaboration with Trane®, by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator, and their local commercial sales office in Charlotte. After a complete comfort system overhaul, Trane was able to improve the stadium's climate-conditioning capability and provide energy savings of around $80,000 per year.
The stadium facilities team worked with Trane to upgrade the venue's pumps and primary cooling system by including a new compressor to further enhance efficiency. A Trane Tracer® Ensemble™ building management system was also installed which provides remote monitoring for suite-level temperature control and overall maintenance of the system.
As a result of these efforts, Trane leaders recognized Bank of America Stadium with an Energy Efficiency Leader award and recognition for outstanding commitment to energy conservation.
The Bank of America Stadium cooling system upgrades align with North Carolina's statewide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025. These upgrades reduce the stadium's energy usage by 1.7 million kilowatt hours, and helps the stadium avoid 521 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year. The amount of avoided emissions equates to not consuming 58,625 gallons of gasoline in a calendar year.
Bank of America Stadium and Trane Technologies share a commitment to environmental responsibility and customer comfort. Efforts to reduce the stadium's carbon emissions align directly with Trane Technologies commitment to reduce customer emissions by a gigaton (1 billion metric tons) by 2030. In addition to working with Trane and compressed air technology and services businesses, the stadium also works with the City of Charlotte to recycle all cans, bottles and cardboard generated by stadium events.
Recently, Trane Technologies and the Panthers partnered to launch a competition for students – the "Trane Technologies Stadium of the Future STEM Challenge" - to design the sustainable sports stadium of the future. The competition will invite students from six high schools in North Carolina and South Carolina to use creativity and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Skills (STEM) to submit their designs for a sustainable high school sports stadium, with a chance to win up to $5,000. The competition will launch this fall, with the winner to be announced late November. The winning stadium design will be showcased at a home game during the season.