Sustainability and Innovation Amplified: Trane Technologies' Growth Through the Healthy Spaces Podcast

Key achievements:

• Healthy Spaces podcast ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts in 2025 

• Launching into the 5th season, it’s the highest growing season to date  

• Recorded many live episodes at Climate Week NYC 2023, 2024, and 2025. 

• The podcast got promoted on NPR through host-read ads, a perfect channel to reach their target audience. 

• A move to video episodes on YouTube increased listenership and sparked new opportunities for employee engagement.

Although Trane Technologies has deep roots dating all the way back to 1885, the new brand was officially established in March 2020, mere months into the COVID-19 pandemic. While the timing could definitely have been better, the company did not let this deter them. 

At the same time, they had just launched their new Center for Healthy & Efficient Spaces (CHES). To bring that expertise to life, they created Season 1 of the Healthy Spaces podcast during the pandemic - a show designed to spark interesting, hopeful, and educational conversations around indoor environments.

Since then, the show has grown significantly in terms of audience, scope, and podcast network. Now in its fifth season, Healthy Spaces has evolved into a strong asset for thought leadership. The show is bold and candid in its approach, featuring experts in the sustainability field who are tackling society’s greatest challenges. The podcast positions the company as an authority and first-mover in the space of climate technology and sustainability, far removed from any direct marketing or sales push. 

Lower Street helped them lay out a strategy for their show and carry out full production, including video production from the 5th season. Key to our approach was choosing the right format to engage their dual target audiences of both sustainability leaders and employees.  

By prioritizing this approach, Trane Technologies attracted a tech-forward audience interested in sustainability, leading to Healthy Spaces’ rise to the top of the US Apple Podcast Technology charts. Its success paved the way for the launch of two additional shows: Trane's Cool Air, Hot Takes, and This Educational Life, serving engineering and K-12 audiences respectively. 

This Healthy Spaces case study looks at how the show grew, as well as enhanced brand visibility and thought leadership. 

Key Highlights

Trane Technologies entered the market as an incumbent in the heating and cooling technology and innovation sector, but as a new brand, just a week before the world shut down due to the pandemic. Although coincidental, the timing highlighted its commitment to sustainability, along with social and economic resilience. 

Through their podcast, Trane Technologies successfully brought together experts from around the world to have conversational, educational, and hopeful discussions during a time when people were seeking guidance and insights for how to create both healthy and efficient spaces. 

Over time, the show has evolved into a prominent thought leadership platform, exploring a broad set of topics in sustainability and climate technology that go far beyond its original pandemic and indoor environment context. 

The podcast has also expanded its format from audio-only to include full video episodes, allowing Trane Technologies to reach new audiences and connect with listeners on another level. 

Taking a strategic approach of staying uplifting and informative, rather than sales-oriented, helped Trane Technologies attract and engage its target audience of tech-forward individuals interested in sustainability. 

Healthy Spaces’ success in ranking #1 in Technology US and #13 in All Podcasts US on Apple, along with doubling subscribers, brought significant brand exposure and the opportunity to broaden their reach and influence. 

The Problem 

Trane Technologies entered the market as a climate-focused innovation company a week before the world shut down due to the pandemic. The company had also just created a new Center for Healthy & Efficient Spaces (CHES) and wanted to use their expertise to guide the industry, consumers, and business leaders. Given the circumstances of the time, they looked for a way to reach their audience and open a conversation with them. A podcast was the solution they were looking for. 

They decided that a podcast would be a great way to bring together experts from around the world to have educational and hopeful conversations. 

Season 1 launched as a natural extension of their new CHES center, and over time, the podcast has expanded to serve a broader array of topics tied to climate tech and healthier outcomes for people and the planet. Today, in its fifth season, it serves as a thought leadership platform with authentic and relevant conversations that steer away from direct marketing. 

With no specific internal podcast development expertise, Trane Technologies decided to outsource the production of their podcast. After spending some time searching for a production partner, they landed on Lower Street. 

“I was impressed by Lower Street because they offered more than just editing and production services. They also helped us develop a strategy for our podcast, including hosting, publishing, and technology. This was essential for us, and it's part of the reason why our partnership has been so successful.”

Susan Cleveland, Director, Executive and Employee Communications at Trane Technologies

The Solution 

From the start, Trane Technologies made a point of keeping the tone uplifting and informative, rather than sales-oriented. They knew that their brand would sell itself by bringing expertise through a variety of voices, not just their own. 

The Healthy Spaces podcast has certainly helped Trane Technologies achieve brand awareness, trust and credibility. Through their conversations with scientists, engineers, and business leaders, they explore how technology and innovation are transforming the spaces where we live, work, and play. 

For the first two seasons, they focused more on indoor environmental quality components. This was appropriate at the time, given the pandemic, and also the genesis behind the podcast’s name: Healthy Spaces.

“We knew that drawing connections between environmental health and the role of technology to improve life indoors, and out, would be important. We sought guests, tech experts and leaders who are disrupting the technical landscape and challenging us to think about the sustainability potential which benefits us all”

Susan Cleveland, Director, Executive and Employee Communications at Trane Technologies

Now in its fifth season, Healthy Spaces continues to expand its scope and reputation. In line with Trane Technologies' brand, the podcast boldly addresses today’s most pressing climate issues. The series shines the spotlight on the engineers, entrepreneurs, and innovators using electrification, AI, and sustainable design to shape a more sustainable future. 

With the help of Lower Street, they also took on an assertive strategy for promotion, getting maximum visibility and exposure for their podcast. This also included exploring visual elements to expand Healthy Spaces onto YouTube, which has proven to be a great tool in podcast visibility. 

Working with us has also freed up the Trane Technologies team’s time, enabling them to focus on repurposing core episode content into related blog articles, YouTube videos, organic social content, remarketing, and large cross-channel diffusion. 

The Progression - Taking Healthy Spaces to Video 

As Trane Technologies began to consider their fifth season, they looked to expand into video podcasting. While audio provided a strong foundation, video opened the door to new possibilities, helping Trane Technologies showcase personality, company culture, and thought leadership more dynamically. As Lower Street developed the video production, we highlighted the continued value of the audio version of the episodes, treating video and audio as two separate but connected content outputs. This allowed Healthy Spaces to continue to engage and grow their established audio audience, while expanding reach and meeting new audiences on video platforms. 

“Video is new territory – including the role it plays in the meteoric rise of AI generated search results. Creating credible, accessible and trusted content in both audio and video podcast formats is changing the way we connect with our audiences and meet their information needs” 

Susan Cleveland, Director, Content Marketing at Trane Technologies 

The format evolved alongside this shift. New, lightly scripted conversational voiceover sections were introduced to increase the presence of the hosts, creating a stronger sense of connection with the listeners (and viewers). A new employee segment was also added, boosting internal engagement and demonstrating one of Trane Technologies’ core values  as champions of company purpose and culture.  

Video also enabled creativity in new filming locations, including an on-site episode filmed at Trane Technologies’ picturesque Davidson, North Carolina campus. Connecting The Dots: Unlocking Innovation with Systems Thinking, featuring Mauro J. Atalla, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer was recorded live outdoors, beside a lake, and during a heatwave, a symbolic choice coherent with the podcast’s identity. Lower Street producers were remotely connected during filming to manage production and ensure quality remained consistent. This new face-to-face setup brought energy and authenticity to the conversation that a studio simply could not replicate.

This investment in video has proven to be a pivotal moment in the Healthy Spaces journey, setting the stage for even greater audience engagement and influence. 

The Outcome  

Since its launch, Healthy Spaces has experienced remarkable success and continues to thrive in its fifth season.  

The podcast has become a valuable tool for employee engagement. Thanks to its acclaim within the company, the show was able to engage and feature Trane Technologies’ high-level executives along with other high-profile guests from a wide range of sectors. 

A dedicated paid ad strategy, including NPR host-read ads and platform-specific promotions, was effective in building listenership. However, pivotal to the growth of the show is its strategic format expansion. The move to full video episodes on YouTube allowed Healthy Spaces to reach new audiences where they are, facilitating discoverability, and solidifying its presence as an industry thought-leader.  

During its third season, Healthy Spaces reached the #1 spot in the Technology category in the US and ranked #13 across All podcasts on Apple. Its strong showing in the charts also contributed to an increase in organic followers, as the high position attracted new listeners to discover and engage with the content. 

The podcast also experienced substantial growth in its subscriber base, doubling its subscribers during the paid promotion period. In 5 seasons, they’ve reached over 320,000 downloads. Spotify subscribers have increased by 40% on average every season.

The success of Healthy Spaces also laid the groundwork for future podcasting initiatives, leading Trane Technologies to launch two additional shows: Cool Air, Hot Takes and This Educational Life.

Conclusion

Now in its fifth season, the Healthy Spaces podcast continues to thrive. The show’s achievements are a testament to the effective combination of strategic planning and a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality, informative, and engaging content. 

Yet again, we’re reminded that although paid promotional efforts can deliver impressive results, it’s the narrative and the ability to adapt that truly drive success. By expanding into video and YouTube, Trane Technologies unlocked a new dimension of reach and engagement, making their expertise even more accessible to wider audiences. 

What started as an initiative to highlight their new brand has now grown into a genuine thought leadership platform with both audio and video experiences. Healthy Spaces stands as proof that brands can spark meaningful, far-reaching conversations when they lean into authentic storytelling, especially when they expand across multiple mediums. 

Trane Technologies has successfully harnessed the power of audio and video podcasting, using it as a dynamic thought leadership platform. Imagine what it could do for your brand.