A big part of the challenge of promoting home-performance contracting is that, for homeowners, the performance of the mechanical side of their homes is largely invisible.

The commitment makes Salt Lake City one of only a handful of cities worldwide to pledge an 80 percent reduction in community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

Arlington County, Virginia, is well on its way to a goal of 20 percent energy reduction by 2022. But the county realized it could do more — and do it quicker — if it had a modular solution that could optimize energy usage among multiple building devices.

The SBV pilot makes it possible to direct the power of the national laboratories toward specific problems identified by small businesses by pairing these companies with a national laboratory uniquely qualified to solve their challenges.

A district heating scheme in Finland has harnessed waste heat generated by a computer center to heat homes. The project uses an advanced heat pump system based on high-performance Bitzer compressors.

In addition to its pending Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status, the Hoke County school system expects the project to save the county $35 million over the next 40 years, including $16 million in energy costs.