The CEO of a metro St. Louis-based asbestos removal company, Abatepro Inc., announced that his firm is now offering free inspections of furnaces and boilers for those in the St. Louis area. The free inspection program will continue until Dec. 15, 2010.

A team of 100 volunteer contractors from the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association of Northeast Ohio (PHCC) and the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) provided free furnace tune-ups, water audits and plumbing repairs for senior and disabled residents.

Melink Corp. has won the Association of Energy Engineers’ 2010 Renewable Energy Project of the Year award for its green corporate headquarters. The facility was the first LEED Gold certified office building in Ohio and in January 2010 became LEED Platinum certified for existing buildings.

Emerson Climate Technologies has awarded the first annual Thomas E. Bettcher Community Service Award. The award recognizes an employee whose excellence in community service reflects the legacy of sustained community involvement demonstrated by the firm’s former president and CEO.

WaterFurnace International Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., a leading manufacturer of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional geothermal and water source heat pumps, has provided the geothermal heating and cooling system used in Michigan’s first net-zero energy home.

Michigan Community Action Agency Association (MCAAA) has been awarded two grants related to energy efficiency and low-income families, including a $15 million grant to administer a federal Department of Energy (DOE)-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) program to weatherize low-income, multi-unit housing across the state.

The 22nd Annual WaterFurnace Supplier Golf Outing has added a special silent auction fundraiser for the USO. And the company has announced that non-attendees may participate in the silent auction, which offers a collection of commemorative golf outing flags autographed by some of the most recognized names in sports.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Smart Grid Association and South Korean companies KT Corp. and LG Electronics to develop a commercial smart grid pilot program involving nearly a dozen office buildings in downtown Chicago.

Trane’s Heartland Dealer Sales Office (DSO) in Earth City, Mo., along with Trane dealer Design Aire Heating & Cooling in St. Louis have donated new HVAC systems and installation time to the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway raffle. The Dream Home raffle benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Mid-Way Supply Inc., a leading distributor of HVAC products to dealers throughout the Chicagoland area, announced that it has formed a partnership with Daikin Industries Ltd., a leading manufacturer of air conditioning products.