Five of the nation’s largest construction trade associations have teamed up to form the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW). The coalition’s mission is to provide companies and organizations with the resources to implement drug- and alcohol-free policies in their business practices.
Bloom Energy®, a manufacturer of fuel cells, has broken ground on a new manufacturing facility in Newark, Del. KR Sridhar, principal co-founder and chief executive officer of Bloom Energy said, “Once the Bloom Energy Manufacturing Center is completed, we will double Bloom Energy’s production capacity.”
Public input is being sought on revisions to ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 100-2006, Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings. Last year, ASHRAE and IESNA announced they were revising the standard to provide greater guidance and a more comprehensive approach to the retrofit of existing buildings for increased energy efficiency.
Continental Control Systems announced that Small Box Energy™ has adopted its electric power metering solutions to bring energy savings to small box retail environments. Small Box Energy has integrated the WattNode® Plus energy meter and Accu-CT™ current transformers into its Chameleon energy management solution.
Panasonic Home & Environment Co. is now the Eco Products Division of Panasonic Eco Solutions North America (PESNA). The new Eco Products Division houses Panasonic’s ventilation fan business.
HTS Texas, one of the largest independent commercial HVAC manufacturers’ representatives in North America, and Dynamic Air Quality Solutions, a manufacturer of IAQ products, announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement for HTS Texas to distribute the Dynamic V8 Air Cleaning System in central, north, and southeast Texas.
The Building Performance Institute (BPI) recently added North American Technician Excellence (NATE), National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), and Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES) certifications as new eligibility options for the accreditation of HVAC contracting companies.
The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has submitted a letter to the Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI) enumerating its objections to BPI’s proposed American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-intended standards on installation and service of residential HVAC systems, noting that the standards duplicate existing ANSI-recognized ACCA standards.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced its opposition to a U.S. House of Representatives proposal to repeal Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. Section 433 calls for federal buildings to reduce their fossil fuel-generated energy consumption and eventually eliminate it by 2030.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently shared analysis based on its 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) data that reports on the increasing home size and energy use across the country.