Engineers and architects took the seemingly impossible task of recycling an outdated industrial factory into a LEED-Gold showcase of some of the HVAC industry’s most innovative equipment for Asheboro, N.C.-based Randolph Community College (RCC).

It would take roughly $271 billion to bring public school buildings across the U.S. up to working order to gain compliance with the law, and a staggering $542 billion to meet current health, safety, and education standards. 

Most utilities promote conservation by offering rebates for the installation of high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and solar energy systems, but several are starting to think outside the box.

Homeowners want to save money, which often also means saving energy when they purchase HVAC equipment. This leads consumers toward high-efficiency equipment. 

The EE Global Forum, held in May in Washington, D.C., was a big success for the Alliance to Save Energy (Alliance), the event’s host, who enthusiastically continued its ongoing discussion about the HVAC industry’s role in energy efficiency.

With its eye on the future, the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), a tax-exempt public charity based in Middlebury, Vt., is developing a plan to decrease its carbon footprint as part of an investment in environmental stewardship. 

At the 2013 Energy Efficiency Forum, a continuing topic addressed was energy legislation, specifically the Shaheen-Portman bill, S 761, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013.