ASHRAE has announced revisions to the majority of chapters, including major updates related to thermal storage and district heating and cooling, in its newly published 2016 ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Systems and Equipment.

The International Energy Agency, Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) released the 2016 edition of its report on the global status of the solar thermal heating and cooling market.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Confined Spaces in Construction final rule, issued May 4, 2015, created confusion in the HVAC industry. ACCA announced that, after months of negotiations with OSHA, an agreement clarifies that the rule has very limited application in the residential HVAC industry.

GridPoint announced that it has been named the winner of Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 Customer Value Leadership Award for building energy management solutions. This award is given to a company that consistently deepens customer relationships by offering superior products and services that deliver a clear, demonstrable ROI.

The membership of the National Association of Oil and Energy Service Professionals (OESP) has unanimously voted to hire Jaffe Communications of Newark, New Jersey, to serve as its next executive director, following the retirement of Judy Garber on Aug. 1.

Nest Labs Inc. has announced the addition of Time of Savings to its energy services offerings. Time of Savings enables the Nest thermostat to learn the price of energy for customers on Time of Use (TOU) rate plans so it can automatically adjust to help these customers use less electricity when energy prices are most expensive. 

Schneider Electric announced it has appointed Annette Clayton as president and CEO, North America Operations. Clayton will be based in Schneider Electric’s North America headquarters in Andover, Massachusetts, and is responsible for driving business strategy and execution for the region.

Nexia™, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has given subscribers the ability to control Nexia-certified smart home devices in their home — starting with thermostats, lighting, and plug-in wall modules — with simple voice commands through Amazon Echo. 

The global insulation market is forecast to reach $93.34 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. The rising importance of energy efficient buildings owing to escalating energy costs is expected to remain a key driving factor for the global insulation market.

Renewable energy accounted for nearly 25 percent of global electrical capacity in 2015, according to a new study, Renewables 2016 Global Status Report, by REN21. The power sector experienced its largest annual increase in capacity ever, with significant growth in all regions.