ASHRAE and IBPSA-USA have announced a co-organized conference that encompasses the ASHRAE Energy Modeling Conference and IBPSA-USA SimBuild Conference. The conference, titled ASHRAE and IBPSA-USA SimBuild 2016: Building Performance Modeling, will take place Aug. 10-12, 2016, in Salt Lake City.

GE announced that its packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs) formerly produced overseas will now be manufactured at its Appliance Park facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The new Zoneline® units, mainly used in the hotel/motel industry, will start full production in the first quarter of 2016.

Based on new research, the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) estimates that roughly 90 percent of existing U.S. homes are under-insulated, wasting HVAC energy use, money, and decreasing comfort for homeowners. 

Hillphoenix announced it has received a 2014-2015 Achievement Award - Store Certification Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) GreenChill Partnership program. It’s the company’s fifth GreenChill award since the program launched in 2007.

GEM Energy, part of the Rudolph Libbe Group, announced that Bill Alexander has been named president of the company. Alexander has more than 25 years of experience in energy services, most recently with Siemens, Honeywell, FirstEnergy, and Johnson Controls.

The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) announced that Alan D. Givens, president and owner of Parrish Services, Manassas, Virginia, received its HVAC Contractor of the Year award presented annually by PHCC and Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand.

The global commercial refrigeration equipment market is expected to reach $46.4 billion by 2022, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. Rising disposable income and increasing industrialization and other demographic shifts have resulted in considerable changes in food consumption over the past few years.

ABCO HVACR Supply + Solutions announced that the ABCO Expo, its annual HVAC and refrigeration trade show, is being moved from November 2015 to March 2016, according to Michael Senter, ABCO CEO.

Since transitioning to a new “open membership” dues schedule in July, ACCA, one of the nation’s largest associations of HVACR contractors and indoor environment professionals, announced it has seen its membership and participation surge.

Three top HVAC apprentices received awards in the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors–National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation’s third annual National HVAC Apprentice Contest, held during CONNECT 2015 in Hollywood, Florida.