HTS New England, the New England division of one of the largest independent commercial HVAC manufacturers’ representatives in North America, announced plans to merge operations with Stebbins-Duffy.

The latest report on the global commercial air conditioning market from Technavio provides an analysis of the top three emerging trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2016 to 2020.

The U.S. Army announced it has surpassed the $1 billion mark in energy savings performance contracts and utility energy services contracts in less than five years. This is in response to President Obama’s challenge to all federal agencies to achieve a total investment of $4 billion before the end of 2016.

Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology company, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sensus for approximately $1.7 billion in cash. Sensus is a provider of smart meters, network technologies, and advanced data analytics services for the water, electric, and gas industries.

The global building thermal insulation market was valued at $22.73 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach $28.39 billion by 2021, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5 percent between 2016 and 2021, according to a report published by MarketsandMarkets.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced a waste and materials tracking feature in its Energy Star Portfolio Manager, which is a free benchmarking and tracking tool for commercial building owners and managers.

Several changes to a proposed standard to address building energy performance in rating programs are open for public comment. ASHRAE Standard 214P will provide a standardized approach for determining and expressing building energy performance in a rating program.

The global commercial air conditioning market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.98 percent during the period of 2016 to 2020, according to a research report from ReportsnReports.

MacroAir has partnered with Aeratron to distribute its line of Energy Star-rated fans for small commercial and residential applications. MacroAir said Aeratron’s sophisticated design, durable components, and efficient performance align with its mission to provide powerful, cost-effective cooling solutions.

A proposed joint standard from ASHRAE and ACCA that establishes consistent practices for conducting and reporting energy audits is open for an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) public review. ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211P, Standard for Commercial Building Energy Audits, is open for public comment until Sept. 19, 2016.