Direct Energy®, one of North America’s leading energy, commercial retail energy, and energy-related services providers, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire all the assets of an appliance rental company based in the northeast United States for $4.5 million.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a new rule to protect workers in confined spaces, including residential attics and crawl spaces, that will impact the work of home performance contractors, notes the Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI).

Lime Energy Co., a leading provider of energy efficiency services to utilities and their commercial customers, announced that it is moving its corporate headquarters from Huntersville, North Carolina, to Newark, New Jersey.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has announced funding for 12 new projects aimed at developing generator technologies that will improve efficiencies in residential combined heat and power (CHP) systems.

Cavitation Energy Systems (CES) has announced the filing of a provisional patent (69935), entitled “Cavitation Engine,” that the company said describes the first commercially viable system capable of harnessing the power of cavitation to produce energy at a fraction of the cost of using conventional technology.

ServiceTitan, a mobile, cloud-based management platform for home service businesses, announced an $18 million Series A funding round. ServiceTitan said its platform helps service companies streamline operations, improve customer service, and grow revenue.

CodeGreen Solutions has won a multi-year contract with the state of California Department of General Services to provide sustainability, energy efficiency, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) services for over 60 buildings around the state.

ecobee Inc. has announced that ecobee3, the first smart thermostat to support Apple HomeKit, is now available at Apple Stores across North America. The ecobee3 uses remote sensors to deliver comfort in the rooms that matter most to homeowners.

The global combined heat and power (CHP) market for commercial buildings is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 8 percent from 2015 to 2019, according to a new report from Technavio.

Interface Security Systems, a cloud-based managed security services company, announced that it has partnered with EnTouch Controls, a provider of energy management as a service (EMaaS), to offer energy management to its enterprise, restaurant, and retail customers.