Are energy audits worth it? That is a question that both HVAC contractors and consumers are beginning to ask themselves more often. The increasing costs of energy and the energy-saving message of federal and local governments are trickling into boardrooms and dining rooms across the nation.

The Gardiner Farms cattle feedlot in Kirkton, Ontario, Canada, is producing electricity and thermal energy with a new combined heat and power (CHP) system, offsetting the prior purchase of energy produced using fossil fuels.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced that federal officials joined with utility and technology executives in Silicon Valley to announce a new online tool designed to allow consumers in California and other states to download their household energy use information and help them save energy and reduce their utility bills.

The United States topped China for the first time since 2008 as global clean energy investment reached a new record of $260 billion in 2011, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The United States can virtually eliminate the need for imported energy in less than a decade, through advancements in energy exploration that tap into the nation’s domestic energy resources, according to Advanced Energy Center of America.

Worldwide revenue from building energy management systems is forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 14 percent through the rest of this decade, reaching just under $6 billion a year by 2020, according to a new report from Pike Research.

The Venergy Advanced Metering System provides complete energy monitoring for all electric and nonelectric load types including lighting, HVAC, plug loads, photovoltaic, water, and gas, among others.

A web-based energy management dashboard, the EC-NetAX EnerVue, provides visualization of vital building metrics through an easy-to-use, browser-based dashboard application. The dashboard allows users to quickly identify issues and take action.

Zager Plumbing & Solar Inc. announced it will soon install a 10 kW grid-tied photovoltaic system at its office headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) could generate 7,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy — equivalent to the output of seven nuclear power plants — on four military bases located in the California desert, according to a study released by DOD’s Office of Installations and Environment.