The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $3 million to help American manufacturers leverage energy efficiency as a path to increased competitiveness. The funding will support a program administrator whose role will be to promote and operate the Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program.

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.

Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) has unveiled bipartisan legislation to create a nationwide energy efficiency program that he said will create jobs, save homeowners money, and reduce carbon emissions.

A new bill, known as the Cut Energy Bills at Home Act, has been proposed in the Senate. Senate Bill 1914 would establish a $2,000 base credit for homeowners who reduce energy use by 20 percent through the installation of energy-efficient equipment.

Designing a new high school to be 40 percent more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 – 2001 energy requirements is a feat in itself. To achieve this degree of efficiency on a very limited capital budget while designing a state-of-the-art, energy-demanding technical high school is an even greater feat. 

The market for commercial building automation systems is forecast to double over the next decade, increasing from $72.5 billion in 2011 to $146.4 billion by 2021, according to a new report from Pike Research.

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) released its revised “High Efficiency Commercial Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Initiative.” The initiative includes a high-efficiency energy performance specification for commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment.

A survey of 50 energy experts released by economists at The Brattle Group reported that energy efficiency is likely to cause a drop of 5 to 15 percent in U.S. electricity consumption by the year 2020, relative to forecast trends.

Huntington Beach City School District and Chevron Energy Solutions announced the completion of a 592-kilowatt solar electric system that will reduce energy costs for operations at nine elementary school sites in Huntington Beach, saving the district more than $15 million over the life of the project.

The HVACR industry continues to introduce new technologies — and build upon existing technologies — that provide opportunities to improve energy efficiency. While new federal legislation hasn’t helped spur deployment of such technologies, state and local initiatives are moving ahead.