This past week, NBC’s Today show aired a segment that challenged the honesty and integrity of air conditioning technicians. Producers of the show staged a simple, easy-to-fix broken wire in an a/c system. Six technicians failed to make the proper recommendation. I believe that lack of proper training is a big part of the problem.

Oncor has awarded the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) with a $98,371 cash incentive for replacing older cooling equipment with energy-efficient HVAC equipment in its Supplemental Utility Plant and residence halls.

McCormick & Company Inc. and Constellation Energy, a business unit of Exelon, have announced that McCormick’s 363,000-square-foot distribution center in Belcamp, Md., now generates more electricity than it uses though the implementation of energy efficiency and solar power.

Lucid announced a partnership with the Seattle 2030 District to provide energy and water monitoring for commercial buildings in downtown Seattle. Lucid’s Building Dashboard® will enable managers and tenants to track ongoing progress toward a 50 percent reduction in energy and water usage.

U.S. Bancorp and SolarCity have announced the creation of a renewable energy tax equity fund that will help to initiate the first phase of project SolarStrong, SolarCity’s five-year, nationwide initiative to provide existing privatized military housing with access to affordable solar power.

The Batavia Housing Authority was looking to lower utility costs through a conversion from electric resistance baseboard heaters to gas heat and engaged Trautman Associates to conduct an energy conservation study to evaluate various types and arrangements of gas-fired equipment.

NexTraq announced that its client Absolute Comfort Technologies has improved fleet operations with its NexTraq™ Fleet Tracking platform while decreasing overhead costs such as fuel and insurance premiums. In addition, its Fleet Dispatch application improved customer service by providing more accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA).

Two Smart Building Maturity Model reports, one for vendors and one for end users engaged in or exploring this market, are now available from IDC Energy Insights. According to the firm, the global smart buildings technology market is expected to experience a 27 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2010-2015.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a notice in the Federal Register announcing that it will establish a committee to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on matters concerning its Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards Program’s test procedures and rulemaking process.

Heat Pipe Technology Inc. (HPT) announced that two recent commercial installations of the company’s passive dehumidification systems have yielded quick payback, carbon reduction, and ongoing energy savings. Both HPT applications were for manufacturers that require very-low-humidity environments.