David Clark of CertainTeed Corp.’s Chowchilla, Calif., insulation plant, recently secured a $50,000 grant from Saint-Gobain, parent company of CertainTeed, to help local nonprofit Fresno Rescue Mission convert a vacant hotel into a community for women and children as part of its Rescue the Children project.

Mayor Mike McGinn has announced a new approach to helping commercial electric utility customers in Seattle achieve energy savings. He introduced a three-year pilot project that will test an energy conservation concept known as “pay for performance.”

The HERO (home energy renovation opportunity) financing program allows homeowners in Western Riverside County to finance home energy and water efficiency improvements through their property taxes. It was announced that $50 million in home energy retrofits have been financed since the program was launched.

Because of its ongoing support and dedication to the HVAC needs of the local Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Greater Las Vegas recognized Aire Serv of Las Vegas as a House Hero during the organization’s 14th Annual Gala dinner.

Meline Engineering Corp., along with members of the California Geothermal Heat Pump Lobby Coalition, sent a request to Gov. Jerry Brown’s office recently for AB 2339 to be signed into law.

Scott Harrison, owner of Scott Harrison Plumbing, is the newly appointed president of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC) of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties in California.

Championed by the new California Geothermal Heat Pump Lobby Coalition (CalGeo), AB 2339 passed in the Senate on Aug. 28 with a 36-0 vote then returned to the Assembly the following day where it also passed unanimously with a 79-0 vote.

Tiger Remarketing Services is auctioning more than 1,000 lots of construction equipment, building, warehouse, and office equipment and supplies, along with a wide array of contractors' tools and more, in an online sale at www.soldtiger.com. Bidding is underway and will close with a live auction on Sept. 13.

Californians who are buying, selling, or refinancing a commercial building have been tasked by state legislators with complying with state benchmarking regulations, beginning Jan. 1, 2013. The California Commissioning Collaborative (CCC) is offering assistance in the form of a Facilities Operations Assessment (FOA) toolkit.

Acro Energy, a leading solar installation firm, announced that it will offer 12 months of free solar to new customers through Aug. 31, 2012 as part of an expansion campaign in the Southern California market.