The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in May to 76.2, up from 69.0 in April. This is the highest level it has reached in five years.

While a pending settlement agreement led many industry members to believe an end to the regional energy-efficiency standards saga was near, continued legal maneuvering and a stressed judicial system has many convinced that a resolution may in fact be months away.

Aquatherm has announced that company president Steve Clark, P.E., P.Eng., 55, and his wife Susan, of Provo, Utah, were killed in a motor vehicle accident near St. George, Utah, early on the morning of May 24.

REC Solar, a leader in solar electric system design and installation, has announced the completion of a 500 kilowatt community solar project in Boulder, Colo. The Boulder Cowdery Meadows Solar Array is the first community solar project completed under Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards Community program.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has released three new reports as part of its Green Proving Ground program, which tests building technologies in real-world situations to evaluate their potential to save energy, water, and reduce utility costs.

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announced that its Contractor Comfort Index (CCI) for May climbed to 77, the second straight month in which the CCI has reached its highest level in the three years ACCA has been tracking HVAC contractors’ opinions on short-term economic growth.

Ekotrope, developer of software for analyzing and designing energy-efficient buildings, has been selected by Green Key Village, the developer of a new net-zero energy Florida subdivision.

Echelon Corp. announced that its Interoperable Self-Installation (ISI) technology, a unique, simple way to install and configure communities of devices on a control network, has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,374,104.

MARS, a leading commercial and residential HVACR motors and components supplier, announced that it has acquired Heat Controller Inc., Jackson, Mich., a leading commercial and residential HVAC equipment supplier.

Kenneth D. Goodrich, managing partner of Phoenix Peach LLC, a Nevada-based private equity fund, has announced the start of a campaign to actively hire military servicemen and women in need of work at Goettl Good Guys Air Conditioning Repairmen and The Sunny Plumber.