HomeServe USA, a leading provider of home emergency repair service plans, announced that it has reached the 2 million contract milestone. HomeServe has operated in North America for over a decade, providing protection from the expense of a variety of home emergency repairs including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.

The growth of electricity demand has slowed in each decade since the 1950s — from a 9.8 percent annual rate of growth in the 1950s to only 0.7 percent per year in the first decade of the 21st century — and will continue its slow growth due to energy efficiency, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that the first meeting of the newly formed Commercial Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Water Heating, and Refrigeration Certification Working Group will be held on April 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

The owners of the Green Idea House — Southern California’s first net-zero-energy, zero-combustion home — hosted a public dedication ceremony at the Hermosa Beach residence. The home is a case study for Southern California Edison’s Net Zero Energy Initiative.

Contractors’ use of smartphones while on the job jumped 35 percent from last year, according to new research from EMA Contractors, a specialty group at Eric Mower + Associates. Most contractors (68 percent) said they use smartphones as part of their workday.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE) has announced 20 new nationally available NATE-recognized courses that have been approved for continuing education unit (CEU) credit hours.

Ingersoll Rand announced that it is offering home automation technology including the Nexia™ Home Intelligence System to the 20 international teams participating in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, set for Oct. 3-13, in Irvine Park, Calif.

Wireless technology is now entering the mainstream of the commercial building controls market, according to a new report from Navigant Research. While building automation and controls have been used for decades, wireless enables control without the design and labor challenges involved with running traditional wiring. 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $46 million has been awarded under his NY-Sun initiative for solar energy projects that will add 52 megawatts to the state’s solar capacity. This announcement follows a year of significant growth for solar installations in the state as a result of the NY-Sun initiative.

Despite stubbornly high unemployment, with recent reports of job gains showing a modest decline in the U.S. unemployment rate, human resource professionals have continued concerns about attracting and retaining top talent, according to a new survey.