Lime Energy (LMEC) 10-K 31 Mar 14 2013 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 28, 2014	Jun. 29, 2013
Document and Entity Information	'	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'LIME ENERGY CO.	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001065860	'	'
Document Type	'10-K	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-13	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'	'
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'No	'	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Smaller Reporting Company	'	'
Entity Public Float	'	'	$8,596,386
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	3,726,705	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2013	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'FY	'	'

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$6,940	$2,012
Restricted cash	500	500
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,824 and $960 at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively	9,151	9,564
Inventories	'	17
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	6,625	3,327
Prepaid expenses and other	255	481
Current assets of discontinued operations	3,442	12,005
Total Current Assets	26,913	27,906
Property and Equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $2,732 and $2,046 at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively (Note 8)	1,562	1,685
Long-Term Receivables	296	214
Deferred Financing Costs, net of accumulated amortization of $5 and $32 at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively	'	35
Long-term assets of discontinued operations	'	9,297
Intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $125 and $115 at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively (Note 9)	'	10
Goodwill (Note 9)	6,009	6,009
Total Assets	34,780	45,156
Current liabilities	'	'
Accounts payable	15,835	5,710
Accrued expenses (Note 10)	2,907	2,577
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	1,711	1,506
Customer deposits	72	41
Other current liabilities	3,236	2,029
Current liabilities of discontinued operations	3,245	15,978
Total Current Liabilities	27,006	27,841
Long-Term Debt, less current maturities and unamortized discount of $1,439 as of December 31, 2012 (Note 17)	'	4,748
Other Long-Term Liabilities	'	3,241
Long-Term Liabilities of Discontinued Operations	'	5
Total Liabilities	27,006	35,835
Stockholders' Equity (Notes 22, 24 and 25)	'	'
Common stock, $.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized 3,667,295 and 3,576,855 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively	'	'
Additional paid-in capital	205,489	191,413
Accumulated deficit	-197,728	-182,092
Total Stockholders' Equity	7,774	9,321
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity	34,780	45,156
Series A Preferred Stock	'	'
Stockholders' Equity (Notes 22, 24 and 25)	'	'
Preferred stock	9	'
Total Stockholders' Equity	9	'
Series B Preferred Stock	'	'
Stockholders' Equity (Notes 22, 24 and 25)	'	'
Preferred stock	4	'
Total Stockholders' Equity	$4	'

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified			Series A Preferred Stock	Series A Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts (in dollars)	$1,824	$960	'	'	'	'
Property and Equipment, accumulated depreciation (in dollars)	2,732	2,046	'	'	'	'
Deferred Financing Costs, accumulated amortization (in dollars)	5	32	'	'	'	'
Intangibles, accumulated amortization (in dollars)	125	115	'	'	'	'
Long-Term Debt, unamortized discount (in dollars)	'	$1,439	'	'	'	'
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	'	'	$0.01	$0.01	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	'	'	2,000,000	2,000,000	1,000,000	1,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	'	'	957,624	0	401,232	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	'	'	957,624	0	401,232	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$0.00	$0.00	'	'	'	'
Common stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000	'	'	'	'
Common stock, shares issued	3,667,295	3,576,855	'	'	'	'
Common stock, shares outstanding	3,667,295	3,576,855	'	'	'	'

Consolidated_Statement_of_Oper

Consolidated Statement of Operations (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Consolidated Statement of Operations	'	'
Revenue	$51,565	$35,447
Cost of sales	37,758	28,109
Gross Profit	13,807	7,338
Selling, general and administrative expense	22,933	22,938
Amortization of intangibles	10	25
Operating loss	-9,136	-15,625
Other Income (Expense)	'	'
Interest income	51	88
Interest expense	-2,052	-215
Total other expense	-2,001	-127
Loss from continuing operations	-11,137	-15,752
Discontinued Operations:	'	'
Loss from operation of discontinued business	-4,499	-16,060
Net loss	-15,636	-31,812
Preferred dividend	-2,875	'
Net loss available to common stockholders	($18,511)	($31,812)
Basic and diluted loss per common share from	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	($3.90)	($4.48)
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	($1.25)	($4.56)
Basic and Diluted Loss Per Common Share (in dollars per share)	($5.15)	($9.04)
Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding (Note 3) (in shares)	3,595,379	3,520,045

Consolidated_Statements_of_Sto

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Series A Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Deficit
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)		USD ($)	USD ($)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$35,124	'	'	'	$185,404	($150,280)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011	'	'	'	3,406	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of stock	2,490	'	'	'	2,490	'
Issuance of stock (in shares)	'	'	'	143	'	'
Share-based compensation	1,784	'	'	'	1,784	'
Shares issued for benefit plans and option exercises	171	'	'	'	171	'
Shares issued for benefit plans and option exercises (in shares)	'	'	'	27	'	'
Shares issued for services received	20	'	'	'	20	'
Shares issued for services received (in shares)	'	'	'	1	'	'
Value of beneficial conversion option	362	'	'	'	362	'
Warrant issued	1,182	'	'	'	1,182	'
Net loss	-31,812	'	'	'	'	-31,812
Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	9,321	'	'	'	191,413	-182,092
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012	'	'	'	3,577	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'
Conversion of subordinated notes	6,762	7	'	'	6,755	'
Conversion of subordinated notes (in shares)	'	677	'	'	'	'
Issuance of stock	6,500	2	4	'	6,494	'
Issuance of stock (in shares)	'	250	400	'	'	'
Issuance costs	-40	'	'	'	-40	'
Preferred stock dividends	-326	'	'	'	-326	'
Satisfaction of accrued dividends through the issuance of preferred stock	326	'	'	'	326	'
Satisfaction of accrued dividends through the issuance of preferred stock (in shares)	'	31	1	'	'	'
Shares issued for benefit plans (in shares)	'	'	'	90	'	'
Share-based compensation	867	'	'	'	867	'
Net loss	-15,636	'	'	'	'	-15,636
Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$7,774	$9	$4	'	$205,489	($197,728)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013	'	958	401	3,667	'	'

Statements_of_Cash_Flows

Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Cash Flows From Operating Activities	'	'
Net Loss	($15,636)	($31,812)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities, net of assets acquired and disposed of:	'	'
Provision for bad debts	886	814
Share-based compensation	867	1,784
Depreciation and amortization	1,017	1,821
Amortization of original issue discount	1,439	50
Amortization of deferred financing costs	250	57
Issuance of stock and warrants in exchange for services received	'	20
PIK notes issued for interest	575	137
Preferred stock dividends	-326	'
Asset impairment	27	5,282
Loss (Gain) on disposition of fixed assets	59	-2
Goodwill impairment	'	1,435
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of business acquisitions and dispositions	'	'
Accounts receivable	-555	9,637
Inventories	17	-17
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	-3,298	-2,418
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	226	328
Assets of discontinued operations	2,236	6,739
Accounts payable	10,125	-4,003
Accrued expenses	331	555
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	205	-3,336
Customer deposits and other current liabilities	-2,003	5,110
Liabilities of discontinued operations	523	-6,138
Net cash used in operating activities	-3,035	-13,957
Cash Flows From Investing Activities	'	'
Proceeds from sale of businesses	5,483	'
Purchases of property and equipment	-573	-986
Decrease in restricted cash	'	225
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	4,910	-761
Cash Flows From Financing Activities	'	'
Proceeds from long-term debt	'	6,050
Payments of long-term debt	-3,407	-234
Debt issuance costs	'	-37
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	'	2,550
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock	6,500	'
Costs related to stock issuances	-40	-60
Proceeds from issuance of shares for benefit plans	'	171
Net cash provided by financing activities	3,053	8,440
Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents	4,928	-6,278
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at beginning of period	2,012	8,290
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at end of period	6,940	2,012
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information	'	'
Cash paid during the period for interest - discontinued operations	168	215
Stock, warrants and options issued in exchange for services received	'	20
Value of subordinated notes and accrued interest converted to preferred stock	6,762	'
Accrued dividends satisfied through issuance of preferred stock	$326	'

Description_of_Business

Description of Business	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Description of Business	'
Description of Business	'
	Note 1 — Description of Business
	Lime Energy Co. (the “Company”), a Delaware corporation headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, is a provider of energy efficiency solutions for small businesses under utility demand side management programs.
	As of December 31, 2012, the Company was in active discussions to sell its Public Sector business and ultimately came to terms with a buyer and closed on the sale of this business on February 28, 2013.   It also shut down its Asset Development business (excluding GES-Port Charlotte) effective December 31, 2012, sold GES-Port Charlotte effective November 1, 2013, its regional HVAC service business effective November 6, 2013 and its rights under its contract with the Army Corps of Engineers effective December 31, 2013.   The operating results and associated assets and liabilities of these businesses have been reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying financial statements.

Basis_of_Presentation

Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Basis of Presentation	'
Basis of Presentation	'
	Note 2 — Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lime Energy Co. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.  All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
	Note 3 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.
	Concentration of Risk
	The Company’s customers are primarily utilities and their small business customers.  During 2013, revenue generated under four utility programs represented 75% of the Company’s consolidated revenue, whereas during 2012, three utility programs generated 86% of the Company’s consolidated revenue.
	The Company purchases its materials from a variety of suppliers and continues to seek out alternate suppliers for critical components so that it can be assured that its sales will not be interrupted by the inability of a single supplier to deliver product.  During 2013, two suppliers were responsible for 41% and 12% of the Company’s purchases, respectively, while during 2012 one supplier was responsible for 49% of the Company’s purchases.
	The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents in accounts with financial institutions in excess of the amount insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Company monitors the financial stability of these institutions regularly and management does not believe there is significant credit risk associated with deposits in excess of federally insured amounts.
	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
	The Company records an allowance for doubtful accounts based on specifically identified amounts that it believes to be uncollectible.  If actual collections experience changes, revisions to the allowance may be required.  After all attempts to collect a receivable have failed, the receivable is written off against the allowance.  Based on the information available to it, the Company believes its allowance for doubtful accounts is adequate. However, actual write-offs might exceed the recorded allowance.
	The following is a summary of changes to the allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Balance at the beginning of the period	$	960		$	279
	Additions charged to costs and expenses	886			814
	Amounts written-off	(22		)	(133		)
	Balance at the end of the period	$	1,824		$	960
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market.  Cost is determined utilizing the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
	Properties & Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost.  For financial reporting purposes depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
	Buildings	39 years
	Office equipment	3 - 5 years
	Furniture	5 - 10 years
	Transportation equipment	3 - 5 years
	Goodwill
	Goodwill represents the purchase price in excess of the fair value of assets acquired in business combinations.  Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets,” requires the Company to assess goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually in the absence of an indicator of possible impairment and immediately upon an indicator of possible impairment.  During the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company undertook an assessment of its goodwill for possible impairment and concluded that the fair value of the continuing business, based on the discounted current value of the estimated future cash flows, exceeded the carrying value, indicating that the goodwill was not impaired.  As explained further in Note 4, the Company sold its ESCO business on February 28, 2013.  Utilizing the sales price of this business as an indicator of its fair market value, it concluded that the goodwill associated with this business was partially impaired.  As a result, it reduced the carrying value of the goodwill by $1.4 million, to $5.3 million and recorded a $1.4 million impairment loss during the fourth quarter of 2012.
	The Company considered various factors in determining the fair value of its business, including discounted cash flows from projected earnings, values for comparable companies and the market price of its common stock. It will continue to monitor for any impairment indicators such as underperformance of projected earnings, net book value compared to market capitalization, declining stock price and significant adverse economic and industry trends.  In the event that the business does not achieve projected results, or, as the result of changes in facts of circumstances, the Company could incur an additional goodwill impairment charge in a future period.
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	The Company records impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those items. The Company’s cash flow estimates are based on historical results adjusted to reflect its best estimate of future market and operating conditions. The net carrying value of assets not recoverable is reduced to fair value.
	These estimates of fair value represent management’s best estimate based on industry trends and reference to market rates and transactions.  During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company determined that the future cash flows of its Zemel Road generating facility were likely to be less than initially anticipated, due to lower than projected gas flow rates and higher than expected operating costs.  As a result, the fair market value was determined to be less than the Company’s current carrying value, indicating an impairment of this asset’s value.
	On February 28, 2013, the Company sold its ESCO business. The sales price received upon the sale of this business was less than the Company’s carrying value as of December 31, 2012, indicating that the asset was partially impaired.  The Company therefore reduced the carrying value of the assets associated with this business during the fourth quarter of 2012, recording a$3.2 million impairment loss in the process.
	Intangible Assets
	The Company’s finite life intangible assets are comprised of technology and software.  Finite life intangible assets are amortized based on the timing of expected economic benefits associated with the asset over their estimated useful lives.  The Company estimated that the useful life of its technology and software to be between five to seven years.
	For all amortizable intangible assets, if any events or changes in circumstances occur that indicate possible impairment, the Company will perform an impairment review based on an undiscounted cash flow analysis. Impairment occurs when the carrying value of the assets exceeds the future undiscounted cash flows. When impairment is indicated, the estimated future cash flows are then discounted to determine the estimated fair value of the asset and an impairment charge is recorded for the difference between the carrying value and the net present value of estimated future cash flows. The Company also evaluates the remaining useful life during each reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. If the estimate of an intangible asset’s remaining useful life is changed, the remaining carrying amount of the intangible asset is amortized prospectively over that revised remaining useful life.
	On February 28, 2013, the Company sold its ESCO business. The sales price received upon the sale of this business was less than the Company’s carrying value as of December 31, 2012, indicating that the asset was partially impaired.  As part of the adjustment to reduce the carrying value of the assets of this business to the implied fair value, it wrote off all of the intangibles assets associated with the business in the fourth quarter of 2012.
	Revenue Recognition
	The Company recognizes revenue when all four of the following criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence has been received that an arrangement exists; (ii) delivery of the products and/or services has occurred; (iii) the selling price is fixed or determinable; and (iv) collectibility is reasonably assured.  In addition, the Company follows the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition, which sets forth guidelines in the timing of revenue recognition based upon factors such as passage of title, installation, payments and customer acceptance.  Any amounts billed prior to satisfying the Company’s revenue recognition criteria is recorded as “Billings in Excess of Costs and Estimated Earnings on Uncompleted Contracts” (“Billings in Excess”) in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.  Billings in Excess totaled $1.7 million and $1.5 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	The Company utilizes the percentage of completion method to recognize revenue in conjunction with the cost-to-cost method of measuring the extent of progress toward completion, consistent with ASC 605-35, “Construction Type and Production Type Contracts” and the AICPA’s Statement of Position 81-1 (SOP 81-1).  Any anticipated losses on contracts are charged to operations as soon as they are determinable.
	Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts
	As of December 31, 2013, the Company had customer projects underway for which it had recognized revenue but not yet invoiced the customer.  The Company records this unbilled revenue as a current asset titled “Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts.” The Company had Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts of $6.6 million and $3.3 million at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Other Liabilities
	In December 2012, one of the Company’s major suppliers agreed to allow it to pay for approximately $5.3 million worth of purchases over a 23 month period.  The balance of this liability was $3.2 million and $5.3 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively and has been included in other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
	Advertising, Marketing and Promotional Costs
	Expenditures on advertising, marketing and promotions are charged to operations in the period incurred and totaled $152,000 and $212,000 for the periods ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Income Taxes
	Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method.  Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of the differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each period end based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable earnings.  Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount more likely than not to be realized.
	Net Loss Per Share
	The Company computes loss per share under ASC 260-10, “Earnings Per Share.”  This statement requires presentation of two amounts; basic and diluted loss per share.  Basic loss per share is computed by dividing the loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average common shares outstanding.  Diluted earnings per share would include all common stock equivalents unless anti-dilutive.  For periods when such inclusion would not be anti-dilutive, the Company uses the treasury method to calculate the diluted earnings per share.  The treasury stock method assumes that the Company uses the proceeds from the exercise of in-the-money options and warrants to repurchase common stock at the average market price for the period. Options and warrants are only dilutive when the average market price of the underlying common stock exceeds the exercise price of the options or warrants.
	The Company has not included the outstanding options, warrants, preferred stock or convertible debt as common stock equivalents when calculating the diluted loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2013 or 2012, because the effect would be anti-dilutive.
	The following table sets forth the weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and warrants and convertible debt that is not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders:
	December 31,	2013		2012
	Weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options	469,625		624,588
	Weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants	767,643		145,695
	Weighted average shares issuable upon conversion of convertible preferred	655,599		—
	Weighted average shares issuable upon conversion of convertible debt	897,041		211,217
	Total	2,789,908		981,500
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these amounts.
	Share-based Compensation
	The Company has a stock incentive plan that provides for stock-based employee compensation, including the granting of stock options and shares of restricted stock, to certain key employees.  The Company follows the guidance of ASC 718, “Compensation — Stock Compensation,” which requires companies to record stock compensation expense for equity-based awards granted, including stock options and restricted stock unit grants, over the service period of the equity-based award based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant.
	The following are the components of the Company’s stock compensation expense during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively:
		2013			2012
	Stock Options	$	698		$	1,322
	Restricted Stock	169			481
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1)	—			(19		)
Total Stock Compensation Expense	$	867		$	1,784
(1)         The Employee Stock Purchase Plan was terminated before its planned expiration during 2012 due to the Company’s inability to maintain a current registration statement for the shares.  Upon the termination of the Plan, the Company reversed previously recorded compensation expense associated with employee’s rights to purchase shares under the Plan.
Please refer to Notes 23, 24 and 25 for additional information regarding share-based compensation expense.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The Company does not believe any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards will have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Sale_of_ESCO_Business

Sale of ESCO Business	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Sale of ESCO Business	'
Sale of ESCO Business	'
	Note 4 — Sale of ESCO Business
	On February 28, 2013, the Company sold its ESCO business to Powersecure, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PowerSecure International, Inc. (“Powersecure”).  The ESCO business, which represented the largest portion of the Company’s public sector business, designed, installed and maintained energy conservation measures, primarily as a subcontractor to large energy service company providers (“ESCOs”), for the benefit of public sector, commercial, industrial and institutional customers as end users.  The sale was structured as an asset sale.  The total purchase price for the assets sold was $4.0 million in cash, subject to a working capital adjustment, and the assumption of approximately $9.8 million of liabilities, comprising certain other debts, liabilities and obligations relating to the acquired business and assumed contracts.  After application of the working capital adjustment in accordance with the Purchase Agreement, the cash purchase price was approximately $1.9 million, subject to post-closing confirmation of the working capital adjustment, resulting in an effective purchase price, including the assumption of liabilities, of approximately $11.7 million.  In connection with the acquisition of the ESCO business, PowerSecure assumed certain unfinished contracts and projects in the acquired business, along with the accounts receivables and accounts payables associated with those projects.
	During the fourth quarter of 2012, utilizing the purchase price received for the sale of the ESCO business as an indication of its fair market value, the Company determined that its carrying value associated with the business exceeded the fair market value by approximately $3.2 million.  Accordingly, it reduced the carrying value to the fair market value, recording a $3.2 million impairment loss in the process.
	The value of assets and liabilities sold to Powersecure on February 28, 2013, were as follows (in thousands):
	As of February 28, 2013
	Accounts receivable	$	4,680
	Retention receivable	1,048
	Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	591
	Precontract cost	8
	Goodwill	5,337
	Total Assets	$	11,664
	Accounts payable	$	1,226
	Accrued expenses	133
	Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	8,432
	Vehicle loans	11
	Other liabilities	1
	Total Liabilities	$	9,803
	After adjusting the carrying value of the assets during the fourth quarter of 2012, the net carrying value of the assets and liabilities of the ESCO business was equal to the proceeds received for the sale of the business on February 28, 2013, therefore there was no gain or loss resulting from the sale recorded during 2013.  However, the Asset Purchase Agreement provided that within 90 days of the closing the seller provide the buyer a final calculation of the Closing Net Working Capital as of February 28, 2013.  To the extent that this calculation showed an increase in the Closing Net Working Capital from the amount estimated on the closing date, the buyer would owe the seller an amount equal to the increase and to the extent the Closing Net Working Capital was less than the amount estimated on the closing date, the seller would owe the buyer an amount equal to the reduction.  The calculation of the final Closing Net Working Capital was completed in August 2013 and it was determined that the buyer owed the seller an additional $128 thousand.  This additional consideration has been included in income from discontinued operations during the quarter ended September 30, 2013.

GESPort_Charlotte

GES-Port Charlotte	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
GES-Port Charlotte	'
GES-Port Charlotte	'
	Note 5 — GES-Port Charlotte
	During 2010, the Company established Lime Energy Asset Development, LLC (“LEAD”), to develop, construct, operate and in certain situations own energy producing assets.  In October 2010, LEAD paid $2.65 million to acquire GES-Port Charlotte, an entity that held the gas rights to the Zemel Road landfill in Punta Gorda, Florida.  Shortly thereafter GES-Port Charlotte entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement with a utility for the sale of electricity and certain environmental attributes to be generated from the landfill gas.  In October 2011, it completed construction of a 2.8 megawatt landfill-gas to electricity facility on the site and began delivery of electricity under the power purchase agreement.  The cost to construct the facility was approximately $4.7 million, net of a $1.8 million U.S. Treasury Grant received for the project in December 2011.  The Company financed a portion of the construction costs with a $3.6 million term loan.
	The Company evaluates all of its long-lived assets, including intangible assets other than goodwill and fixed assets, periodically for impairment in accordance with ASC 360-10-35, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.” It records impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those items. Its cash flow estimates are based on historical results adjusted to reflect its best estimate of future market and operating conditions. The net carrying value of assets not recoverable is reduced to fair value. During the fourth quarter of 2012, its estimates regarding future cash flows indicated that the fair-market value of the Zemel Road landfill-gas to electricity generating facilities was less than its current carrying value.  Accordingly, it recorded a $3.5 million impairment charge for impairment to both the intangible asset and the associated PP&E to reduce the recorded value of these assets to their estimate of fair market value during the fourth quarter of 2012.
	On November 1, 2013, the Company sold GES-Port Charlotte to Green Gas Americas, Inc. (“Green Gas” or the “Buyer”). The sale was consummated pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the ‘Purchase Agreement”), dated November 1, 2013, by and between LEAD, as the seller, and Green Gas, as the purchaser.  The total purchase price paid for the membership interest was $3.3 million, less a $152,300 contribution on the part of the Seller toward the cost of wellfield improvements.  The agreement also provides for a 5%, or $165,000, hold-back of the purchase price (the ‘Hold-Back’) to be held in escrow to cover the indemnification obligations of the seller and any additional pre-closing liabilities.  The Hold-Back will be reduced by $60,000 on February 2, 2014; $40,000 on July 2, 2014; and $65,000 on November 2, 2014, to the extent it has not been applied by the Buyer to any obligations of the Seller.  The Company provided typical indemnifications to the Buyer, including for breach of representations, third party claims, pre-closing liabilities, etc., all of which are capped at the total purchase price paid by the Buyer.
	As part of the Purchase Agreement, Lime agreed to assume GESPC’s obligation to Florida Power and Light (“FP&L”) for the cost of completing an interconnect between GESPC’s facility and the FP&L’s transmission system.  This obligation totaled $400,000 as of November 1, 2013, and requires monthly payments of $50,000 to FP&L.
	The Company recognized a $27,000 loss on the sale of GESPC.  In recognition of this, it reduced the carrying value of GESPC’s assets by this amount during the third quarter of 2013, incurring a $27,000 impairment charge as a result.
	Upon the closing of the transaction, the Company repaid in full the term loan it used to fund the construction of the Zemel Road facility.

Discontinued_Operations

Discontinued Operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Discontinued Operations	'
Discontinued Operations	'
	Note 6 — Discontinued Operations
	As of December 31, 2012, the Company was in active discussions to sell its Public Sector business and ultimately came to terms with a buyer and closed on the sale of this business on February 28, 2013.   It also shut down its Asset Development business (excluding GES-Port Charlotte) effective December 31, 2012, sold GES-Port Charlotte effective November 1, 2013, its regional HVAC service business effective November 6, 2013 and its rights under its contract with the Army Corps of Engineers effective December 31, 2013.   The operating results and associated assets and liabilities of these businesses have been reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for all periods presented.
	The revenue and loss related to discontinued operations were as follows (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Revenue	$	6,805		$	44,133
	Operating Loss	$	(4,499	)	$	(16,060	)
	The assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations were as follows (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013			2012
	Cash	$	—		$	380
	Accounts Receivable	2,423			10,017
	Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	1,019			1,567
	Prepaid expenses and other	—			41
	Total current assets	3,442			12,005
	Deferred financing costs	—			228
	Net Property and Equipment, net	—			3,732
	Goodwill	—			5,337
	Total long-term assets	—			9,297
	Total Assets	$	3,442		$	21,302
	Current portion of long-term debt	$	—		$	3,413
	Accounts Payable	2,240			1,568
	Accrued Expense	504			3,447
	Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	460			7,550
	Customer Deposits	41			—
	Total current liabilities	3,245			15,978
	Long-Term Debt, less current portion	—			5
	Total Liabilities	$	3,245		$	15,983

Impairment_Loss

Impairment Loss	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Impairment Loss	'
Impairment Loss	'
	Note 7 — Impairment Loss
	During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company completed a review of the assets of its GES-Port Charlotte subsidiary, which holds the Zemel Road landfill gas to electricity generating facility, and determined that based on its discounted projected future operating cash flows, that the fair market value of the assets was less than the Company’s current carrying value.  The $2.5 million carrying amount of the intangible asset associated with the facility (Level 3 asset) was written-down to its fair value of $0, resulting in an impairment charge of $2.5 million, which is included in the loss from operation of the discontinued business in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The $4.6 million carrying amount of the generating assets (Level 3 assets) were written-down to their fair value of $3.5 million, resulting in an impairment charge of $1.1 million, which is also included in the loss from operation of the discontinued business during the fourth quarter of 2012.  The Company recorded an additional impairment loss of $27,000 during the third quarter of 2013, when it closed on the sale of GES-Port Charlotte (see Note 5 for additional information regarding the sale transaction).
	On February 28, 2013, the Company sold its ESCO business, with comprised the majority of its public sector business.  The sales price received for this business was less than the Company’s carrying value, indicating that the assets were impaired.  Accordingly, the Company reduced the carrying value of the property, plant and equipment and intangible assets to $0 and reduced the value of the goodwill associated with the business by $1.4 million.  The total impairment loss recorded during the fourth quarter of 2012 as a result of these adjustments was $3.2 million.  The impairment loss has been included in the loss from operation of the discontinued business in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Property_and_Equipment

Property and Equipment	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Property and Equipment	'
Property and Equipment	'
	Note 8 — Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013			2012
	Buildings & improvements	$	41		$	37
	Construction equipment	21			21
	Furniture	338			337
	Office equipment	3,565			2,998
	Transportation equipment	329			338
		4,294			3,731
	Less accumulated depreciation	(2,732		)	(2,046		)
		$	1,562		$	1,685
	Total depreciation expense was $1.0 million and $1.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  Included in this expense was depreciation from discontinued operations of $203 thousand and $412 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	'
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	'
	Note 9 — Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
	Goodwill represents the purchase price in excess of the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations.  ASC 350, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”, requires the Company to assess goodwill for impairment at least annually in the absence of an indicator of possible impairment and immediately upon an indicator of possible impairment.   The following is a summary of the Company’s goodwill (in thousands):
		Continuing
		Operations			Discontinued Operations
		AEM			AEM			C&I			Total
	Balance at December 31, 2011	$	6,009		$	5,849		$	923		$	12,781
	Corporate reorganization	—			923			(923		)	—
	Goodwill impairment	—			(1,435		)	—			(1,435		)
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	6,009		$	5,337		$	—		$	11,346
	Sale of public sector	—			(5,337		)	—			(5,337		)
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	6,009		$	—		$	—		$	6,009
	The components of intangible assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):
		Weighted		Gross Book			Accumulated			Impairment			Net Book
		Average		Value			Amortization						Value
		Remaining
		Life (months)
	As of December 31, 2013
	Amortized intangible assets:
	Technology and software	—		125			125			—			—
	Total			$	125		$	125		$	—		$	—
	As of December 31, 2012
	Amortized intangible assets:
	Technology and software	3		125			115			—			10
	Total			$	125		$	115		$	—		$	10
	The aggregate amortization expense from continuing operations was $10,000 and $25,000 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  The aggregate amortization expense from discontinued operations was $0 and $668,000 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Accrued_Expenses

Accrued Expenses	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Accrued Expenses	'
Accrued Expenses	'
	Note 10 — Accrued Expenses
	Accrued expenses are comprised of the following (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013		2012
	Compensation	$	1,423	$	644
	Interest	—		2
	Job costs	73		214
	Rent	151		507
	Sales tax payable	1,184		1,159
	Taxes	71		27
	Other	5		24
		$	2,907	$	2,577

Revolving_Line_of_Credit

Revolving Line of Credit	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Revolving Line of Credit	'
Revolving Line of Credit	'
	Note 11 — Revolving Line of Credit
	On March 9, 2011, the Company entered into a $7 million revolving line of credit agreement with American Chartered Bank.  Availability under the line of credit was tied to eligible receivables and borrowings were secured by all the Company’s assets.  Borrowings were to incur interest at the Prime Rate, plus 0.625%, with a minimum rate of 4.675%, and had an unused fee of 0.30% per annum.  The line contained covenants that required the Company to maintain a minimum current ratio of 1.55 to 1.0 or greater and a maximum tangible leverage ratio of 1.30 to 1.0.  While the Company was not in compliance with these covenants at the end of December 31, 2012, the Company never drew on the line.  The line expired on March 9, 2013.

Notes_Payable

Notes Payable	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Notes Payable	'
Notes Payable	'
	Note 12 — Notes Payable
	On November 3, 2011, GES-Port Charlotte, LLC (“GES”), entered into a Loan Agreement with RBC Bank (USA) (RBC Bank was subsequently acquired by PNC Bank) (“PNC”) under which GES borrowed $3.6 million (the ‘Loan Agreement”).  The Loan Agreement was to mature on, and all outstanding balances were due and payable on, October 31, 2016.  The Loan Agreement required the monthly payment of interest and principal based on a 20-year amortization and a mandatory pre-payment at the end of each calendar year, commencing with the calendar year ending December 31, 2012, equal to 50% of GES’s Excess Cash Flow.  Excess Cash Flow was defined in the Loan Agreement as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) less cash taxes paid, less Debt Service, and less up to $10,000 in capital expenditures.  Debt Service was defined to equal the sum of (a) the total of principal and interest payments on funded debt (excluding excess cash flow mandatory prepayments), plus (b) any cash dividends or distributions (excluding the permitted distribution of the US Treasury Grant).    No Excess Cash Flow payment was due for 2012.  The loan carried an interest rate equal to 30-day LIBOR plus 500 basis points.
	Borrowings pursuant to the Loan Agreement were secured by all of the assets of GES and guaranteed by Lime. The Loan Agreement contained customary events of default, including the failure to make required payments, borrower’s failure to comply with certain covenants or other agreements, borrower’s breach of the representations and covenants contained in the agreement, the filing or attachment of a lien to the collateral, the occurrence of a material adverse change, borrower’s default of other certain indebtedness and certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency. Upon the occurrence and continuation of an event of default, amounts due under the Loan Agreement could have been accelerated.
	The Loan Agreement contained a covenant that required GES to maintain a minimum Debt Service Coverage Ratio to 1.35 to 1.0.  The Debt Service Ratio is defined as the ratio of (a) EBITDA, less cash taxes and unfunded capital expenditures to (b) Debt Service.  As of December 31, 2012, the company was not in compliance with the debt Service Coverage Ratio.  On January 4, 2013, PNC notified the Company that the loan was in default as a result of the failure to meet the minimum Debt Coverage Ratio, but that it has chosen not to exercise its rights, but reserved the right to do so in the future.  On July 2, 2013, PNC notified the Company that it was requiring the Company to start paying interest at the default rate of LIBOR plus 9.00% per annum.  The Company remained current with all scheduled loan payments and repaid the loan in full upon the sale of GES-Port Charlotte on November 1, 2013.  The entire balance of the note has been included in current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2012, due to the fact that the default was on-going at that time and had not been waived by the bank.
	The Company entered into an interest rate swap to fix the interest rate on $1.9 million of the principal amount of the term loan at 6.56% through October 2016.  This interest rate swap was being carried at fair-market value on the Company’s books, with changes in value included in interest expense.  The mark-to-market value of the swap was a liability of $66,000 of December 31, 2012, which has been included in current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.  The interest rate swap was settled on November 1, 2013.

Conversion_of_Subordinated_Deb

Conversion of Subordinated Debt and Sale of Series A Preferred Stock	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Conversion of Subordinated Debt and Sale of Series A Preferred Stock	'
Conversion of Subordinated Debt and Sale of Series A Preferred Stock	'
	Note 13 — Conversion of Subordinated Debt and Sale of Series A Preferred Stock
	On September 23, 2013, the Company entered into a Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement (the “Series A Purchase Agreement”) with a group of investors including Mr. Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder, and Mr. Christopher Capps, a member of its Board of Directors (collectively with the other investors, the “Investors”).  Pursuant to the terms of the Series A Purchase Agreement, the Investors purchased 926,223 shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred Shares”) at a price per Preferred Share of $10.00.  The purchase price was paid with (a) $2,500,000 in cash and (b) the exchange of $6,779,950 (principal amount and accrued interest) of the Company’s Subordinated Secured Convertible Pay-In-Kind Note (the “Notes”), representing all of the outstanding Notes.
	The Series A Preferred Shares are entitled to an accruing dividend of 12.5% per annum of their original issue price (subject to adjustment for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations), payable semi-annually in arrears.  Such dividends shall be paid in additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock at the original issue price (subject to adjustment for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations) or, at the sole discretion of the Company’s board of directors, in cash.
	The Series A Preferred Shares may be converted at the election of the holder of such shares, into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price which was initially equal to $3.78 per share (the “Conversion Price’).  The Conversion Price is to be proportionately adjusted for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations, and, subject to a floor of $3.50, shall be adjusted for future issuances of common stock (excluding certain issuances) at a price per share less than the Conversion Price on a broad based, weighted average basis.  The Company can require conversion of the Series A Preferred Shares if the weighted average price for its common stock is at least two hundred percent (200%) of the Conversion Price for at least 20 trading days during a 30 trading day period ending within 5 trading days prior to the Company sending a notice of forced conversion to the holders of the Series A Preferred Shares.  On December 30, 2013, as the result of the issuance of shares of series B convertible preferred stock, the Conversion Price of the Series A Preferred Shares was reduced to $3.58 per share.  The Conversion Price was further reduced to $3.51 per share on February 4, 2014, when the Company issued additional shares of series B convertible preferred stock.
	The Company may redeem all or a portion of the Series A Preferred Shares at its option at any time unless prohibited by Delaware law governing distributions to stockholders.  The redemption price for each Series A Preferred Share shall be its original issue price (subject to adjustment for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations) plus any accrued but unpaid dividends multiplied by a factor based on the date the notice of such redemption is sent to holders of the Series A Preferred Shares. If such notice is sent before the first anniversary of the issuance of the Series A Preferred Shares, the factor shall be 103%, if thereafter but before the second such anniversary, the factor shall be 102%, if thereafter but before the third such anniversary, the factor shall be 101% and thereafter, the factor shall be 100%.
	In connection with the entry into the Purchase Agreement, the Company issued the Investors warrants to purchase 264,551 shares of its common stock at $3.78 per share (the “Series A Warrants”).  These warrants expire on the fifth anniversary of their issuance and contain a cashless exercise option.  In recording the transaction, the Company allocated the value of the proceeds to the Series A Preferred Shares and the Series A Warrants based on their relative fair values.  In doing so, it determined that the Series A Preferred Shares contained a beneficial conversion feature worth $415 thousand.  The value of the beneficial conversion feature, along with the value of the warrants, also determined to be $415 thousand, where both considered to be non-cash deemed dividends and were recorded to dividend expense, with an offsetting entry to additional paid in capital.
	The Series A Purchase Agreement requires that the Company seek stockholder approval of the conversion of the Series A Preferred Shares and the exercise of the Series A Warrants on or before December 31, 2013.  The Company did seek such approval at its annual meeting of stockholders held on December 3, 2013, at which time stockholders approved the issuance of shares of the Company’s common stock upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and the exercise of the Series A Warrants.
	The Company intends to use the cash proceeds from the sale of the Series A Preferred Shares for general corporate purposes.

Subordinated_Convertible_Term_

Subordinated Convertible Term Notes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Subordinated Convertible Term Notes	'
Subordinated Convertible Term Notes	'
	Note 14 — Subordinated Convertible Term Notes
	On October 22, 2012, the Company entered into a Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement (the “Sub Debt Purchase Agreement”) with a group of investors including Mr. Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder, and Mr. Christopher Capps, a member of its Board of Directors (collectively with the other investors, the “Holders”).  Pursuant to the terms of the Sub Debt Purchase Agreement, the Holders lent the Company $6,050,000 under a Subordinated Secured Convertible Pay-In-Kind Note (the “Notes”).  The Notes had a term of five years, accrued interest at the rate of 12-1/2% per year, payable semi-annually at the Company’s election in cash or additional Notes.  On September 23, 2013, the Notes and all accrued interest were converted to shares of Series A Preferred Stock (see Note 13 for additional information regarding the Series A Preferred Stock).
	In connection with the entry into the Sub Debt Purchase Agreement, the Company issued the Holders warrants to purchase 644,991 shares of its common stock at $4.69 per share (the “Sub Debt Warrants”).  These warrants expire on the fifth anniversary of their issuance and contain a cashless exercise option.  The Company determined the value of the Sub Debt Warrants to be $1.4 million using a trinomial option pricing model.
	In recording the transaction, the Company allocated the value of the proceeds to the Notes and Sub Debt Warrants based on their relative fair values.  In doing so, it determined that the Notes contained a beneficial conversion feature since the fair market value of the common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes (determined on the Note issuance date) exceeded the value allocated to the Notes of $4,924,000.  The Notes were convertible into 1,179,912 shares of common stock, which at the market price of $4.48 per share on date of issuance of the Notes was worth $5,286,000.  The difference of $362,000 between the market value of the shares issuable upon conversion and the value allocated to the Notes was considered to be the value of the beneficial conversion feature.
	The value of the beneficial conversion feature and the value of the warrants were recorded as a discount to the Notes, which was being amortized over the term of the Notes using the effective interest method.  Amortization of the discount of $200,000 and $50,000 was included in interest expense during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  Upon the conversion of the Notes to preferred stock in September 2013, the remaining unamortized discount of $1.2 million was recorded to interest expense.
	The Company incurred costs of approximately $37,000 to issue the Notes.  These costs were capitalized and were also being amortized over the term of the Notes using the effective interest method.  Amortization of the deferred issuance costs of $5,000 and $2,000 was included in interest expense during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  Upon the conversion of the Notes to preferred stock in September 2013, the balance of the deferred issuance costs of $30,000 was recorded to interest expense.
	The Company elected to pay the interest accrued through September 23, 2013, of $712,000 in additional Notes.  The Notes issued in satisfaction of the accrued interest were also converted to shares of preferred stock on September 23, 2013.

Sale_of_Series_B_Preferred_Sto

Sale of Series B Preferred Stock	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Sale of Series B Preferred Stock	'
Sale of Series B Preferred Stock	'
	Note 15 —Sale of Series B Preferred Stock
	On December 30, 2013, the Company entered into a Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement (the “Series B Purchase Agreement”) with a group of Series B Investors including Mr. Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder (collectively with the other investors, the “Series B Investors”).  Pursuant to the terms of the Series B Purchase Agreement, the Series B Investors purchased 400,000 shares of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock (the “Series B Preferred Shares”) at a price per Series B Preferred Share of $10.00.
	The Series B Preferred Shares are entitled to an accruing dividend of 12.5% per annum of their original issue price (subject to adjustment for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations), payable semi-annually in arrears.  Such dividends shall be paid in additional shares of Series B Preferred Stock at the original issue price (subject to adjustment for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations) or, at the sole discretion of the Company’s board of directors, in cash.
	The Series B Preferred Shares may be converted, at any time following the approval of such conversion by the Company’s stockholders, at the election of the holder of such shares, into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price which was initially equal to $2.83 per share (the “Conversion Price’).  The Conversion Price shall be proportionately adjusted for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations, and, subject to a floor of $2.50, shall be adjusted for future issuances of common stock (excluding certain issuances) at a price per share less than the Conversion Price on a broad based, weighted average basis.  The Company can require conversion of the Series B Preferred Shares if the weighted average price for its common stock is at least two hundred percent (200%) of the Conversion Price for at least 20 trading days during a 30 trading day period ending within 5 trading days prior to the Company sending a notice of forced conversion to the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares.
	The Company may redeem all or a portion of the Series B Preferred Shares at its option at any time, unless prohibited by Delaware law governing distributions to stockholders.  The redemption price for each Series B Preferred Share shall be its original issue price (subject to adjustment for stock splits, combinations and similar recapitalizations) plus any accrued but unpaid dividends multiplied by a factor based on the date the notice of such redemption is sent to holders of the Series B Preferred Shares. If such notice is sent before the first anniversary of the issuance of the Series B Preferred Shares, the factor shall be 103%, if thereafter but before the second such anniversary, the factor shall be 102%, if thereafter but before the third such anniversary, the factor shall be 101% and thereafter, the factor shall be 100%.
	In connection with the entry into the Series B Purchase Agreement, the Company issued the Series B Investors warrants to purchase 565,372 shares of its common stock at $2.83 per share (the “Series B Warrants”).  These warrants expire on the fifth anniversary of their issuance and contain a cashless exercise option.  The Warrants may not be exercised until the Company’s common stockholders approve the exercise of the Warrants.
	In recording the transaction, the Company allocated the value of the proceeds to the Series B Preferred Shares and the Series B Warrants based on their relative fair values.  In doing so, it determined that the Series B Preferred Shares contained a beneficial conversion feature worth $665 thousand.  The value of the beneficial conversion feature, along with the value of the warrants, also determined to be $665 thousand, where both considered to be non-cash deemed dividends and were recorded to dividend expense, with an offsetting entry to additional paid in capital.
	The Series B Purchase Agreement requires that the Company seek stockholder approval of the conversion of the Series B Preferred Shares and the exercise of the Series B Warrants on or before July 31, 2014.  The Company expects to seek such approval at its next annual meeting of stockholders.
	The Company intends to use the cash proceeds from the sale of the Series B Preferred Shares for general corporate purposes.

Letter_of_Credit_Agreement

Letter of Credit Agreement	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Letter of Credit Agreement	'
Letter of Credit Agreement	'
	Note 16 — Letter of Credit Agreement
	On December 7, 2012, the Company entered into a Letter of Credit Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Richard P. Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder.  Pursuant to the Agreement, Mr. Kiphart agreed to cause the issuance of one or more Letters of Credit (collectively, the “Letter of Credit”) for the benefit of a surety at the Company’s request, up to an aggregate amount of $1,000,000.  The Letter of Credit is being used to support the issuance of performance bonds required by certain of the Company’s contracts with Public Sector customers.  Mr. Kiphart’s obligation to cause the issuance of, or leave in place, the Letter of Credit was to terminate on December 7, 2013, however he has agreed to extend his support for outstanding Letters of Credit until the projects they are associated with are completed sometime in 2014.
	The Company has agreed to indemnify Mr. Kiphart for any liability in connection with any payment or disbursement made under the Letter of Credit.  The Company will also pay all of Mr. Kiphart’s fees and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the Letter of Credit.  All such indemnification, fees and expenses will be payable by the Company within ten business days of the Company’s receipt of Mr. Kiphart’s written demand.
	The Company issued Mr. Kiphart a warrant (the “Warrant”) to purchase 39,286 shares of its common stock at an exercise price of $3.57 as consideration for his obligations under the Agreement.  The Warrant has a three year term and may be exercised on a cashless basis at Mr. Kiphart’s election.  The Company determined the value of the Warrant to be $56,000 using a trinomial option pricing model.  The value of the Warrant was recorded to deferred financing costs and is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the agreement, with the amortization included in the loss from operation of discontinued business.

Long_Term_Debt

Long Term Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Long Term Debt	'
Long Term Debt	'
	Note 17 — Long Term Debt
	The Company’s long term debt consists of the following (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013		2012 (1)
	Subordinated convertible term notes (less debt discount of $1.4 million as of December 31, 2012), 12-1/2% due on October 22, 2017. Exchanged for Series A Preferred Stock on September 23, 2013.	—		4,748
	Total debt	—		8,153
	Less current portion	—		3,405
	Long-term debt, less current maturities	$	—	$	4,748
	(1)         Excludes $3,405 due to PNC Bank which is included in current liabilities of discontinued operations.  Please see Note 12 for additional information regarding this note.

Interest_Expense

Interest Expense	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Interest Expense	'
Interest Expense	'
	Note 18 — Interest Expense
	Interest expense is comprised of the following (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Line of credit (1) (Note 11)	$	3		$	21
	Term Note (Note 12)	168			212
	Subordinated convertible notes (Note 13)	575			137
	Other	1			8
	Change in value of interest rate swap (Note 12)	(12		)	22
	Amortization of deferred issuance costs and debt discount (Notes 14)	1,689			103
	Total Interest Expense	$	2,424		$	503
	Continuing operations	2,052			215
	Discontinued operations	$	372		$	288
	(1)         Expense represents unused line fees.

Lease_Commitments

Lease Commitments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Lease Commitments	'
Lease Commitments	'
	Note 19 — Lease Commitments
	The Company leased offices in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas at various times during 2012 and 2013 from unrelated third parties under leases expiring through 2022, for which it paid a total of $739,000 and $733,000 during 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Future annual minimum rentals to be paid by the Company under these non-cancellable operating leases as of December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
	Year ending December 31,	Total
	2014	763
	2015	649
	2016	443
	2017	290
	2018	281
	2019	286
	2020	287
	2021	290
	2022	47
	Total	$	3,336

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Taxes	'
Income Taxes	'
	Note 20 — Income Taxes
	The composition of income tax expense (benefit) is as follows (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31	2013			2012
	Deferred
	Federal	$	(6,245	)	$	(12,200	)
	State	(1,511		)	(2,943		)
	Change in valuation allowance	7,756			15,143
	Total	$	—		$	—
	Significant components of the Company’s net deferred tax asset are as follows (in thousands):
	December 31	2013			2012
	Deferred Tax Assets:
	Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards	$	53,862		$	47,020
	Stock-based compensation	6,242			6,242
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	1,190			938
	Goodwill	151			239
	Property & equipment	56			681
	Other	643			870
	Amortization of intangibles	1,129			—
	Valuation allowance	(63,273		)	(55,517		)
	Total deferred tax assets	$	—		$	473
	Deferred Tax Liabilities:
	Amortization of intangibles	—			(473		)
	Net deferred tax asset (liability)	$	—		$	—
	The Company has recorded a valuation allowance equaling the net deferred tax assets due to the uncertainty of its realization in the future.  At December 31, 2013, the Company had U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards available to offset future taxable income of approximately $147 million, which expire in the years 2018 through 2033.  Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) of 1986, as amended, the utilization of U.S. net operating loss carryforwards may be limited under the change in stock ownership rules of the IRC. As a result of ownership changes as defined by Section 382, which have occurred at various points in the Company’s history, utilization of its net operating loss carryfowards will be significantly limited under certain circumstances.  Based on an analysis of ownership changes prior to 2008, approximately $8.5 million of the net operating losses will expire unused due to Section 382 limitations.
	A reconciliation of the statutory federal rate of 34% and the effective income tax rate for continuing operations for the years-ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 is as follows:
	Year ended December 31,	2013		2012
	Federal income tax at statutory rate	34	%	34	%
	State and local taxes, net of federal benefit	6	%	5	%
	Other	9	%	1	%
	Valuation Reserve	(49.0	)%	(40.0	)%
	Effective income tax rate	0	%	0	%
	The Company has recorded a valuation allowance of $63.2 million due to the uncertainty of future utilization of the deferred tax assets.
	The effects of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return are to be recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the position will be sustained upon examination. No uncertain tax positions have been identified through December 31, 2013.  If we did identify any uncertain tax positions, any accrued interest related to unrecognized tax expenses and penalties would be recorded in income tax expense.  The statute of limitations is normally three years from the extended due date of the return for federal and state tax purposes.  However, for taxpayer’s with NOLs, the statute is effectively open to any year in which an NOL was generated.  The statute of limitations for the Company is therefore effectively open for the years 1998 through 2013.  The Company’s federal returns have been audited for the 2008 and 2009 tax years.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	Note 21 — Commitments and Contingencies
	The Company carries Directors and Officers insurance with an aggregate limit of $10 million, which it anticipates will cover the cost of defending an existing class action suit and derivative action and any related awards or settlements, up to the limit of the policy.  At this point in the legal process, the Company estimates that its reasonably possible costs, over and above the amounts covered by insurance, of responding to these lawsuits, responding to the SEC investigation and completing its internal investigation and restatement will be between $5.5 million and $6.0 million, of which $5.4 million had been incurred through December 31, 2013.  There are many factors that could cause the actual costs to exceed or be less than this estimate, therefore the Company has not accrued for these potential future costs.

Equity_Transactions

Equity Transactions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity Transactions	'
Equity Transactions	'
	Note 22 — Equity Transactions
	2011 Transactions
	a)             During 2011, the holders of options to purchase 7,707 shares of the Company’s common stock exercised their options.  Of these, options to purchase 5,197 were exercised on a cashless basis whereby the holder exchanged 4,027 shares they were entitled to purchase pursuant to the options to cover the exercise price.  The total shares issued as a result of the exercise of the options exercised on a cash and cashless basis were 3,680 shares.
	b)             During 2011, the Company granted 6,644 shares of its common stock to seven of its outside directors pursuant to the 2010 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Plan as compensation for their service on the Board and various Board committees.  These shares vest 50% upon grant and 50% on the first anniversary of the grant date if the director is still serving on the Company’s board of directors on the vesting date.
	c)              During the first quarter of 2011, the Company issued 15,435 shares of restricted stock to eight senior employees.  These shares vest equally on December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013 if the holder is still employed by the Company on the vesting date.
	d)             During 2011, the Company issued 35 shares of its common stock to ten employees as part of its Employee Recognition Program.
	2012 Transactions
	e)              In January 2012, the Company issued 877 shares of its common stock to a consultant as compensation for services.
	f)               In January 2012, the Company issued 8,543 shares of restricted stock to nine senior employees.  These shares vest equally on December 31, 2012, 2013 and 2014 if the holder is still employed by the Company on the vesting date.
	g)              On May 15, 2012, the Company sold 142,858 shares of its common stock to Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman, at the prior day closing bid price of $17.85 per share.
	h)             During 2012, the Company issued 10,946 shares of its common stock in exchange for $170,599 received from employees who participated in its Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
	i)                 During 2012, the Company granted 8,733 shares of restricted stock to five of its outside directors pursuant to the 2010 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Plan as compensation for their service on the Board.  These shares vest 50% upon grant and 50% on the first anniversary of the grant date if the director is still serving on the Company’s board of directors on the vesting date.
	j)                During 2012, the Company issued 14 shares of its common stock to two employees as part of its Employee Recognition Program.
	k)             On December 7, 2012, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 39,286 shares of its common stock at $3.57 per share to Richard Kiphart, its Chairman, in exchange for his agreement to cause the issuance of a letter of credit in the amount of $1 million to support the issuance of surety bonds for use by the Company.
	2013 Transactions
	l)                 During 2013, the Company granted 43,489 shares of restricted stock to five of its outside directors pursuant to the 2010 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Plan as compensation for their service on the Board.  These shares vest 50% upon grant and 50% on the first anniversary of the grant date if the director is still serving on the Company’s board of directors on the vesting date.
	m)         During 2013, the Company granted 49,951 shares of restricted stock to five senior employees.  These shares vest in equal amounts on each of December 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, if the employee still works for the Company on the vesting date.
	n)             On September 23, 2013, the Company issued 926,223 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and warrants to purchase 264,551 shares of its common stock as part of a transaction in which it converted all of its outstanding Subordinated Convertible Notes and raised $2.5 million of cash.  Please see Note 13, for additional information regarding this transaction.
	o)             On December 30, 2013, the Company sold 400,000 shares of its Series B Preferred Stock and warrants to purchase 565,372 shares of its common stock to two investors for $4 million.  Please see Note 14, for additional information regarding this transaction.
	p)             The Company had outstanding warrants to purchase 1,515,698 and 697,205 shares of its common stock as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  Outstanding warrants can be exercised at any time prior to their expiration dates which range between December 2014 and December 2018.  The following table summarizes information about warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2013:
		Warrants Outstanding
	Exercise Price	Number	Weighted	Weighted
		Outstanding at	Average	Average
		December 31,	Remaining	Exercise
		2013	Contractual	Price
			Life
	$2.83 - $4.00	869,209	4.8 years	$	3.15
	$4.01 - $10.00	644,991	3.8 years	4.69
	$10.01 - $25.00	715	2.0 years	22.4
	$25.01 - $735.00	783	1.0 years	92.6
		1,515,698	4.4 years	$	3.86

Stock_Options

Stock Options	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Stock Options	'
Stock Options	'
	Note 23 — Stock Options
	On June 4, 2008, the Company’s stockholders approved the adoption of the 2008 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2008 Plan”), which replaced the 2001 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended.  The 2008 Plan provided that up to 40,000 shares of the Company’s common stock could be delivered under the Plan to certain employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and to consultants and directors who are not employees.  In addition, the 2008 Plan originally provided for an additional number of shares of the Company’s common stock to be reserved for issuance under the plan on January 1st of each succeeding year, beginning January 1, 2009, in an amount equal to 14,286 shares.  On November 26, 2008, the Company’s Compensation Committee approved amendments the 2008 Plan to i) increase the maximum number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the 2008 Plan by 50,000 shares, from 40,000 shares to 90,000 shares, and (ii) raise the automatic increases in the number of shares available for awards by 21,429 shares, from 14,286 to 35,715, each year beginning in 2009.  The holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding capital stock approved the Plan Amendment pursuant to a consent dated November 26, 2008.  On March 25, 2010, the Compensation Committee approved a second amendment to the 2008 Plan to increase the shares available under the plan by an additional 245,714 shares, from 161,429 shares to 407,143 shares.  The second amendment was approved by the Company’s stockholders on June 3, 2010.
	Awards granted under the 2008 Plan may be incentive stock options or non-qualified stock options.  The exercise price for any incentive stock option (“ISO”) may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the stock on the date the option is granted, except that with respect to a participant who owns more than 10% of the common stock the exercise price must be not less than 110% of fair market value. The exercise price of any non-qualified option shall be in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee or the Board. To qualify as an ISO the aggregate fair market value of the shares (determined on the grant date) under options granted to any participant may not exceed $100,000 in the first year that they can be exercised. There is no comparable limitation with respect to non-qualified stock options.  The term of all options granted under the 2008 Plan will be determined by the Compensation Committee or the Board in their sole discretion, provided, however, that the term of each ISO shall not exceed 10 years from the date of grant thereof.
	In addition to the ISOs and non-qualified options, the 2008 Plan permits the Compensation Committee, consistent with the purposes of the Plan, to grant stock appreciation rights and/or shares of Common Stock to non-employee directors and such employees (including officers and directors who are employees) of, or consultants to, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, as the Committee may determine, in its sole discretion. Under applicable tax laws, however, ISO’s may only be granted to employees.
	The 2008 Plan is administered by the Board, which is authorized to interpret the 2008 Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the 2008 Plan and to determine the individuals to whom, and the time, terms and conditions under which, options and awards are granted.  The Board may also amend, suspend or terminate the 2008 Plan in any respect at any time. However, no amendment may (i) adversely affect the rights of a participant under an award theretofore granted without the consent of such participant, (ii) increase the number of shares reserved under the 2008 Plan, (iii) modify the requirements for participation in the 2008 Plan, or (iv) modify the 2008 Plan in any way that would require stockholder approval under the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act or the rules of any stock exchange or market on which the Common Stock is listed (unless such stockholder approval is obtained).
	As of December 31, 2013, there were approximately 123 employees of the Company eligible to participate in the 2008 Plan, and 201,425 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2008 Plan.
	Effective April 1, 2000, the Company adopted a stock option plan for all independent directors, which is separate and distinct from the 2008 Stock Incentive Plan described above.  The Directors’ Plan was replaced during 2010 by the 2010 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Plan, which is described in Note 24.
	The following table summarizes the options granted, exercised, forfeited and outstanding through December 31, 2013:
		Shares		Exercise		Weighted
				Price Per		Average
				Share		Exercise
						Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2011	591,718		$21.28 - $1,844.85		$	40.84
	Granted	82,341		$3.64 - $24.78		$	18.04
	Exercised	—
	Forfeited	(165,423	)	$21.28 - $984.90		$	41.42
	Outstanding at December 31, 2012	508,636		$3.64 - $1,844.85		$	37
	Granted	2,859		$4.27 – $4.27		$	4.27
	Exercised	—
	Forfeited	(64,861	)	$22.82 - $1,844.85		$	36.76
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	446,634		$3.64 - $1,675.80		$	36.82
	Options exercisable at December 31, 2013	340,557		$3.64 – $1,675.80		$	39.84
	Options exercisable at December 31, 2012	351,949		$22.82 – $1,844.85		$	42
	Options exercisable at December 31, 2011	364,134		$21.28 – $1,844.85		$	47.32
	The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding at December 31, 2013:
		Options Outstanding						Options Exercisable
	Exercise Price	Number		Weighted		Weighted		Number	Weighted
		Outstanding		Average		Average		Exercisable at	Average
		at December		Remaining		Exercise Price		December 31,	Exercise Price
		31, 2013		Contractual				2013
				Life
	$3.64 - $4.00	14,286		8.9 years		$	3.64	14,286	$	3.64
	$4.01 - $5.00	2,859		9.7 years		$	4.27	—	$	0
	$5.01 - $6.00	7,143		8.7 years		$	5.25	2,381	$	5.25
	$6.01 - $20.00	—						—
	$20.01 - $50.00	365,098		5.7 years		$	32.56	266,642	$	33.92
	$50.01 - $100.00	57,056		3.2 years		$	73.47	57,056	$	73.47
	$100.01 - $1,675.80	192		.3 years		$	1,384.19	192	$	1,384.19
	$3.64 - $1,675.80	446,634		5.5 years		$	36.82	340,557	$	39.84
	The aggregate intrinsic value of the outstanding options (the difference between the closing stock price on the last trading day of 2013 of $2.89 per share and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on December 31, 2012 was $0. The aggregate intrinsic value of the exercisable options as of December 31, 2013 was $0. These amounts will change based on changes in the fair market value of the Company’s common stock.
	The Company uses an Enhanced Hull-White Trinomial model to value its employee options. The weighted-average, grant-date fair value of stock options granted to employees during the year, and the weighted-average significant assumptions used to determine those fair values, using the Enhanced Hull-White Trinomial model for stock options under ASC 718, are as follows:
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Weighted average fair value per options granted	$	1.98		$	1.6
	Significant assumptions (weighted average):
	Risk-free interest rate at grant date	0.02		%	0.02		%
	Expected stock price volatility	62		%	71		%
	Expected dividend payout	—			—
	Expected option life (years) (1)	5.7			6
	Expected turn-over rate	4.8		%	5		%
	Expected exercise multiple	2.2			2.2
	(1)         The Company continues to use the simplified method to estimate expected term due to the historical structural changes to its business such that historical exercise data may no longer provide a reasonable basis on which to estimate expected term.
	The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury Bill rates at the time of grant. The dividend reflects the fact that the Company has never paid a dividend on its common stock and does not expect to in the foreseeable future. The Company estimated the volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of its stock. The expected term of the options is based on the simplified method as described in a Staff Accounting Bulletin.  The expected turn-over rate represents the expected forfeitures due to employee turnover and is based on historical rates experienced by the Company.  The expected exercise multiple represents the mean ratio of the stock price to the exercise price at which employees are expected to exercise their options and is based on an empirical study completed by S. Huddart and M. Lang (1996).
	The Company recognizes compensation expense for stock options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally equal to the vesting period of the option.  The subject stock options expire ten years after the date of grant.  The Company recognized stock compensation expense for stock options of $698,000 and $1,322,000 during the years ended December 31, 2013, and 2012, respectively.
	As of December 31, 2013, $30,000 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding stock options, unadjusted for potential forfeitures, is expected to be recognized as follows:
	Year ending December 31,
	2014	$	28,000
	2015	2,000
	Total	$	30,000
	In addition, there was approximately $538 thousand of unrecognized expense related to the Cliff Options that vest based on the occurrence of certain events which may be recognized over the next 1.3 years if the requirements for vesting are met.

Restricted_Stock

Restricted Stock	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Restricted Stock	'
Restricted Stock	'
	Note 24 —Restricted Stock
	On June 3, 2010, stockholders approved the 2010 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Plan (the “2010 Directors’ Plan”), which replaced the 2006 Directors Plan.  The 2010 Directors’ Plan provides for the granting of stock to Non-Employee directors to compensate them for their services to the Company.  The use of the shares available under the 2010 Directors’ Plan is administered by the Company’s Board of Directors, which has delegated its powers to the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.  The Compensation Committee has designed a plan that grants non-employee directors restricted shares of stock with the following market values on the date of grant:
	For Board Service:
	Each director upon initial election:	$	40,000
	Annual grant to each director:	$	20,000
	Annual Grants for Committee Service:
	Audit Committee:
	Chairman	$	15,000
	Members	$	10,000
	Compensation Committee:
	Chairman	$	10,000
	Members	$	5,000
	Nominating Committee:
	Chairman	$	5,000
	Members	$	2,500
	Half of the shares received pursuant to this plan vest immediately and the remaining shares vest on the one year anniversary of the initial grant.  Shares for board service are granted on the first business day of the year and shares for committee service are granted upon appointment to the committee following the annual meeting of stockholders.  Newly appointed directors receive their initial grant on their date of appointment.
	The Company has also granted shares of restricted stock to certain senior managers under its 2009 Management Incentive Compensation Plan as a form of long-term incentive.  Grants under this plan typically vest over a three year period if the grantee is still an employee on the vesting date.
	The following table summarizes the shares of restricted stock granted, vested, forfeited and outstanding as of December 31, 2013:
		Restricted		Weighted
		Shares		Average
				Grant-Date
				Fair Value
	Unvested Shares at December 31, 2011	15,286		$	28.99
	Granted	18,582		$	21.16
	Vested	(18,375	)	$	25.39
	Forfeited	(2,622	)	$	16.24
	Unvested Shares at December 31, 2012	12,871		$	25.43
	Granted	92,812		$	3.22
	Vested	(40,732	)	$	8.5
	Forfeited	(2,367	)	$	6.83
	Unvested Shares at December 31, 2013	62,584		$	4.22
	The Company accounts for grants of restricted stock in accordance with ASC 718. This pronouncement requires companies to measure the cost of the service received in exchange for a share-based award based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant, with expense recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally equal to the vesting period of the grant.  The Company recognized $169,000 and $481,000 of stock compensation expense related to the issuances of restricted stock in the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  As of December 31, 2013, there was approximately $165,000 of unrecognized expense related to these restricted stock issuances which will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 10.4 months.

Employee_Stock_Purchase_Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Employee Stock Purchase Plan	'
Employee Stock Purchase Plan	'
	Note 25 - Employee Stock Purchase Plan
	The Company’s stockholders authorized the 2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan at the 2011 annual stockholders meeting.  The 2011 Plan has six-month offering periods during which employees set aside after-tax contributions from their paychecks to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at a 15% discount to the closing market price on the first day of the offering period or the last day of the offering period, whichever is lower.  The Plan was scheduled to continue until June 30, 2013, or until the 300,000 shares allocated to the plan where exhausted, however, the Company terminated the plan effective July 1, 2012 because the registration statement for the shares issuable under the plan went stale when the Company was unable to file its quarterly report for the second quarter of 2012 due to the ongoing restatement process.
	The Company issued 25,905 shares of its stock to participants in the Plan in January 2012 for contributions made during the first offering period which ended on December 31, 2011.  The Company received $80,000 for the shares sold during the first offering period.  It issued an additional 47,067 shares in July 2012 for contributions made during the second offering period, which ended on June 30, 2012.  It received a total of $91,000 for the shares received during the second offering period.
	For accounting purposes, each employee participating in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan is considered to have received a series of options for current and future offering periods to purchase shares at a price equal to the closing price on the first day of the offering period, less 15%.  The Company calculates the value of these options using a trinomial option pricing model and amortizes the values as share-based compensation expense over the term of option, which is considered to extend through the end of the related offering period.  The Company recorded net share-based compensation expense during 2012 of ($19,000), as the previously recognized cost associated with future offering periods was reversed due to the early cancellation of the Plan.
	The Company’s stockholders authorized the 2013 Employee Stock Purchase Plan at the 2013 annual stockholders meeting held on December 3, 2013.  The 2013 Plan provides for two six-month offering periods with the first offering period commencing on January 1, 2014.  The 2013 Plan provides for the issuance of up to 42,858 shares of common stock.

Reverse_Stock_Split

Reverse Stock Split	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Reverse Stock Split	'
Reverse Stock Split	'
	Note 26 — Reverse Stock Split
	Holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding common stock, acting by written consent, approved amending the Company’s certificate of incorporation to effect a one-for seven reverse split of the Company’s stock in order for the Company to continue to meet the NASDAQ Stock Exchange’s requirement that it maintain a $1.00 minimum closing bid price for continued listing on the exchange.  The reverse stock split was effective October 10, 2013.  All share amounts presented in these consolidated financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split.

Legal_Matters

Legal Matters	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Legal Matters	'
Legal Matters	'
	Note 27 — Legal Matters
	Satterfield v. Lime Energy Co. et al., Case No. 12-cv-5704 (N.D. Ill.):  This is a putative class action on behalf of purchasers of the Company’s securities between May 14, 2008 and December 27, 2012, inclusive.  Following an announcement by the Company dated July 17, 2012, four separate putative class actions were filed alleging violations of the federal securities laws and naming as Defendants the Company and three of its officers, John O’Rourke, Jeffrey Mistarz and David Asplund.  The four cases were consolidated.  Pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”), on October 26, 2012, the Court appointed Lead Plaintiffs.  Lead Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint on January 18, 2013, alleging that Defendants issued false and misleading statements concerning the Company’s revenues during the class period and thereby artificially inflated its stock price.  On January 21, 2014, following several months of arm’s length negotiations, the Lead Plaintiffs and Defendants entered into a stipulation of settlement under which this matter would be fully and finally settled.  As part of the settlement, Defendants agreed to cause $2.5 million to be paid into a settlement fund, which $2.5 million has been provided by the Company’s directors and officers liability insurers.  On January 28, 2014, Judge Sara Ellis entered an order granting preliminary approval of the class action settlement and notice to the settlement class in the matter.  The settlement remains subject to final approval by the court.  The final approval hearing has been set for May 13, 2014.
	Kuberski v. Lime Energy Co. et al., Case No. 12-cv-7993 (N.D. Ill.):  This is a putative shareholder derivative action alleging that certain of the Company’s officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties to the Company from May 14, 2008 through the present by failing to maintain adequate internal controls and causing the Company to issue false and misleading statements concerning our revenues.  An initial derivative complaint was filed on October 5, 2012.  A second derivative action was filed on March 5, 2013.  The two cases were consolidated and the Court appointed Lead Counsel for the Plaintiffs on April 9, 2013.  On May 9, 2013, the Plaintiffs filed a Verified Consolidated Shareholder Derivative Complaint.  On June 10, 2013, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss for failure to make a demand on the Board of Directors of the Company or to adequately plead why demand should be excused, as required by Rule 23.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Delaware law.  Briefing on the motion to dismiss was completed as of July 22, 2013.  On March 25, 2014, the Court granted Defendants’ motion to dismiss and dismissed the case with prejudice.  Plaintiffs have thirty days to file a notice of appeal.
	SEC Investigation.  The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an investigation of, among other things, the Company’s revenue recognition practices and financial reporting.  On September 11, 2012, the Commission issued a subpoena for documents.  We are cooperating with the Commission’s investigation.

Related_Parties

Related Parties	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Parties	'
Related Parties	'
	Note 28 — Related Parties
	On October 22, 2012, the Company entered into a Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement with a group of investors that included Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder, and Christopher Capps, one of its directors.  Please see Note 14 for additional information regarding this transaction.
	On December 7, 2012, the Company entered into a Letter of Credit Agreement with Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder, pursuant to which Mr. Kiphart agreed to provide collateral in connection with the issuance of letters of credit to support the issuance of surety bonds required under construction contracts won by the Company.  Please see Note 16 for additional information regarding this transaction.
	On September 23, 2013, the Company entered into a Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement with a group of investors that included Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder, and Christopher Capps, one of its directors.  Please see Note 13 for additional information regarding this transaction.
	On December 30, 2013, the Company entered into a Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement with two investors, including Richard Kiphart, the Company’s Chairman and largest individual stockholder.  Please see Note 15 for additional information regarding this transaction.
	The Company does not have a written policy concerning transactions between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and any director or executive officer, nominee for director, 5% stockholder or member of the immediate family of any such person.  However, the Company’s practice is that such transactions shall be reviewed by the Company’s Board of Directors and found to be fair to the Company prior to the Company (or a subsidiary) entering into any such transaction, except for (i) executive officers’ participation in employee benefits which are available to all employees generally; (ii) transactions involving routine goods or services which are purchased or sold by the Company (or a subsidiary) on the same terms as are generally available in arm’s length transactions with unrelated parties (however, such transactions are still subject to approval by an authorized representative of the Company in accordance with internal policies and procedures applicable to such transactions with unrelated third parties); and (iii) compensation decisions with respect to executive officers other than the CEO, which are made by the Compensation Committee pursuant to recommendations of the CEO.

Business_Segment_Information

Business Segment Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Segment Information	'
Business Segment Information	'
	Note 29 — Business Segment Information
	With the sale of the public sector business and renewable energy business during 2013, the Company considers all of its remaining operations to be in one business segment, its energy efficiency segment.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	'
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	'
	Note 30 — Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)
	The following presents the Company’s unaudited quarterly results for fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012. These quarterly results were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and reflect all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair statement of the results.  All amounts, except per share data are presented in thousands.
		Fiscal 2013 Quarters Ended,
		March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31			Total
	Revenue	$	11,216		$	12,943		$	13,354		$	14,052		$	51,565
	Gross profit	2,626			3,751			3,703			3,727			13,807
	Loss from continuing operations	(3,656		)	(1,918		)	(3,511		)	(2,052		)	(11,137		)
	Loss from discontinued operations	(3,050		)	(128		)	(329		)	(992		)	(4,499		)
	Net loss	(6,706		)	(2,046		)	(3,840		)	(3,044		)	(15,636		)
	Preferred dividends	—			—			(23		)	(2,852		)	(2,875		)
	Net loss available to common stockholders	(6,706		)	(2,046		)	(3,863		)	(5,896		)	(18,511		)
	Basic and diluted loss per common share from:
	Continuing operations	$	(1.02	)	$	(0.53	)	$	(0.98	)	$	(1.36	)	$	(3.90	)
	Discontinued operations	$	(0.85	)	$	(0.04	)	$	(0.09	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(1.25	)
	Weighted averages shares	3,595			3,593			3,593			3,600			3,595
		Fiscal 2012 Quarters Ended,
		March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31			Total
	Revenue	$	8,539		$	8,012		$	8,622		$	10,274		$	35,447
	Gross profit	1,874			1,678			1,644			2,142			7,338
	Loss from continuing operations	(2,511		)	(3,888		)	(4,805		)	(4,548		)	(15,752		)
	Loss from discontinued operations	(1,677		)	(773		)	(1,793		)	(11,817		)	(16,060		)
	Net loss	(4,188		)	(4,661		)	(6,598		)	(16,365		)	(31,812		)
	Basic and diluted loss per common share from:
	Continuing operations	$	(0.73	)	$	(1.11	)	$	(1.34	)	$	(1.27	)	$	(4.48	)
	Discontinued operations	$	(0.49	)	$	(0.22	)	$	(0.50	)	$	(3.30	)	$	(4.56	)
	Weighted averages shares	3,425			3,498			3,578			3,577			3,520

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Subsequent Events	'
Subsequent Events	'
	Note 31 — Subsequent Events
	On February 4, 2014, the Company raised $2 million through the sale of a package of securities that included 200,000 shares of its Series B Preferred Stock and a warrant to purchase 282,686 shares of its common stock at $2.83 per share.  The terms of transaction were substantially the same as the terms described in Note 15 above.

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
Use of Estimates	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Concentration of Risk	'
	Concentration of Risk
	The Company’s customers are primarily utilities and their small business customers.  During 2013, revenue generated under four utility programs represented 75% of the Company’s consolidated revenue, whereas during 2012, three utility programs generated 86% of the Company’s consolidated revenue.
	The Company purchases its materials from a variety of suppliers and continues to seek out alternate suppliers for critical components so that it can be assured that its sales will not be interrupted by the inability of a single supplier to deliver product.  During 2013, two suppliers were responsible for 41% and 12% of the Company’s purchases, respectively, while during 2012 one supplier was responsible for 49% of the Company’s purchases.
	The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents in accounts with financial institutions in excess of the amount insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Company monitors the financial stability of these institutions regularly and management does not believe there is significant credit risk associated with deposits in excess of federally insured amounts.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts	'
	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
	The Company records an allowance for doubtful accounts based on specifically identified amounts that it believes to be uncollectible.  If actual collections experience changes, revisions to the allowance may be required.  After all attempts to collect a receivable have failed, the receivable is written off against the allowance.  Based on the information available to it, the Company believes its allowance for doubtful accounts is adequate. However, actual write-offs might exceed the recorded allowance.
	The following is a summary of changes to the allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Balance at the beginning of the period	$	960		$	279
	Additions charged to costs and expenses	886			814
	Amounts written-off	(22		)	(133		)
	Balance at the end of the period	$	1,824		$	960
Inventories	'
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market.  Cost is determined utilizing the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
Properties & Equipment	'
	Properties & Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost.  For financial reporting purposes depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
	Buildings	39 years
	Office equipment	3 - 5 years
	Furniture	5 - 10 years
	Transportation equipment	3 - 5 years
Goodwill	'
	Goodwill
	Goodwill represents the purchase price in excess of the fair value of assets acquired in business combinations.  Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets,” requires the Company to assess goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually in the absence of an indicator of possible impairment and immediately upon an indicator of possible impairment.  During the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company undertook an assessment of its goodwill for possible impairment and concluded that the fair value of the continuing business, based on the discounted current value of the estimated future cash flows, exceeded the carrying value, indicating that the goodwill was not impaired.  As explained further in Note 4, the Company sold its ESCO business on February 28, 2013.  Utilizing the sales price of this business as an indicator of its fair market value, it concluded that the goodwill associated with this business was partially impaired.  As a result, it reduced the carrying value of the goodwill by $1.4 million, to $5.3 million and recorded a $1.4 million impairment loss during the fourth quarter of 2012.
	The Company considered various factors in determining the fair value of its business, including discounted cash flows from projected earnings, values for comparable companies and the market price of its common stock. It will continue to monitor for any impairment indicators such as underperformance of projected earnings, net book value compared to market capitalization, declining stock price and significant adverse economic and industry trends.  In the event that the business does not achieve projected results, or, as the result of changes in facts of circumstances, the Company could incur an additional goodwill impairment charge in a future period.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	'
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	The Company records impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those items. The Company’s cash flow estimates are based on historical results adjusted to reflect its best estimate of future market and operating conditions. The net carrying value of assets not recoverable is reduced to fair value.
	These estimates of fair value represent management’s best estimate based on industry trends and reference to market rates and transactions.  During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company determined that the future cash flows of its Zemel Road generating facility were likely to be less than initially anticipated, due to lower than projected gas flow rates and higher than expected operating costs.  As a result, the fair market value was determined to be less than the Company’s current carrying value, indicating an impairment of this asset’s value.
	On February 28, 2013, the Company sold its ESCO business. The sales price received upon the sale of this business was less than the Company’s carrying value as of December 31, 2012, indicating that the asset was partially impaired.  The Company therefore reduced the carrying value of the assets associated with this business during the fourth quarter of 2012, recording a$3.2 million impairment loss in the process.
Intangible Assets	'
	Intangible Assets
	The Company’s finite life intangible assets are comprised of technology and software.  Finite life intangible assets are amortized based on the timing of expected economic benefits associated with the asset over their estimated useful lives.  The Company estimated that the useful life of its technology and software to be between five to seven years.
	For all amortizable intangible assets, if any events or changes in circumstances occur that indicate possible impairment, the Company will perform an impairment review based on an undiscounted cash flow analysis. Impairment occurs when the carrying value of the assets exceeds the future undiscounted cash flows. When impairment is indicated, the estimated future cash flows are then discounted to determine the estimated fair value of the asset and an impairment charge is recorded for the difference between the carrying value and the net present value of estimated future cash flows. The Company also evaluates the remaining useful life during each reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. If the estimate of an intangible asset’s remaining useful life is changed, the remaining carrying amount of the intangible asset is amortized prospectively over that revised remaining useful life.
	On February 28, 2013, the Company sold its ESCO business. The sales price received upon the sale of this business was less than the Company’s carrying value as of December 31, 2012, indicating that the asset was partially impaired.  As part of the adjustment to reduce the carrying value of the assets of this business to the implied fair value, it wrote off all of the intangibles assets associated with the business in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Revenue Recognition	'
	Revenue Recognition
	The Company recognizes revenue when all four of the following criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence has been received that an arrangement exists; (ii) delivery of the products and/or services has occurred; (iii) the selling price is fixed or determinable; and (iv) collectibility is reasonably assured.  In addition, the Company follows the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition, which sets forth guidelines in the timing of revenue recognition based upon factors such as passage of title, installation, payments and customer acceptance.  Any amounts billed prior to satisfying the Company’s revenue recognition criteria is recorded as “Billings in Excess of Costs and Estimated Earnings on Uncompleted Contracts” (“Billings in Excess”) in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.  Billings in Excess totaled $1.7 million and $1.5 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	The Company utilizes the percentage of completion method to recognize revenue in conjunction with the cost-to-cost method of measuring the extent of progress toward completion, consistent with ASC 605-35, “Construction Type and Production Type Contracts” and the AICPA’s Statement of Position 81-1 (SOP 81-1).  Any anticipated losses on contracts are charged to operations as soon as they are determinable.
Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts	'
	Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts
	As of December 31, 2013, the Company had customer projects underway for which it had recognized revenue but not yet invoiced the customer.  The Company records this unbilled revenue as a current asset titled “Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts.” The Company had Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts of $6.6 million and $3.3 million at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Other Liabilities	'
	Other Liabilities
	In December 2012, one of the Company’s major suppliers agreed to allow it to pay for approximately $5.3 million worth of purchases over a 23 month period.  The balance of this liability was $3.2 million and $5.3 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively and has been included in other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Advertising, Marketing and Promotional Costs	'
	Advertising, Marketing and Promotional Costs
	Expenditures on advertising, marketing and promotions are charged to operations in the period incurred and totaled $152,000 and $212,000 for the periods ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method.  Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of the differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each period end based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable earnings.  Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount more likely than not to be realized.
Net Loss Per Share	'
	Net Loss Per Share
	The Company computes loss per share under ASC 260-10, “Earnings Per Share.”  This statement requires presentation of two amounts; basic and diluted loss per share.  Basic loss per share is computed by dividing the loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average common shares outstanding.  Diluted earnings per share would include all common stock equivalents unless anti-dilutive.  For periods when such inclusion would not be anti-dilutive, the Company uses the treasury method to calculate the diluted earnings per share.  The treasury stock method assumes that the Company uses the proceeds from the exercise of in-the-money options and warrants to repurchase common stock at the average market price for the period. Options and warrants are only dilutive when the average market price of the underlying common stock exceeds the exercise price of the options or warrants.
	The Company has not included the outstanding options, warrants, preferred stock or convertible debt as common stock equivalents when calculating the diluted loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2013 or 2012, because the effect would be anti-dilutive.
	The following table sets forth the weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and warrants and convertible debt that is not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders:
	December 31,	2013		2012
	Weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options	469,625		624,588
	Weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants	767,643		145,695
	Weighted average shares issuable upon conversion of convertible preferred	655,599		—
	Weighted average shares issuable upon conversion of convertible debt	897,041		211,217
	Total	2,789,908		981,500
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	'
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these amounts.
Share-based Compensation	'
	Share-based Compensation
	The Company has a stock incentive plan that provides for stock-based employee compensation, including the granting of stock options and shares of restricted stock, to certain key employees.  The Company follows the guidance of ASC 718, “Compensation — Stock Compensation,” which requires companies to record stock compensation expense for equity-based awards granted, including stock options and restricted stock unit grants, over the service period of the equity-based award based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant.
	The following are the components of the Company’s stock compensation expense during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively:
		2013			2012
	Stock Options	$	698		$	1,322
	Restricted Stock	169			481
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1)	—			(19		)
	Total Stock Compensation Expense	$	867		$	1,784
	(1)         The Employee Stock Purchase Plan was terminated before its planned expiration during 2012 due to the Company’s inability to maintain a current registration statement for the shares.  Upon the termination of the Plan, the Company reversed previously recorded compensation expense associated with employee’s rights to purchase shares under the Plan.
	Please refer to Notes 23, 24 and 25 for additional information regarding share-based compensation expense.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	'
	Recent Accounting Pronouncements
	The Company does not believe any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards will have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
Summary of changes to the allowance for doubtful accounts	'
	The following is a summary of changes to the allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Balance at the beginning of the period	$	960		$	279
	Additions charged to costs and expenses	886			814
	Amounts written-off	(22		)	(133		)
	Balance at the end of the period	$	1,824		$	960
Schedule of estimated useful lives of properties and equipment	'
	Buildings	39 years
	Office equipment	3 - 5 years
	Furniture	5 - 10 years
	Transportation equipment	3 - 5 years
Schedule of weighted average shares not included in the computation of basic and diluted loss per share	'
	December 31,	2013		2012
	Weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options	469,625		624,588
	Weighted average shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants	767,643		145,695
	Weighted average shares issuable upon conversion of convertible preferred	655,599		—
	Weighted average shares issuable upon conversion of convertible debt	897,041		211,217
	Total	2,789,908		981,500
Schedule of components of the Company's stock compensation expense	'
		2013			2012
	Stock Options	$	698		$	1,322
	Restricted Stock	169			481
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1)	—			(19		)
	Total Stock Compensation Expense	$	867		$	1,784
	(1)         The Employee Stock Purchase Plan was terminated before its planned expiration during 2012 due to the Company’s inability to maintain a current registration statement for the shares.  Upon the termination of the Plan, the Company reversed previously recorded compensation expense associated with employee’s rights to purchase shares under the Plan.

Sale_of_ESCO_Business_Tables

Sale of ESCO Business (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Sale of ESCO Business	'
Schedule of value of assets and liabilities sold to Powersecure	'
	The value of assets and liabilities sold to Powersecure on February 28, 2013, were as follows (in thousands):
	As of February 28, 2013
	Accounts receivable	$	4,680
	Retention receivable	1,048
	Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	591
	Precontract cost	8
	Goodwill	5,337
	Total Assets	$	11,664
	Accounts payable	$	1,226
	Accrued expenses	133
	Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	8,432
	Vehicle loans	11
	Other liabilities	1
	Total Liabilities	$	9,803

Discontinued_Operations_Tables

Discontinued Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Discontinued Operations	'
Schedule of revenue and loss related to discontinued operations	'
	The revenue and loss related to discontinued operations were as follows (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Revenue	$	6,805		$	44,133
	Operating Loss	$	(4,499	)	$	(16,060	)
Schedule of assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations	'
	The assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations were as follows (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013			2012
	Cash	$	—		$	380
	Accounts Receivable	2,423			10,017
	Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	1,019			1,567
	Prepaid expenses and other	—			41
	Total current assets	3,442			12,005
	Deferred financing costs	—			228
	Net Property and Equipment, net	—			3,732
	Goodwill	—			5,337
	Total long-term assets	—			9,297
	Total Assets	$	3,442		$	21,302
	Current portion of long-term debt	$	—		$	3,413
	Accounts Payable	2,240			1,568
	Accrued Expense	504			3,447
	Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	460			7,550
	Customer Deposits	41			—
	Total current liabilities	3,245			15,978
	Long-Term Debt, less current portion	—			5
	Total Liabilities	$	3,245		$	15,983

Property_and_Equipment_Tables

Property and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Property and Equipment	'
Schedule of components of property and equipment	'
	Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013			2012
	Buildings & improvements	$	41		$	37
	Construction equipment	21			21
	Furniture	338			337
	Office equipment	3,565			2,998
	Transportation equipment	329			338
		4,294			3,731
	Less accumulated depreciation	(2,732		)	(2,046		)
		$	1,562		$	1,685

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_1

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	'
Summary of the Company's goodwill	'
	The following is a summary of the Company’s goodwill (in thousands):
		Continuing
		Operations			Discontinued Operations
		AEM			AEM			C&I			Total
	Balance at December 31, 2011	$	6,009		$	5,849		$	923		$	12,781
	Corporate reorganization	—			923			(923		)	—
	Goodwill impairment	—			(1,435		)	—			(1,435		)
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	6,009		$	5,337		$	—		$	11,346
	Sale of public sector	—			(5,337		)	—			(5,337		)
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	6,009		$	—		$	—		$	6,009
Schedule of components of intangible assets	'
	The components of intangible assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):
		Weighted		Gross Book			Accumulated			Impairment			Net Book
		Average		Value			Amortization						Value
		Remaining
		Life (months)
	As of December 31, 2013
	Amortized intangible assets:
	Technology and software	—		125			125			—			—
	Total			$	125		$	125		$	—		$	—
	As of December 31, 2012
	Amortized intangible assets:
	Technology and software	3		125			115			—			10
	Total			$	125		$	115		$	—		$	10

Accrued_Expenses_Tables

Accrued Expenses (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Accrued Expenses	'
Schedule of components of accrued expenses	'
	Accrued expenses are comprised of the following (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013		2012
	Compensation	$	1,423	$	644
	Interest	—		2
	Job costs	73		214
	Rent	151		507
	Sales tax payable	1,184		1,159
	Taxes	71		27
	Other	5		24
		$	2,907	$	2,577

Long_Term_Debt_Tables

Long Term Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Long Term Debt	'
Schedule of the Company's long term debt	'
	The Company’s long term debt consists of the following (in thousands):
	December 31,	2013		2012 (1)
	Subordinated convertible term notes (less debt discount of $1.4 million as of December 31, 2012), 12-1/2% due on October 22, 2017. Exchanged for Series A Preferred Stock on September 23, 2013.	—		4,748
	Total debt	—		8,153
	Less current portion	—		3,405
	Long-term debt, less current maturities	$	—	$	4,748
	(1)         Excludes $3,405 due to PNC Bank which is included in current liabilities of discontinued operations.  Please see Note 12 for additional information regarding this note.

Interest_Expense_Tables

Interest Expense (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Interest Expense	'
Schedule of interest expense	'
	Interest expense is comprised of the following (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Line of credit (1) (Note 11)	$	3		$	21
	Term Note (Note 12)	168			212
	Subordinated convertible notes (Note 13)	575			137
	Other	1			8
	Change in value of interest rate swap (Note 12)	(12		)	22
	Amortization of deferred issuance costs and debt discount (Notes 14)	1,689			103
	Total Interest Expense	$	2,424		$	503
	Continuing operations	2,052			215
	Discontinued operations	$	372		$	288
	(1)         Expense represents unused line fees.

Lease_Commitments_Tables

Lease Commitments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Lease Commitments	'
Schedule of future annual minimum rentals to be paid by the Company under non-cancellable operating leases	'
	Future annual minimum rentals to be paid by the Company under these non-cancellable operating leases as of December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
	Year ending December 31,	Total
	2014	763
	2015	649
	2016	443
	2017	290
	2018	281
	2019	286
	2020	287
	2021	290
	2022	47
	Total	$	3,336

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Taxes	'
Schedule of composition of income tax expense (benefit)	'
	The composition of income tax expense (benefit) is as follows (in thousands):
	Year ended December 31	2013			2012
	Deferred
	Federal	$	(6,245	)	$	(12,200	)
	State	(1,511		)	(2,943		)
	Change in valuation allowance	7,756			15,143
	Total	$	—		$	—
Schedule of significant components of the Company's net deferred tax asset	'
	Significant components of the Company’s net deferred tax asset are as follows (in thousands):
	December 31	2013			2012
	Deferred Tax Assets:
	Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards	$	53,862		$	47,020
	Stock-based compensation	6,242			6,242
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	1,190			938
	Goodwill	151			239
	Property & equipment	56			681
	Other	643			870
	Amortization of intangibles	1,129			—
	Valuation allowance	(63,273		)	(55,517		)
	Total deferred tax assets	$	—		$	473
	Deferred Tax Liabilities:
	Amortization of intangibles	—			(473		)
	Net deferred tax asset (liability)	$	—		$	—
Schedule of reconciliation of the statutory federal rate of 34% and the effective income tax rate for continuing operations	'
	Year ended December 31,	2013		2012
	Federal income tax at statutory rate	34	%	34	%
	State and local taxes, net of federal benefit	6	%	5	%
	Other	9	%	1	%
	Valuation Reserve	(49.0	)%	(40.0	)%
	Effective income tax rate	0	%	0	%

Equity_Transactions_Tables

Equity Transactions (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity Transactions	'
Summary of warrants outstanding	'
		Warrants Outstanding
	Exercise Price	Number	Weighted	Weighted
		Outstanding at	Average	Average
		December 31,	Remaining	Exercise
		2013	Contractual	Price
			Life
	$2.83 - $4.00	869,209	4.8 years	$	3.15
	$4.01 - $10.00	644,991	3.8 years	4.69
	$10.01 - $25.00	715	2.0 years	22.4
	$25.01 - $735.00	783	1.0 years	92.6
		1,515,698	4.4 years	$	3.86

Stock_Options_Tables

Stock Options (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Stock Options	'
Summary of options granted, exercised, forfeited and outstanding	'
		Shares		Exercise		Weighted
				Price Per		Average
				Share		Exercise
						Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2011	591,718		$21.28 - $1,844.85		$	40.84
	Granted	82,341		$3.64 - $24.78		$	18.04
	Exercised	—
	Forfeited	(165,423	)	$21.28 - $984.90		$	41.42
	Outstanding at December 31, 2012	508,636		$3.64 - $1,844.85		$	37
	Granted	2,859		$4.27 – $4.27		$	4.27
	Exercised	—
	Forfeited	(64,861	)	$22.82 - $1,844.85		$	36.76
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	446,634		$3.64 - $1,675.80		$	36.82
	Options exercisable at December 31, 2013	340,557		$3.64 – $1,675.80		$	39.84
	Options exercisable at December 31, 2012	351,949		$22.82 – $1,844.85		$	42
	Options exercisable at December 31, 2011	364,134		$21.28 – $1,844.85		$	47.32
Summary of stock options outstanding	'
		Options Outstanding						Options Exercisable
	Exercise Price	Number		Weighted		Weighted		Number	Weighted
		Outstanding		Average		Average		Exercisable at	Average
		at December		Remaining		Exercise Price		December 31,	Exercise Price
		31, 2013		Contractual				2013
				Life
	$3.64 - $4.00	14,286		8.9 years		$	3.64	14,286	$	3.64
	$4.01 - $5.00	2,859		9.7 years		$	4.27	—	$	0
	$5.01 - $6.00	7,143		8.7 years		$	5.25	2,381	$	5.25
	$6.01 - $20.00	—						—
	$20.01 - $50.00	365,098		5.7 years		$	32.56	266,642	$	33.92
	$50.01 - $100.00	57,056		3.2 years		$	73.47	57,056	$	73.47
	$100.01 - $1,675.80	192		.3 years		$	1,384.19	192	$	1,384.19
	$3.64 - $1,675.80	446,634		5.5 years		$	36.82	340,557	$	39.84
Schedule of weighted-average significant assumptions used to determine fair values of stock options	'
	Year ended December 31,	2013			2012
	Weighted average fair value per options granted	$	1.98		$	1.6
	Significant assumptions (weighted average):
	Risk-free interest rate at grant date	0.02		%	0.02		%
	Expected stock price volatility	62		%	71		%
	Expected dividend payout	—			—
	Expected option life (years) (1)	5.7			6
	Expected turn-over rate	4.8		%	5		%
	Expected exercise multiple	2.2			2.2
	(1)         The Company continues to use the simplified method to estimate expected term due to the historical structural changes to its business such that historical exercise data may no longer provide a reasonable basis on which to estimate expected term.
Schedule of total unrecognized compensation cost expected to be recognized in future period	'
	Year ending December 31,
	2014	$	28,000
	2015	2,000
	Total	$	30,000

Restricted_Stock_Tables

Restricted Stock (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Restricted Stock	'
Schedule of market values on the date of grant of restricted shares granted to non-employee directors for board services	'
	For Board Service:
	Each director upon initial election:	$	40,000
	Annual grant to each director:	$	20,000
Schedule of market values on the date of grant of annual grants of restricted shares to non-employee directors for committee services	'
	Audit Committee:
	Chairman	$	15,000
	Members	$	10,000
	Compensation Committee:
	Chairman	$	10,000
	Members	$	5,000
	Nominating Committee:
	Chairman	$	5,000
	Members	$	2,500
Summary of shares of restricted stock granted, vested, forfeited and outstanding	'
		Restricted		Weighted
		Shares		Average
				Grant-Date
				Fair Value
	Unvested Shares at December 31, 2011	15,286		$	28.99
	Granted	18,582		$	21.16
	Vested	(18,375	)	$	25.39
	Forfeited	(2,622	)	$	16.24
	Unvested Shares at December 31, 2012	12,871		$	25.43
	Granted	92,812		$	3.22
	Vested	(40,732	)	$	8.5
	Forfeited	(2,367	)	$	6.83
	Unvested Shares at December 31, 2013	62,584		$	4.22

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D1

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	'
Schedule of unaudited quarterly results	'
	All amounts, except per share data are presented in thousands.
		Fiscal 2013 Quarters Ended,
		March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31			Total
	Revenue	$	11,216		$	12,943		$	13,354		$	14,052		$	51,565
	Gross profit	2,626			3,751			3,703			3,727			13,807
	Loss from continuing operations	(3,656		)	(1,918		)	(3,511		)	(2,052		)	(11,137		)
	Loss from discontinued operations	(3,050		)	(128		)	(329		)	(992		)	(4,499		)
	Net loss	(6,706		)	(2,046		)	(3,840		)	(3,044		)	(15,636		)
	Preferred dividends	—			—			(23		)	(2,852		)	(2,875		)
	Net loss available to common stockholders	(6,706		)	(2,046		)	(3,863		)	(5,896		)	(18,511		)
	Basic and diluted loss per common share from:
	Continuing operations	$	(1.02	)	$	(0.53	)	$	(0.98	)	$	(1.36	)	$	(3.90	)
	Discontinued operations	$	(0.85	)	$	(0.04	)	$	(0.09	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(1.25	)
	Weighted averages shares	3,595			3,593			3,593			3,600			3,595
		Fiscal 2012 Quarters Ended,
		March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31			Total
	Revenue	$	8,539		$	8,012		$	8,622		$	10,274		$	35,447
	Gross profit	1,874			1,678			1,644			2,142			7,338
	Loss from continuing operations	(2,511		)	(3,888		)	(4,805		)	(4,548		)	(15,752		)
	Loss from discontinued operations	(1,677		)	(773		)	(1,793		)	(11,817		)	(16,060		)
	Net loss	(4,188		)	(4,661		)	(6,598		)	(16,365		)	(31,812		)
	Basic and diluted loss per common share from:
	Continuing operations	$	(0.73	)	$	(1.11	)	$	(1.34	)	$	(1.27	)	$	(4.48	)
	Discontinued operations	$	(0.49	)	$	(0.22	)	$	(0.50	)	$	(3.30	)	$	(4.56	)
	Weighted averages shares	3,425			3,498			3,578			3,577			3,520

Summary_of_Significant_Account3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 28, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013
		ESCO business	ESCO business	Purchases	Purchases	Purchases	Purchases	Total revenues	Total revenues
				Supplier	Supplier	Supplier	Supplier	Customer	Customer
				One supplier	Two suppliers	Supplier A	Supplier B	Three utility programs	Four utility programs
				item	item			item	item
Concentration of risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of customers	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	3	4
Number of suppliers	'	'	'	1	2	'	'	'	'
Percentage of concentration risk	'	'	'	49.00%	'	41.00%	12.00%	86.00%	75.00%
Goodwill	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill impairment	$1,435	$1,400	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Carrying value of goodwill	$5,337	$5,300	$5,337	'	'	'	'	'	'

Summary_of_Significant_Account4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 2) (Allowance for doubtful accounts, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Allowance for doubtful accounts	'	'
Changes to the allowance for doubtful accounts	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	$960	$279
Additions charged to costs and expenses	886	814
Amounts written-off	-22	-133
Balance at the end of the period	$1,824	$960

Summary_of_Significant_Account5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 3) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
		Buildings	Office equipment	Office equipment	Furniture	Furniture	Transportation equipment	Transportation equipment
			Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
Property and equipment	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'	'39 years	'3 years	'5 years	'5 years	'10 years	'3 years	'5 years
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Impairment loss of assets	$3.20	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Summary_of_Significant_Account6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 4) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
		item
Revenue Recognition	'	'	'
Number of criteria to be met for revenue recognition	'	4	'
Billings in excess of total cost	$1,506,000	$1,711,000	$1,506,000
Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts	'	'	'
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	3,327,000	6,625,000	3,327,000
Other Liabilities	'	'	'
Amount of purchases agreed by supplier over a specified period	5,300,000	'	'
Agreed period to purchases by supplier	'23 months	'	'
Other liabilities	5,300,000	3,200,000	5,300,000
Advertising, Marketing and Promotional Costs	'	'	'
Advertising, marketing and promotional expenditure	'	$152,000	$212,000
Technology and software | Minimum	'	'	'
Intangible assets	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'	'5 years	'
Technology and software | Maximum	'	'	'
Intangible assets	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'	'7 years	'

Summary_of_Significant_Account7

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 5)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Net loss per share	'	'
Weighted average shares not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders	2,789,908	981,500
Outstanding options	'	'
Net loss per share	'	'
Weighted average shares not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders	469,625	624,588
Outstanding warrants	'	'
Net loss per share	'	'
Weighted average shares not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders	767,643	145,695
Convertible preferred stock	'	'
Net loss per share	'	'
Weighted average shares not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders	655,599	'
Convertible debt	'	'
Net loss per share	'	'
Weighted average shares not included in the basic and diluted loss per share available to common stockholders	897,041	211,217

Summary_of_Significant_Account8

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 6) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-Based Compensation	'	'
Total Stock Compensation Expense	$867	$1,784
Stock options	'	'
Share-Based Compensation	'	'
Total Stock Compensation Expense	698	1,322
Restricted stock	'	'
Share-Based Compensation	'	'
Total Stock Compensation Expense	169	481
Employee Stock Purchase Plan	'	'
Share-Based Compensation	'	'
Total Stock Compensation Expense	'	($19)

Sale_of_ESCO_Business_Details

Sale of ESCO Business (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Aug. 31, 2013
Sale of ESCO business	'	'	'	'
Liabilities assumed	'	$15,983,000	$3,245,000	'
Assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations	'	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	'	10,017,000	2,423,000	'
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	'	1,567,000	1,019,000	'
Goodwill	'	5,337,000	'	'
Total Assets	'	21,302,000	3,442,000	'
Accounts payable	'	1,568,000	2,240,000	'
Accrued expenses	'	3,447,000	504,000	'
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	'	7,550,000	460,000	'
Total Liabilities	'	15,983,000	3,245,000	'
ESCO business	'	'	'	'
Sale of ESCO business	'	'	'	'
Purchase price of assets sold, subject to working capital adjustment	4,000,000	'	'	'
Liabilities assumed	9,803,000	'	'	'
Purchase price of assets sold, after application of working capital adjustment	1,900,000	'	'	'
Effective purchase price	11,700,000	'	'	'
Excess of carrying value over fair market value of business sold	'	3,200,000	'	'
Assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations	'	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	4,680,000	'	'	'
Retention receivable	1,048,000	'	'	'
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	591,000	'	'	'
Precontract cost	8,000	'	'	'
Goodwill	5,337,000	5,300,000	'	'
Total Assets	11,664,000	'	'	'
Accounts payable	1,226,000	'	'	'
Accrued expenses	133,000	'	'	'
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	8,432,000	'	'	'
Vehicle loans	11,000	'	'	'
Other liabilities	1,000	'	'	'
Total Liabilities	9,803,000	'	'	'
Gain or loss resulting from sale of business	'	'	0	'
Maximum period from the closing for determining a final calculation of the Closing Net Working Capital to be provided by the seller	'90 days	'	'	'
Additional consideration the buyer owed the seller determined based on the final Closing Net Working Capital	'	'	'	$128,000

GESPort_Charlotte_Details

GES-Port Charlotte (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2011	Nov. 01, 2013	Oct. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2010	Nov. 01, 2013
		GESPC	LEAD	LEAD	LEAD	LEAD	LEAD	LEAD	LEAD
				MW	GESPC	GESPC	GESPC	GESPC	GESPC
									Secured and unsecured debt
GES-Port Charlotte	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Amount paid to acquire	'	'	'	'	'	$2,650,000	'	'	'
Landfill-gas to electricity facility the construction of which is completed (in megawatts)	'	'	'	2.8	'	'	'	'	'
Cost to construct the facility	'	'	4,700,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
U.S. Treasury Grant received for the project	'	'	1,800,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Impairment charge	'	3,500,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Contribution on part of the seller toward cost of wellfield improvements	'	'	'	'	152,300	'	'	'	'
Hold-back amount of the purchase price for the membership interest (as a percentage)	'	'	'	'	5.00%	'	'	'	'
Hold-back amount of the purchase price for the membership interest	'	'	'	'	165,000	'	'	'	'
Hold-back amount of the purchase price reduction on February 2, 2014	'	'	'	'	60,000	'	'	'	'
Hold-back amount of the purchase price reduction on July 2, 2014	'	'	'	'	40,000	'	'	'	'
Hold-back amount of the purchase price reduction on November 2, 2014	'	'	'	'	65,000	'	'	'	'
Amount of purchase price for which seller has entered into a debt	3,600,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Price paid for the membership interest	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	3,300,000
Term of the power purchase agreement	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'20 years	'
Term of the debt instrument	'	'	'	'	'1 year	'	'	'	'
Period for which buyer has agreed to subordinate its lien to that of a senior lender to the entity	'	'	'	'	'6 months	'	'	'	'
Total obligation assumed	'	'	'	'	400,000	'	'	'	'
Total obligation assumed monthly payments	'	'	'	'	50,000	'	'	'	'
Loss on sale of GESPC	'	'	'	'	27,000	'	'	'	'
Impairment charge due to reduction in carrying value of GESPC's assets	'	'	'	'	'	'	$27,000	'	'

Discontinued_Operations_Detail

Discontinued Operations (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenue and loss related to discontinued operations	'	'
Revenue	$6,805	$44,133
Operating Loss	-4,499	-16,060
Assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations	'	'
Cash	'	380
Accounts Receivable	2,423	10,017
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts	1,019	1,567
Prepaid expenses and other	'	41
Total current assets	3,442	12,005
Deferred financing costs	'	228
Net Property and Equipment, net	'	3,732
Goodwill	'	5,337
Total long-term assets	'	9,297
Total Assets	3,442	21,302
Current portion of long-term debt	'	3,413
Accounts Payable	2,240	1,568
Accrued Expense	504	3,447
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts	460	7,550
Customer Deposits	41	'
Total current liabilities	3,245	15,978
Long-Term Debt, less current portion	'	5
Total Liabilities	$3,245	$15,983

Impairment_Loss_Details

Impairment Loss (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
			ESCO business	GES-Port Charlotte subsidiary	GES-Port Charlotte subsidiary	GES-Port Charlotte subsidiary
						Generating assets
Impairment Loss	'	'	'	'	'	'
Carrying amount of the intangible asset	'	'	'	'	$2,500,000	'
Fair value of intangible assets	'	'	'	'	0	'
Impairment loss on intangible assets	'	'	'	'	2,500,000	'
Carrying amount of assets	1,685,000	1,562,000	'	'	'	4,600,000
Fair value of assets	'	'	'	'	'	3,500,000
Asset impairment charges	'	'	'	'	'	1,100,000
Impairment loss	'	'	3,200,000	27,000	'	'
Goodwill impairment loss	1,435,000	'	1,400,000	'	'	'
Carrying value of property, plant and equipment	3,732,000	'	0	'	'	'
Carrying value of intangible assets	'	'	$0	'	'	'

Property_and_Equipment_Details

Property and Equipment (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Property and equipment	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	$4,294,000	$3,731,000
Less accumulated depreciation	-2,732,000	-2,046,000
Property and equipment, net	1,562,000	1,685,000
Depreciation expense	1,000,000	1,100,000
Depreciation from discontinued operations	203,000	412,000
Buildings & improvements	'	'
Property and equipment	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	41,000	37,000
Construction equipment	'	'
Property and equipment	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	21,000	21,000
Furniture	'	'
Property and equipment	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	338,000	337,000
Office equipment	'	'
Property and equipment	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	3,565,000	2,998,000
Transportation equipment	'	'
Property and equipment	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	$329,000	$338,000

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_2

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
			Continuing Operations	Continuing Operations	Continuing Operations	Discontinued Operations	Discontinued Operations	Discontinued Operations
			AEM	AEM	AEM	C&I	AEM	AEM
Changes in goodwill	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	$6,009	$12,781	$6,009	$6,009	$6,009	$923	$5,337	$5,849
Sale of public sector	-5,337	'	'	'	'	'	-5,337	'
Corporate reorganization	'	'	'	'	'	-923	'	923
Goodwill impairment	'	-1,435	'	'	'	'	'	-1,435
Balance at the end of the period	$6,009	$6,009	$6,009	$6,009	$6,009	'	'	$5,337

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_3

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Amortized intangible assets:	'	'
Gross Book Value	$125,000	$125,000
Accumulated Amortization	125,000	115,000
Net Book Value	'	10,000
Aggregate amortization expense	10,000	25,000
Continuing operations	'	'
Amortized intangible assets:	'	'
Aggregate amortization expense	10,000	25,000
Discontinued operations	'	'
Amortized intangible assets:	'	'
Aggregate amortization expense	0	668,000
Technology and software	'	'
Amortized intangible assets:	'	'
Weighted Average Remaining Life	'	'3 months
Gross Book Value	125,000	125,000
Accumulated Amortization	125,000	115,000
Net Book Value	'	$10,000

Accrued_Expenses_Details

Accrued Expenses (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accrued Expenses	'	'
Compensation	$1,423	$644
Interest	'	2
Job costs	73	214
Rent	151	507
Sales tax payable	1,184	1,159
Taxes	71	27
Other	5	24
Accrued expenses	$2,907	$2,577

Revolving_Line_of_Credit_Detai

Revolving Line of Credit (Details) (Revolving line of credit, USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 09, 2011
Revolving Line of Credit	'	'
Maximum borrowing capacity	'	$7,000,000
Interest rate, minimum	4.68%	'
Unused fee rate	0.30%	'
Prime Rate	'	'
Revolving Line of Credit	'	'
Basis of interest rate	'Prime Rate	'
Percentage points added to interest rate	0.63%	'
Minimum	'	'
Revolving Line of Credit	'	'
Current ratio	0.0155	'
Maximum	'	'
Revolving Line of Credit	'	'
Tangible leverage ratio	0.013	'

Notes_Payable_Details

Notes Payable (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 03, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jul. 02, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
		GES	GES	GES	GES	GES	GES	GES
		Term loan	Term loan	Term loan	Term loan	Term loan	Term loan	Term loan
					LIBOR	30-day LIBOR	Minimum	Maximum
Notes Payable	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Amount borrowed	$6,050,000	$3,600,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Amortization period used for calculating the monthly payment of principal and interest	'	'	'20 years	'	'	'	'	'
Mandatory pre-payment as a percentage of Excess Cash Flow	'	'	50.00%	'	'	'	'	'
Amount of capital expenditure used in calculation of Excess Cash Flow	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	10,000
Excess Cash Flow payment	'	'	'	0	'	'	'	'
Reference rate for variable interest rate	'	'	'	'	'LIBOR	'30-day LIBOR	'	'
Percentage points added to the reference rate	'	'	'	'	9.00%	5.00%	'	'
Debt service coverage ratio	'	'	'	'	'	'	1.35	'
Principal amount of debt hedged under interest rate swap	'	'	1,900,000	'	'	'	'	'
Fixed interest rate (as a percent)	'	'	6.56%	'	'	'	'	'
Fair market value of the interest rate swap	'	'	'	$66,000	'	'	'	'

Conversion_of_Subordinated_Deb1

Conversion of Subordinated Debt and Sale of Series A Preferred Stock (Details) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

Dec. 30, 2013

Dec. 30, 2013

Sep. 23, 2013

Feb. 04, 2014

Oct. 22, 2012

Sep. 23, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Feb. 04, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 23, 2013

Sep. 23, 2013

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Notes

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Subsequent event

Subsequent event

Minimum

Warrants

Notes

D

Conversion of Subordinated Debt and Sale of Preferred Stock

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Shares purchased by investors

'

'

'

'

'

926,223

957,624

'

0

'

'

'

'

Sale price per share (in dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$10

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Purchase price received in cash

$4,000,000

'

'

'

'

$2,500,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Purchase price for preferred shares through exchange of principal amount and accrued interest of convertible debt

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

6,779,950

Accruing dividend per annum on preferred shares (as a percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

12.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Conversion Price (in dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

$3.78

$3.58

'

$3.51

$3.50

'

'

Percentage of common stock closing price that triggers conversion

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

200.00%

'

'

Number of days within trading period in which closing price equals or exceeds threshold to trigger conversion

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

20

'

'

Number of days in trading period used to determine conversion

'

'

'

'

'

'

'30 days

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of days within trading period in which closing price equals or exceeds threshold prior to forced conversion by the company

'

'

'

'

'

'

'5 days

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent before the first anniversary of the issuance

'

'

'

'

'

'

103.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent after first anniversary but before the second anniversary

'

'

'

'

'

'

102.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent after second anniversary but before the third anniversary

'

'

'

'

'

'

101.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent after third anniversary

'

'

'

'

'

'

100.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrant issued to purchase shares of common stock (in shares)

'

565,372

264,551

282,686

644,991

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Exercise price of warrant to purchase shares of common stock (in dollars per share)

'

$2.83

$3.78

$2.83

$4.69

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Term of warrants

'

'5 years

'5 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Beneficial conversion feature

'

'

'

'

'

415,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Value of beneficial conversion feature and warrants

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$415,000

'

Subordinated_Convertible_Term_1

Subordinated Convertible Term Notes (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 22, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Subordinated Convertible Term Notes	'	'	'	'
Amount lent under purchase agreement	'	'	'	$6,050,000
Amortization of the discount	'	'	1,439,000	50,000
Remaining unamortized discount	'	'	'	1,439,000
Amortization of deferred issuance costs	'	'	250,000	57,000
Subordinated convertible term notes	'	'	'	'
Subordinated Convertible Term Notes	'	'	'	'
Amount lent under purchase agreement	6,050,000	'	'	'
Term of the debt instrument	'	'	'5 years	'
Interest rate (as a percent)	'	'	12.50%	'
Warrant issued to purchase shares of common stock (in shares)	644,991	'	'	'
Exercise price of warrant to purchase shares of common stock (in dollars per share)	$4.69	'	'	'
Warrant term	'5 years	'	'	'
Warrants valued by using a modified Hull-White trinomial option pricing model	1,400,000	'	'	'
Value allocated to the Notes	4,924,000	'	'	'
Number of shares of common stock into which the term notes are convertible	1,179,912	'	'	'
Conversion price (in dollars per share)	$4.48	'	'	'
If-converted value of the Notes	5,286,000	'	'	'
Difference between the market value of the shares issuable upon conversion and the value allocated to the notes	362,000	'	'	'
Amortization of the discount	'	'	200,000	50,000
Remaining unamortized discount	'	1,200,000	'	1,400,000
Costs incurred related to issuance of the notes	37,000	30,000	'	'
Amortization of deferred issuance costs	'	'	5,000	2,000
Accrued interest of note	'	$712,000	$575,000	$137,000

Sale_of_Series_B_Preferred_Sto1

Sale of Series B Preferred Stock (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 30, 2013	Sep. 23, 2013	Dec. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
	Warrants	Warrants	Series B Preferred Shares	Series B Preferred Shares	Series B Preferred Shares	Series B Preferred Shares	Series B Preferred Shares
						Warrants	Minimum
							D
Sale of Series B Preferred Stock	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Shares purchased by investors	'	'	400,000	401,232	0	'	'
Sale price per share (in dollars per share)	'	'	$10	'	'	'	'
Accruing dividend per annum on preferred shares (as a percent)	'	'	'	12.50%	'	'	'
Conversion Price (in dollars per share)	'	'	'	$2.83	'	'	$2.50
Percentage of common stock closing price that triggers conversion	'	'	'	'	'	'	200.00%
Number of days within trading period in which closing price equals or exceeds threshold to trigger conversion	'	'	'	'	'	'	20
Number of days in trading period used to determine conversion	'	'	'	'30 days	'	'	'
Number of days within trading period in which closing price equals or exceeds threshold prior to forced conversion by the company	'	'	'	'5 days	'	'	'
Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent before the first anniversary of the issuance	'	'	'	103.00%	'	'	'
Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent after first anniversary but before the second anniversary	'	'	'	102.00%	'	'	'
Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent after second anniversary but before the third anniversary	'	'	'	101.00%	'	'	'
Percentage of redemption factor at which preferred shares are redeemable if notice is sent after third anniversary	'	'	'	100.00%	'	'	'
Warrant issued to purchase shares of common stock (in shares)	565,372	264,551	'	'	'	'	'
Exercise price of warrant to purchase shares of common stock (in dollars per share)	$2.83	$3.78	'	'	'	'	'
Term of warrants	'5 years	'5 years	'	'	'	'	'
Beneficial conversion feature	'	'	$665	'	'	'	'
Value of beneficial conversion feature and warrants	'	'	'	'	'	$665	'

Letter_of_Credit_Agreement_Det

Letter of Credit Agreement (Details) (Letter of credit agreement, Richard Kiphart, USD $)	0 Months Ended
	Dec. 07, 2012
Letter of Credit Agreement	'
Aggregate borrowing capacity	$1,000,000
Number of business days from receipt of Mr. Kiphart's written demand to pay indemnification, fees and expenses	'10 days
Warrant issued to purchase shares of common stock (in shares)	39,286
Exercise price of warrant to purchase shares of common stock (in dollars per share)	$3.57
Warrant term	'3 years
Fair value of warrant at date of issuance	$56,000
Minimum	'
Letter of Credit Agreement	'
Number of letters of credit issued	1

Long_Term_Debt_Details

Long Term Debt (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Long Term Debt	'	'	'
Total debt	'	'	$8,153
Less current portion	'	'	3,405
Long-term debt, less current maturities	'	'	4,748
Debt discount	'	'	1,439
Subordinated convertible term notes	'	'	'
Long Term Debt	'	'	'
Total debt	'	'	4,748
Debt discount	'	1,200	1,400
Interest rate (as a percent)	12.50%	'	'
Term note	'	'	'
Long Term Debt	'	'	'
Less current portion	'	'	$3,405

Interest_Expense_Details

Interest Expense (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Interest expense	'	'	'
Expense relating to unused line fees	'	$3,000	$21,000
Change in value of interest rate swap	'	-12,000	22,000
Amortization of deferred issuance costs and debt discount	'	1,689,000	103,000
Total Interest Expense	'	2,424,000	503,000
Continuing operations	'	2,052,000	215,000
Discontinued operations	'	372,000	288,000
Term Note	'	'	'
Interest expense	'	'	'
Interest expense	'	168,000	212,000
Subordinated convertible notes	'	'	'
Interest expense	'	'	'
Interest expense	712,000	575,000	137,000
Other	'	'	'
Interest expense	'	'	'
Interest expense	'	$1,000	$8,000

Lease_Commitments_Details

Lease Commitments (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Lease Commitments	'	'
Rent paid for offices leased from unrelated third parties	$739,000	$733,000
Future annual minimum rentals to be paid under non-cancellable operating leases	'	'
2014	763,000	'
2015	649,000	'
2016	443,000	'
2017	290,000	'
2018	281,000	'
2019	286,000	'
2020	287,000	'
2021	290,000	'
2022	47,000	'
Total	$3,336,000	'

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Deferred	'	'
Federal	($6,245,000)	($12,200,000)
State	-1,511,000	-2,943,000
Change in valuation allowance	7,756,000	15,143,000
Deferred Tax Assets:	'	'
Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards	53,862,000	47,020,000
Stock-based compensation	6,242,000	6,242,000
Allowance for doubtful accounts	1,190,000	938,000
Goodwill	151,000	239,000
Property & equipment	56,000	681,000
Other	643,000	870,000
Amortization of intangibles	1,129,000	'
Valuation allowance	-63,273,000	-55,517,000
Total deferred tax assets	'	473,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities:	'	'
Amortization of intangibles	'	-473,000
Reconciliation of the statutory federal rate of 34% and the effective income tax rate for continuing operations	'	'
Federal income tax at statutory rate (as a percent)	34.00%	34.00%
State and local taxes, net of federal benefit (as a percent)	6.00%	5.00%
Other (as a percent)	9.00%	1.00%
Valuation Reserve (as a percent)	-49.00%	-40.00%
Effective income tax rate (as a percent)	0.00%	0.00%
Uncertain tax positions	'	'
Uncertain tax positions	0	'
Period of statute of limitations applicable to the entity's income tax returns	'3 years	'
U.S. federal	'	'
Operating loss carryforwards	'	'
Net operating loss carryforwards	147,000,000	'
Net operating loss carryforwards which may expire unused due to Section 382 limitations	$8,500,000	'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (Indemnification, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and contingencies	'
Maximum indemnification insurance coverage	$10
Indemnification insurance coverage incurred	5.4
Minimum	'
Commitments and contingencies	'
Possible costs exceeding indemnification insurance coverage	5.5
Maximum	'
Commitments and contingencies	'
Possible costs exceeding indemnification insurance coverage	$6

Equity_Transactions_Details

Equity Transactions (Details) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 30, 2013

Sep. 23, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 30, 2013

Sep. 23, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Jan. 31, 2012

15-May-12

Dec. 07, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Jan. 31, 2012

Mar. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

item

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series A Preferred Stock

Series B Preferred Stock

Series B Preferred Stock

Series B Preferred Stock

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Warrants

Consultant

Chairman

Chairman

Stock options

Stock options

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Non-Employee Directors' Stock Plan

Non-Employee Directors' Stock Plan

Non-Employee Directors' Stock Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Employee Recognition Program

Employee Recognition Program

$2.83 - $4.00

$4.01 - $10.00

$10.01 - $25.00

$25.01 - $735.00

Warrants

Senior employees

Senior employees

Senior employees

Outside directors

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

item

item

item

item

item

item

Outside directors

Outside directors

item

item

Equity Transactions

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of shares purchased on exercise of stock options

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

7,707

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of shares exercised on cashless basis

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5,197

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of shares exchanged on exercise of options on cashless basis

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

4,027

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Shares issued as a result of exercise of options exercised on a cash and cashless basis

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3,680

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Shares issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

142,858

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

14

35

Shares issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

10,946

'

'

Shares granted

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

92,812

18,582

8,543

15,435

49,951

6,644

43,489

8,733

'

'

'

Number of directors to whom shares are granted

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5

7

5

5

'

'

'

Portion of award vesting upon grant date (as a percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50.00%

50.00%

50.00%

'

'

'

Portion of award vesting on the first anniversary of the grant date (as a percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50.00%

50.00%

50.00%

'

'

'

Shares purchased by investors

'

926,223

957,624

0

401,232

400,000

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Amount received on issuance of shares

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$170,599

'

'

Number of employees to whom shares are issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

9

8

'

'

'

'

'

2

10

Shares issued as compensation for services

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

877

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Closing bid price (in dollars per share)

'

$10

'

'

'

$10

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$17.85

'

'

$2.89

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrants

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrant issued to purchase shares of common stock (in shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

565,372

264,551

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

39,286

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of investors to whom Series B preferred stock and warrants are issued to purchase shares of common stock

2

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Purchase price received in cash

4,000,000

2,500,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Amount of letter of credit issued to support issuance of surety bonds

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$1,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrants Outstanding

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Range of exercise price, lower limit (in dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$2.83

$4.01

$10.01

$25.01

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Range of exercise price, upper limit (in dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$4

$10

$25

$735

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number Outstanding (in shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,515,698

'

'

697,205

869,209

644,991

715

783

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'4 years 4 months 24 days

'

'

'

'4 years 9 months 18 days

'3 years 9 months 18 days

'2 years

'1 year

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$3.86

'

'

'

$3.15

$4.69

$22.40

$92.60

'

'

$3.57

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stock_Options_Details

Stock Options (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended					12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 26, 2008	Jun. 04, 2008	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 25, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 26, 2008	Mar. 25, 2010
	Stock options	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	2008 Plan	November, 2008 amendment of the 2008 Plan	March, 2010 amendment of the 2008 Plan
				item			ISO	ISO	ISO
								Minimum	Minimum
									Participant who owns more than 10%
Stock options	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Shares authorized	'	90,000	40,000	201,425	407,143	161,429	'	'	'	'	'
Additional number of shares reserved for issuance per year	'	35,715	14,286	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Increase in number of shares authorized	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	50,000	245,714
Increase in additional number of shares reserved for issuance per year	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	21,429	'
Exercise price expressed as a percentage of the fair market value	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	100.00%	110.00%	'	'
Ownership percentage that triggers a higher exercise price	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	10.00%	'	'
Maximum aggregate fair market value of shares under options granted required to qualify as an ISO	'	'	'	'	'	'	$100,000	'	'	'	'
Term of options	'	'	'	'	'	'	'10 years	'	'	'	'
Number of eligible employees to participate in the plan	'	'	'	123	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Expiration term of award	'10 years	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Stock_Options_Details_2

Stock Options (Details 2) (Stock options, USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Shares	'	'	'
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)	508,636	591,718	'
Granted (in shares)	2,859	82,341	'
Forfeited (in shares)	-64,861	-165,423	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	446,634	508,636	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	340,557	351,949	364,134
Weighted Average Exercise Price	'	'	'
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$37	$40.84	'
Granted (in dollars per share)	$4.27	$18.04	'
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	$36.76	$41.42	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$36.82	$37	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$39.84	$42	$47.32
Minimum	'	'	'
Exercise Price Per Share	'	'	'
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$3.64	$21.28	'
Granted (in dollars per share)	$4.27	$3.64	'
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	$22.82	$21.28	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$3.64	$3.64	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$3.64	$22.82	$21.28
Maximum	'	'	'
Exercise Price Per Share	'	'	'
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$1,844.85	$1,844.85	'
Granted (in dollars per share)	$4.27	$24.78	'
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	$1,844.85	$984.90	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$1,675.80	$1,844.85	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$1,675.80	$1,844.85	$1,844.85

Stock_Options_Details_3

Stock Options (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
$3.64 - $4.00	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$3.64
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$4
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	14,286
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'8 years 10 months 24 days
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$3.64
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable (in shares)	14,286
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$3.64
$4.01 - $5.00	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$4.01
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$5
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	2,859
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'9 years 8 months 12 days
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$4.27
Options Exercisable	'
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$0
$5.01 - $6.00	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$5.01
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$6
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	7,143
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'8 years 8 months 12 days
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$5.25
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable (in shares)	2,381
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$5.25
$6.01 - $20.00	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$6.01
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$20
$20.01 - $50.00	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$20.01
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$50
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	365,098
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'5 years 8 months 12 days
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$32.56
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable (in shares)	266,642
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$33.92
$50.01 - $100.00	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$50.01
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$100
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	57,056
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'3 years 2 months 12 days
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$73.47
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable (in shares)	57,056
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$73.47
$100.01 - $1,675.80	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$100.01
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$1,675.80
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	192
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'3 months 18 days
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$1,384.19
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable (in shares)	192
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$1,384.19
$3.64 - $1,675.80	'
Stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$3.64
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$1,675.80
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding (in shares)	446,634
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'5 years 6 months
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$36.82
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable (in shares)	340,557
Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$39.84

Stock_Options_Details_4

Stock Options (Details 4) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Significant assumptions (weighted average):	'	'
Stock compensation expense	$867,000	$1,784,000
Stock options	'	'
Stock options	'	'
Closing stock price (in dollars per share)	$2.89	'
Aggregate intrinsic value of outstanding options if exercised	0	'
Aggregate intrinsic value of exercisable options	0	'
Weighted-average fair value per option granted (in dollars per share)	$1.98	$1.60
Significant assumptions (weighted average):	'	'
Risk-free interest rate at grant date (as a percent)	0.02%	0.02%
Expected stock price volatility (as a percent)	62.00%	71.00%
Expected option life	'5 years 8 months 12 days	'6 years
Expected turn-over rate (as a percent)	4.80%	5.00%
Expected exercise multiple	2.2	2.2
Stock compensation expense	$698,000	$1,322,000

Stock_Options_Details_5

Stock Options (Details 5) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Stock options	'
Unrecognized compensation expense expected to be recognized	'
2014	$28,000
2015	2,000
Total unrecognized compensation expense	30,000
Cliff Options	'
Unrecognized compensation expense expected to be recognized	'
Total unrecognized compensation expense	$538,000
Period for recognition of unrecognized expense	'1 year 3 months 18 days

Restricted_Stock_Details

Restricted Stock (Details) (USD $)

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Jan. 31, 2012

Mar. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Jun. 03, 2010

Dec. 31, 2013

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Senior employees

Senior employees

Senior employees

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2010 Directors' Plan

2009 Management Incentive Compensation Plan

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Board service

Audit Committee

Audit Committee

Compensation Committee

Compensation Committee

Nominating Committee

Nominating Committee

Senior managers

Director

Chairman

Members

Chairman

Members

Chairman

Members

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted stock

Restricted Stock

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Grant date market value of shares granted upon initial election

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$40,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Market value of annual grants

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

20,000

15,000

10,000

10,000

5,000

5,000

2,500

'

Term in which remaining shares vest after initial grant

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'1 year

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Vesting period

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'3 years

Restricted Shares

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares)

'

'

12,871

15,286

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Granted (in shares)

'

'

92,812

18,582

8,543

15,435

49,951

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Vested (in shares)

'

'

-40,732

-18,375

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Forfeited (in shares)

'

'

-2,367

-2,622

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance at the end of the period (in shares)

'

'

62,584

12,871

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)

'

'

$25.43

$28.99

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Granted (in dollars per share)

'

'

$3.22

$21.16

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Vested (in dollars per share)

'

'

$8.50

$25.39

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Forfeited (in dollars per share)

'

'

$6.83

$16.24

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance at the end of the period (in dollars per share)

'

'

$4.22

$25.43

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Additional disclosure

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share based compensation expense

867,000

1,784,000

169,000

481,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Unrecognized expense

'

'

$165,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted-average period

'

'

'10 years 4 months 24 days

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Employee_Stock_Purchase_Plan_D

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		1 Months Ended		6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 03, 2013
			2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan	2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan	2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan	2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan	2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan	2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan	2013 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
									item
Employee Stock Purchase Plan	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Offering period	'	'	'	'	'	'6 months	'	'	'6 months
Discount on closing market price (as a percent)	'	'	'	'	'	15.00%	'	'	'
Shares authorized	'	'	'	'	'	300,000	'	'	42,858
Shares issued	'	'	47,067	25,905	'	'	'	'	'
Amount received on issuance of shares	'	'	'	'	$91,000	'	'	$80,000	'
Compensation expense	$867,000	$1,784,000	'	'	'	'	($19,000)	'	'
Number of offering periods	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	2

Reverse_Stock_Split_Details

Reverse Stock Split (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 10, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Reverse Stock Split	'	'
Reverse stock split ratio	0.1429	'
Minimum share price requirement for continued listing on NASDAQ (in dollars per share)	'	$1

Legal_Matters_Details

Legal Matters (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jul. 17, 2012	Jan. 21, 2014	Apr. 09, 2013	Mar. 25, 2014
	Satterfield v. Lime Energy Co.	Satterfield v. Lime Energy Co.	Kuberski v. Lime Energy Co.	Kuberski v. Lime Energy Co.
	item	Subsequent event	item	Subsequent event
Legal Matters	'	'	'	'
Number of class actions filed	4	'	'	'
Number of officers	3	'	'	'
Settlement fund amount	'	$2.50	'	'
Amount provided by the Company's directors and officers liability insurers	'	$2.50	'	'
Number of cases consolidated	4	'	2	'
Period to file a notice of appeal by plaintiffs	'	'	'	'30 days

Related_Parties_Details

Related Parties (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 30, 2013
		item
Related Parties	'	'
Number of investors with whom the entity entered in a Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement	'	2
Percentage of ownership of stockholders for which there is no written policy concerning transactions	5.00%	'

Business_Segment_Information_D

Business Segment Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
	item
Business Segment Information	'
Number of operating segments	1

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D2

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	$14,052	$13,354	$12,943	$11,216	$10,274	$8,622	$8,012	$8,539	$51,565	$35,447
Gross profit	3,727	3,703	3,751	2,626	2,142	1,644	1,678	1,874	13,807	7,338
Loss from continuing operations	-2,052	-3,511	-1,918	-3,656	-4,548	-4,805	-3,888	-2,511	-11,137	-15,752
Loss from discontinued operations	-992	-329	-128	-3,050	-11,817	-1,793	-773	-1,677	-4,499	-16,060
Net loss	-3,044	-3,840	-2,046	-6,706	-16,365	-6,598	-4,661	-4,188	-15,636	-31,812
Preferred dividend	-2,852	-23	'	'	'	'	'	'	-2,875	'
Net loss available to common stockholders	($5,896)	($3,863)	($2,046)	($6,706)	'	'	'	'	($18,511)	($31,812)
Basic and diluted loss per common share from:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	($1.36)	($0.98)	($0.53)	($1.02)	($1.27)	($1.34)	($1.11)	($0.73)	($3.90)	($4.48)
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	($0.28)	($0.09)	($0.04)	($0.85)	($3.30)	($0.50)	($0.22)	($0.49)	($1.25)	($4.56)
Weighted average shares	3,600,000	3,593,000	3,593,000	3,595,000	3,577,000	3,578,000	3,498,000	3,425,000	3,595,379	3,520,045

Subsequent_Events_Details

Subsequent Events (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 30, 2013	Sep. 23, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 04, 2014	Feb. 04, 2014	Feb. 04, 2014
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Warrants	Warrants	Series B Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock	Subsequent event	Subsequent event	Subsequent event
							Warrants	Series B Preferred Stock
Subsequent events	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Proceeds from sale of package of securities	'	'	'	'	'	$2	'	'
Shares of preferred stock sold	'	'	401,232	400,000	0	'	'	200,000
Warrant issued to purchase shares of common stock (in shares)	565,372	264,551	'	'	'	'	282,686	'
Exercise price of warrant to purchase shares of common stock (in dollars per share)	$2.83	$3.78	'	'	'	'	$2.83	'