Ameresco Awarded Contract by City of Phoenix to Cut Traffic Signal Light Energy Use by 90 Percent at Hundreds of Intersections

LED traffic lighting project will replace traffic signal incandescent lamps

Framingham, MA – December 13, 2010 – Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that the Company has signed an agreement with the City of Phoenix Public Works and Street Transportation Departments to provide lighting retrofit services, materials, and equipment for the installation of traffic signal light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Work on Phase I, which accounts for 335 intersections, is expected to be completed in early 2011. The proposed Phase II project is anticipated to include 525 additional intersections.

“Ameresco designs, constructs and implements major municipal traffic and street lighting retrofits throughout the U.S, and this project with the City of Phoenix is one of the more comprehensive intersection lighting initiatives in the state. We’re proud to work with the City on a project that offers significant savings,” said David J. Anderson, Executive Vice President, Ameresco. “We commend the City for its aggressive approach to energy conservation and sustainability, which will provide both financial and environmental benefits now and well into the future.”

The new LED lamps have a significantly longer life and use up to 90 percent less energy than the existing lamps. In addition to decreasing operations and maintenance costs, the savings over time will pay for the cost of installing them. Other advantages of LEDs are that they produce a brighter, more vibrant light and contain no hazardous materials. The LED retrofits will provide significant energy demand reductions, and thereby lower the cost of energy usage in the community.

With an estimated annual energy reduction of over 5,000,000 kWh, the project is expected to reduce emissions by 2,517 tons of carbon dioxide, ten tons of sulfur dioxide and eight tons of nitrogen dioxide; equivalent to removing 475 cars from the road or powering 408 homes each year.

About Ameresco, Inc.
Ameresco, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in April 2000 and is a leading independent provider of comprehensive energy efficiency solutions for facilities throughout North America. Ameresco’s solutions include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure, and the development, construction, and operation of renewable energy plants. With corporate headquarters located in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has 55 offices in 29 states and four Canadian provinces. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.