Ameresco Completes $1.2 Million Energy Efficiency Project for Large Northern Ohio School District

FRAMINGHAM, MA and MEDINA COUNTY, OH – August 30, 2012 – Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, today announced the completion of construction of an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Ohio’s Cloverleaf School District. The $1.2 million project, which included energy efficient infrastructure upgrades at four facilities, is expected to help the district save over $102,000 in energy and operational costs annually for the duration of the 15 year contract. No additional money was spent by the District on these upgrades. Ameresco provides a financial guarantee that the cost of the high efficiency equipment will be paid for over time through energy savings.

The ESPC focused on reducing the overall electrical and natural gas usage of the district through the installation of energy efficient technologies, as well as through implementing modern energy management practices with advanced automation technology. The four district facilities that received upgrades include Cloverleaf High School, Cloverleaf Middle School, Cloverleaf Recreation Center and the district’s transportation center and bus garage.

“In these tight fiscal times, we are always looking for the best solutions to enhance our facilities and the quality of student life without putting our budget under even more strain,” said Daryl Kubilus Jr., Superintendent, Cloverleaf Local School District. “We hired Ameresco based on its successful track record of working with schools and communities throughout the country, and we have been very pleased with the results of the partnership. The ESPC model has enabled us to implement wide-ranging energy and infrastructure upgrades that otherwise would have not been possible without the performance contracting.”

As part of the ESPC, Ameresco designed, implemented, and will now operate and monitor the following energy conservation measures throughout the four facilities for the District:

• Occupancy sensing light switches
• Lighting upgrades
• Building automation system upgrades and expansion
• Domestic hot water boiler replacements
• Heating hot water boiler replacements
• High efficiency boilers at all HVAC demand levels

“Under Ohio’s landmark energy conversation legislation HB 264, our local team worked closely with the Cloverleaf School District to address much needed facility and infrastructure upgrades at four of its facilities,” said Louis Maltezos, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “Not only will these improvements lower the district’s utility expenditure by over 27 percent, it will help improve the learning environment and reduce the costs of repair and maintenance.”

Located in Medina County in northern Ohio, the Cloverleaf School District covers 119 square miles including Chatham Township, Chippewa Lake Village, Gloria Glens Park Village, Guilford Township, Harrisville Township, Lafayette Township, Lodi Village, Seville Village, Westfield Center and Westfield Township. The school district was operating with equipment that had exceeded the end of its useful life and dealing with budget pressures due to a down economy. By partnering with Ameresco, the District was able to assess and implement infrastructure and automated enhancements without the burden of upfront capital costs.

Ameresco has a strong track record of partnering with school districts and educational institutions across the nation to help them apply their strained budgets wisely and facilitate needed improvements of their energy infrastructure. The increasingly popular ESPC financing model allows the customer to immediately reap the benefits of increased energy efficiency in a budget-neutral manner by guaranteeing the reduction in costs will exceed the initial investment of the project.

About Ameresco, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading independent provider of comprehensive services, energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America. Ameresco’s services include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy plants. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco provides local expertise through its 63 offices in 34 states and five Canadian provinces. Ameresco has more than 900 employees. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.