Ameresco Receives Business Achievement Award for Growth

Climate Change Business Journal recognizes ESPC and renewables achievements

FRAMINGHAM, MA – March 10, 2011 – Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that it was chosen to receive the Climate Change Business Journal’s 2010 Business Achievement Award for Growth.  Climate Change Business Journal (CCBJ), a business research publication which provides high value strategic business intelligences to the climate change industry, recognized Ameresco with a Silver Medal for Business Growth within the low carbon power and renewable power segment.  CCBJ honored 32 companies for their contributions to mitigating climate change in 2010.

“We are proud to be recognized for the substantial growth that Ameresco achieved in 2010,” said David J. Anderson, Executive Vice President, Ameresco.  “In a year when many businesses and governments were severely impacted by the economy, Ameresco’s budget-neutral energy efficiency solutions and renewable energy projects offered winning energy infrastructure strategies for its customers.  Through the implementation of these strategies, they realize the economic benefits from infrastructure improvements without any upfront capital investment.”

Like other energy services companies (ESCOs), Ameresco earns a portion of its revenues through energy savings performance contracts in which a third-party lender funds the design and installation of energy efficiency equipment then gets paid based on energy cost savings, which are often guaranteed in the contract.  Ameresco has been one of the leaders in expanding this model to develop renewable energy projects, where Ameresco designs, builds, owns and operates an energy asset for which it receives revenue from energy sales, including landfill gas, biogas, biomass, geothermal and photovoltaic projects.

“In this fast-emerging industry just about everyone by definition is an early mover and a risk taker and thereby deserving of recognition, but certain companies and organizations stood out in 2010,” said Grant Ferrier, president of Environmental Business International Inc. (San Diego), the publisher of Climate Change Business Journal.

The 2010 CCBJ awards were presented at a special ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit IX in Coronado, California on March 9, 2011. The Environmental Industry Summit is an annual three-day event hosted by CCBJ publisher EBI Inc.

Recently, Ameresco was also recognized for its innovative approaches to energy projects by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) New England.   Ameresco’s projects were awarded in categories including: “Performance Contract of the Year” for its City of Revere project and “Renewable Energy Project of the Year” for its project with the City of Lowell.

About Ameresco, Inc.
Ameresco, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in April 2000 and is a leading independent provider of comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy 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.

About the CCBJ Business Achievement Awards
In October-December 2010, Climate Change Business Journal solicited nominations for the CCBJ Business Achievement Awards. Nominations were accepted in 200-word essays in either specific or unspecified categories. Final awards were determined by a committee of CCBJ staff and CCBJ editorial advisory board members. (Disclaimer: company audits were not conducted to verify information or claims submitted with nominations.)

About CCBJ
Climate Change Business Journal® (CCBJ) is a business research publication launched in 2007 which provides high-value, strategic business intelligence on the Climate Change Industry.

About EBI
Founded in 1988, Environmental Business International Inc. (EBI, San Diego, Calif.) is a research, publishing and consulting company that specializes in defining emerging markets and generating strategic market intelligence for companies, investors and policymakers. EBI publishes Climate Change Business Journal®, which covers nine segments of the Climate Change Industry, and Environmental Business Journal®, the leading provider of strategic information for the environmental industry. EBI also performs contract research for the government and private sector and founded the Environmental Industry Summit, an annual three-day event for executives in the environmental industry.