Daytime interior view of young children raising their hands in a classroom.

K-12 Schools

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, energy-efficient schools can lower a school district’s annual operating costs by up to 30%. This is a significant amount, considering that the annual energy bill to run America’s primary and secondary schools is $6 billion. Yet far too often in public and private school systems, cuts in faculty are considered over a reduction in energy expenses which are viewed as a non-controllable cost.

With services ranging from budget-neutral energy infrastructure upgrades to energy supply management to renewable energy, Ameresco offers several opportunities for saving energy in schools that can open up additional funding for educational programs. Through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), Ameresco can design, build, operate and maintain new energy facilities and school upgrades with no up-front capital costs, collecting a portion of the energy cost savings while the remaining savings are kept by schools and put toward other expenses.

Ameresco utilizes both pure and applied research to work collaboratively with school boards and academic and facility staff to align, implement and monitor school renewal resources to enhance teaching and learning environments while creating energy-efficient schools. Ameresco can train school faculty to educate their students on behavior modification that can dramatically reduce energy use.

Interested in Learning More?

Looking for tangible ways to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions of your campus? K-12 and university sustainability goals at top of mind? Need to address today’s climate-concerned students and faculty? Not sure how to finance the changes?

“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.”

“Partnering with Ameresco on this project has provided the improvements we needed. Their support and expertise helped us navigate this important project smoothly and without disturbing student learning. From the initial investment grade audit to the completion of this first phase of work, Ameresco has helped us generate energy savings and provide enhanced learning environments for our students.”

“The district has been working with Ameresco as a partner for many years to continually improve efficiencies, reduce our energy consumption, and work towards being an energy-responsible school district. We believe the new LED lighting systems will enhance the overall school experience for our students and staff and will allow us to reallocate the savings towards academics and student services.”

Additional Resources

Estimate your energy & carbon savings potential ➞

By answering a few simple questions about your building, location, and energy consumption, we can estimate your energy and carbon savings. We‘ll run your data through our analysis against benchmarks to calculate metrics related to your specific building performance. Let’s get started…

Watch the Air Quality and Building Readiness with Ameresco video

Solutions to reduce energy consumption & costs while engaging the next generation of energy leaders

Schools Placing Solar on Display

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Featured in Solar Power World

[Ameresco] “has devised a unique way to make K-12 school solar projects tangible and understandable for students in the form of ‘solar wagons.’ Each wagon consists of a few solar modules hooked up to a battery and an LCD monitor, so students can watch the sun powering the monitor in real time. Schools can opt to own the wagons personalized with the school’s logo and wheeled from class to class to teach children about solar. ‘It’s been a really neat, visual way to bring the concept of solar and larger initiatives that our customers have and make it more real for students in classrooms.’ [commented Hans Meyer, director of Ameresco’s Renewable Energy Group.]”