Montana School District Partners with Ameresco on an Energy Savings Performance Contract

Kalispell School District #5 to collaborate with Ameresco to perform comprehensive energy and infrastructure upgrades at 12 school buildings

FRAMINGHAM, MA and KALISPELL, MT– July 11, 2013 – Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that it has begun work on an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Kalispell School District #5, in Kalispell, Montana.  Ameresco will install over $3.29 million of energy efficiency improvements at 12 school buildings.  The energy efficiency improvements are expected to save the District an estimated $140,569 annually while also addressing critical infrastructure needs.

“One of Kalispell’s oldest schools has been looking for a way to pay for upgrades to its heating and cooling system and increase its energy efficiency, but not impact our taxpayers,” said Superintendent Darlene Shottle.  “Flathead High School was of particular concern with classrooms either too warm, too cold, or water leaking in through the roof.  We had to look at more innovative ways to try to do some of the building upgrades that needed to be done.  Ameresco was able to make these improvements with this budget neutral approach.”

Prior to beginning work on the ESPC, Ameresco performed a full investment grade audit to identify areas where energy savings measures could be implemented throughout the District’s buildings and facilities to create a plan for the design and implementation of project renovations.  With construction expected to be completed by the end of this year, the majority of the work is concentrated around the HVAC infrastructure.  The project scope also includes interior, exterior, and lighting control upgrades, water efficiency retrofits, building envelope improvements, boiler replacement, variable air volume conversion, variable speed pumping, temperature control systems upgrades, custom bus engine heater control system implementation, domestic hot water heater replacement, and rooftop and HVAC system replacement.

“An energy savings performance contract such as this one enables a district to leverage their current budget to implement necessary energy improvements to enhance their student learning environment and reduce operational costs,” said Louis P. Maltezos, Executive Vice President, Ameresco.  “The ESPC model is expected to allow the Kalispell District #5 to overcome the challenge of aging systems and limited funding for upgrades. Funding through grants, rebates and energy savings allows the District to implement the project without impacting the local taxpayers.”

In addition to the ESPC, this project is also being funded through a roughly $1 million Montana Quality Schools Grant for energy saving infrastructure upgrades at Flathead High School.  The project is expected to reduce the District’s annual carbon footprint with 1,212,248 kWh in electric savings, 56,079 therms in natural gas savings, and 1,526,600 gallons of water saved annually.

This is the second ESPC Ameresco has implemented in Montana, where it recently partnered with Lewis and Clark County to perform energy efficiency and infrastructure upgrades.  Ameresco has a long history of partnering with counties, schools, municipalities and commercial entities to improve energy infrastructure and install renewable energy technologies.  Their pioneering of the ESPC financing model has made the budget-neutral solution an increasingly popular option for customers across North America, which enables budget-neutral energy efficiency upgrades by guaranteeing a minimum level of energy savings over the term of the contract.  Ameresco coordinates the upfront project costs and the County repays that investment with their energy savings over time.

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 65 offices in 34 states and five Canadian provinces. Ameresco has more than 900 employees. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

The announcement of a customer’s entry into or commencement of a project contract is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue from such contract, of the company’s overall revenue for any particular period or of trends in the company’s overall total construction backlog.