Austin Energy Partners with Ameresco to Upgrade the Domain District Cooling Plant

Energy Savings Performance Contract features new chilled water storage system that will increase plant efficiency by shifting load

FRAMINGHAM, MA and AUSTIN, TX – January 8, 2013 – Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that it has started work on an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) for Austin Energy’s Domain District Cooling Plant.  The $5.2 million budget-neutral ESPC project includes the installation of a new chilled water storage system that will help reduce the plant’s peak electricity usage by shifting the chilled water load and associated electric consumption from on-peak to off-peak hours.

“Austin Energy has the top performing renewable energy program along with the first and largest green building program in the nation,” said Dennis Lilley, Austin Energy. “Ameresco’s expertise has allowed us to continue to build on this record of energy efficiency as we work to identify areas in which we can lower electricity costs and reduce expenses for the City and our customers.”

As the nation’s eighth largest community-owned electric utility, Austin Energy serves 425,000 residents in Austin, Travis and Williamson Counties. Austin Energy’s district cooling plant installs and maintains the piping and heat exchangers that distribute chilled water from its plant to individual buildings via a network of underground pipes.

Prior to starting the work on the ESPC, Ameresco performed a comprehensive audit and identified energy savings measures at the Domain District Cooling  Plant, which will include the installation of a 24,000-ton-hour chilled water storage system large enough to shift a major portion of the chilled water load from on-peak to off-peak over a four-hour period. The upgraded system will be comprised of a 2.4 million (gallon) concrete thermal energy storage (TES) tank, 92 feet in diameter by 48 feet in height. The system circulation will be maintained by three 200 horsepower horizontal splitcase pumps controlled by variable frequency drives.

The new energy management system will be upgraded to control and monitor the new TES system along with upgrades to the existing plant controls. New mechanical piping and associated mechanical devices will connect the new pumps to the TES tank.  In addition, all the existing domestic water closets, showerheads and faucet aerators will be replaced with more efficient fixtures.

“We are excited to partner with Austin Energy to install measures that will improve the electric load profile of the facilities and build upon their strong history and commitment to energy conservation,” said Bob Georgeoff, Vice President, Ameresco. “Under the ESPC model, Ameresco coordinates the upfront project costs and the City repays that investment with their savings over time. This model enables the City to benefit from budget-neutral upgrades by guaranteeing a minimum level of savings over the term of the contract.”

The Domain District Cooling Plant is located in northwest Austin and provides continuous cooling services to a mix of industrial, retail, office, and residential customers. The project is expected to be completed by December 2013.

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.

The announcement of a customer’s entry into 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.