FRAMINGHAM, Mass., and DENVER — Ameresco Inc. announced that through a partnership with the Strategic Initiatives Division of General Services and with funding provided by Denver’s Environmental Health Department, the city and county of Denver has entered into a nearly $2 million energy savings performance contract with the company. Ameresco was pre-qualified by the Colorado Energy Office and Denver selected the energy service provider for the city’s first-ever performance contract.
Under an energy savings performance contract, an energy service provider implements energy and infrastructure upgrade improvements to a building or group of buildings and guarantees projected energy savings through a highly regulated measurement and verification process. Any projected savings that are not attained are covered by the provider.
“This contract is a guaranteed way for the city to make progress toward its 2020 Sustainability Goals while incurring none of the risk,” said Denver’s executive director of general services, Adrienne Benavidez. Denver’s 2020 Sustainability Goals include a goal of reducing energy consumed by city-operated buildings and vehicles by 20 percent. Dionne Williams, the director of the Strategic Initiatives Division, will oversee implementation of the contract for the city.
“Ameresco is honored to have been selected by Denver as its sustainability partner for its first energy savings performance project,” said Louis Maltezos, executive vice president, Ameresco. “This project demonstrates the city’s leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship and will help to achieve its sustainability goals. The infrastructure upgrades are expected to deliver greater energy efficiency and operational cost savings, enhance comfort for building occupants, and reduce greenhouse gases and emissions.”
The project includes a total of 88 energy efficiency improvements to 14 of the city’s most energy intensive buildings, including four recreation centers, four libraries, three fire stations, and the 911 call center. The improvements are guaranteed to create energy savings averaging 17 percent across all 14 buildings, with four of the buildings expected to reduce their energy use by over 30 percent. This project identified and targets some of the city’s largest energy consumers for efficiency upgrades. Through these improvements, the city is guaranteed to save over $2.4 million in the first 15 years, and is expected to begin realizing savings within the first year. The environmental benefits include the reduction of more than 2.17 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.
Publication date: 2/22/2016
Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!
