FRAMINGHAM, Mass., and FROMBERG, Mont. — Ameresco Inc. has announced the completion of work with Fromberg School District #6 in southern Montana renovating Fromberg High School and Fromberg Elementary Schools’ HVAC systems. The $1.3 million project, which commenced last spring, covered over 32,000 square feet with energy efficient upgrades and addressed the schools’ time-critical infrastructure needs.

“We are proud of the partnership we have developed with Ameresco, whose team of local experts understood our sense of urgency and were able to work quickly with us to determine the best solutions to enhance our schools without putting our tight budget under even more stress,” said Teri Harris, superintendent, Fromberg School District. “By holding public meetings and working closely with the community, we came up with a plan to enhance our HVAC system, making it significantly more energy efficient. Now with the completion of the project, we have the added benefit of a more comfortable and conducive learning environment for our students and staff.”

Ameresco was responsible for managing the design, development, and construction of the comprehensive project. The wide-range of infrastructure improvements included: the removal of the hazardous materials, upgrades, and replacement of the boiler, domestic water heater, and unit ventilators, as well as the installation of variable speed pumping, temperature control system, and ventilation exhaust systems. With the completion of the project, the upgrades are expected to result in greater ventilation, reduced operational costs, and better control of temperature and indoor air quality.

“Ameresco is excited to have completed this time-sensitive project with the school district, especially given their HVAC systems were at the end of life expectancy, and were in need of significant improvement before the winter heating season,” said Louis P. Maltezos, executive vice president, Ameresco. “Working directly with the Fromberg School District #6 through community meetings, as well as for the design and construction phase of this project, our local Montana Ameresco team was committed to completing the critical upgrades in a very short timeframe to ensure the comfort and safety of everyone at the schools particularly given the impending weather.”

Other recent projects managed by Ameresco’s local team in the Helena, Mont., office include a $1.6 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC) with Lewis and Clark County and a $3.2 million ESPC with the Kalispell School District. Both projects required critical energy efficiency and infrastructure upgrades that are guaranteed to decrease annual energy and operations costs, but are budget-neutral and will be repaid through energy savings over the contract term.

For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

Publication date: 2/24/2014

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