Ameresco, Inc. soon will begin work on a million dollar Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with the town As the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission's selected energy services provider to implement energy improvements in the region, Merrimac is the most recent community to partner with Ameresco. The project will include energy efficient upgrades to 17 buildings, including the town hall, library, police and fire station and two school buildings, and is expected to save the town more than $100,000 annually. "We believe these facility upgrades will translate into a better learning and working environment for our students and staff, and see this as an investment in the future of our community," said Carol McLeod, finance director, town of Merrimac. "Working with Ameresco to leverage the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission's ESPC program will allow us to make much needed facility improvements without allocating additional funding from our existing budget and increasing the burden on our taxpayers." To begin the ESPC process, Ameresco performed a full investment grade audit on municipal buildings, including school buildings, town facilities and pumping stations, to identify areas where energy savings measures could be implemented. Ameresco then created a plan for the design and implementation of suggested renovations intended to improve the energy efficiency and operation of existing systems. Some of the energy conservation measures that will be implemented as part of the ESPC project will increase energy efficiency through lighting system upgrades, new energy management controls, CO2 sensing controls, efficient boilers, oil to natural gas conversion, creation of additional heating zones, infrared heating systems, window film, weather stripping, vending machine controls, and the installation of Energy Star rated appliances. "We are pleased to partner with another Merrimack Valley Planning Commission member, and to maximize the town of Merrimac's energy savings potential by upgrading building infrastructure and implementing measures to improve the energy efficiency of its facilities," said David Anderson, executive vice president, Ameresco. "The budget-neutral ESPC is expected to significantly reduce the town's energy demands and related costs for 17 of its key facilities, without an additional capital investment by the community." Ameresco has a long history of partnering with communities across the Commonwealth and the country to improve energy infrastructure and install renewable energy technologies. Ameresco's 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 town repays that investment with their energy savings over time.