Ameresco, headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Lyon County School District (LCSD), the fourth largest school district in Nevada, U.S., have signed a $3.6 million worth energy savings performance contract (ESPC).
Based on the contract, Ameresco will upgrade more than 1.2 million square feet of LCSD’s facilities, which include four administrative buildings and 19 schools. LCSD includes one K-12 school, the Western Nevada Regional Youth Center, four high schools, five middle schools and eight elementary schools. The schools are located in Yerington, Smith Valley, Silver Springs, Fernley and Dayton communities. The complete energy efficiency project is anticipated to save more than $345,000 over a period of 15 years.
The project includes upgrade of programmable thermostats, demand controlled ventilation, trash compactors, computer power management, vending machine controls and lighting systems. The project will be completed by October 2012. Ameresco also offers finance for renewable energy upgrades and energy efficiency projects. Under the ESPC, LCSD will refund the start-up costs to Ameresco.
In addition to reducing energy demand and usage, the energy efficiency measures are anticipated to minimize operation and maintenance costs of LCSD by about $25,000 through lighting retrofits district wide. The upgrade project also prevents emission of 1,928 tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is equivalent to powering 208 homes per year. Another important advantage to Nevada’s fourth largest school district is the long-lasting, non-obsolescent assets that continue to offer reliability and cash flow benefits.