FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & CHARLO, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--
Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading energy infrastructure solutions provider, today announced it has completed a comprehensive Energy Performance Contract (EPC) for Charlo School District in Charlo, Montana. Designed to create a more optimized learning environment, the project targeted modernizing aging infrastructure, improving indoor comfort, and reducing long-term energy and maintenance costs.
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Conducted in two phases, the project delivered district-wide upgrades to mechanical systems, lighting, and building envelopes to enhance weatherization. The first phase replaced outdated equipment at the elementary and high schools with high-efficiency heat pumps, modernized HVAC in classrooms and offices, upgraded LED lighting, improved gymnasium air circulation, and added air sealing and insulation to reduce energy use and optimize indoor conditions.
Phase 2 focused on the junior high and additional learning spaces, replacing aging fuel-oil and propane systems with efficient heat pumps and upgraded temperature controls. Programmable thermostats, demand-controlled ventilation, and economizer functions were also implemented to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality, as well as supplemental electric heating to ensure consistent conditions throughout the buildings.
The comprehensive improvements are projected to generate over $93,000 in annual contracted energy savings, strengthening operational performance and long-term reliability.
“This project reflects Charlo School District’s commitment to providing safe, comfortable, and efficient learning environments for our students and staff,” said Jim Baldwin, Superintendent at Charlo School District. “By modernizing critical energy infrastructure across our schools and eliminating fossil fuel burning equipment, we’re advancing our sustainability goals, improving day-to-day comfort, and enabling resources to be directed where they matter most: in the classroom.”
The project builds on Ameresco’s ongoing work across Montana and its commitment to enhancing energy efficiency for K-12 districts nationwide. Phase 2 received partial support from a Renew America’s Schools grant, enabling the district to expand upgrades and accelerate the replacement of aging systems.
“We are proud to partner with Charlo School District to modernize energy infrastructure and deliver measurable cost-savings,” said Lou Maltezos, President, Central & Western USA and Canada Regions at Ameresco. “Through this collaboration, the district is improving energy efficiency, strengthening facility performance in ways that will benefit students and staff for years to come.”
To learn more about Ameresco’s EPC services, visit https://www.ameresco.com/espc-energy-savings-performance-contract/.
About Ameresco, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading energy infrastructure solutions provider dedicated to helping customers reduce costs, enhance resilience, and decarbonize to net zero in the global energy transition. Our comprehensive portfolio includes implementing smart energy efficiency solutions, upgrading aging infrastructure, and developing, constructing, and operating distributed energy resources. As a trusted full-service partner, Ameresco shows the way by reducing energy use and delivering energy infrastructure solutions to Federal, state and local governments, utilities, data centers, educational and healthcare institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,500 employees providing local expertise in North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.
The announcement of completion of a customer’s project contract is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue from such contract, of Ameresco’s overall revenue for any particular period or of trends in Ameresco’s overall total project backlog. This project was included in Ameresco’s previously reported contracted backlog as of December 31, 2025.
Ameresco completes district-wide energy upgrades for Montana’s Charlo School District, advancing energy efficiency and long-term cost savings across facilities.
CHICAGO (AP) — Successive punches of snow and wind were set to impact the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation and made roads impassable in the Upper Midwest.
Forecasters said mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., were at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes. The cold front was expected to move off the East Coast by Tuesday, bringing sharply colder weather in its wake, forecasters said.
By Tuesday morning, wind chills below freezing were expected to reach the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle with freeze warnings in effect in parts of the Southeast and parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, forecasters warned. To the north, rain was expected to change over to snow behind the cold front with accumulations of more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) possible in the central Appalachians of West Virginia.
The late winter blast comes as Hawaii continued to be affected by a separate storm system that caused severe flooding over the weekend.
The National Weather Service that warned a line of severe storms with damaging winds would cross much of the Eastern U.S. After firing up Sunday, the storms were crossing the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys. The storm threat was expected to enter the Appalachians, then move toward the East Coast, where “severe thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds and several tornadoes” were expected, the service said.
A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and the nation’s capital.
Many schools in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia were closed Monday. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected wind gusts of 74 mph (119 kph). In Maryland, many school systems planned to dismiss students early on Monday.
Beyond the threat to lives and property, “whether it’s wind gusts from a squall line, blizzard or snow, or just wind because of the storm, you’re looking at several major airports being impacted,“ said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Blizzard conditions persisted Monday in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan, where the storm brought as much as 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow by morning. It was still snowing in the region. Additional snowfall of a foot (30 centimeters) to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow can be expected in upper Michigan, along with gusty winds, on Monday, the National Weather Service said. Schools were closed in a number of communities Monday in both states, including Milwaukee and Marquette, Michigan.
Lower snow accumulations in places such as Chicago and Milwaukee were expected to create trouble for commuters on Monday, Roys said.
Jim Allen, 45, who lives on the Upper Peninsula, said his family stocked up on necessities and he was ready to clear snow several times Sunday with a shovel and snowblower.
“We’re basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to,” Allen said.
Nearly 1,400 flights were delayed nationwide and another 1,800 were canceled, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions. O’Hare and Midway international airports in Chicago reported more than 350 cancellations early Monday. At Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, about 200 flights were delayed and another 160 were canceled.
More than 250,000 utility customers in six Great Lakes states were without electricity early Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. Some originated on Friday when gusts in the region reached 85 mph (137 kph). Another half-million customers were in the dark from Texas to Kentucky.
In Nebraska, about 30 National Guard members were deployed to combat multiple wildfires across a broad swath of range and grassland, state officials said. One fire-related fatality was reported.
Rain continued falling on Sunday in Hawaii, where acres of farmland and homes have been flooded, roads have been closed and shelters opened. Some areas of Maui received more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post.
Maui County later on Sunday downgraded an evacuation notice and said crews were pumping water from retentions basins to keep them at safe levels.
Resident and real estate broker Jesse Wald, who recorded video of a coastal road’s collapse Saturday, said other parts of the road were flooded out by mud and sediment.
“In the 20 years I’ve been here I’ve never seen this much rain,” he said.
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Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, also contributed to this report.
Fans walk through snowy streets before an NHL hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
People drive on a snow-covered freeway during a snow storm Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Workers clear snow off the ground Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
