Climate Change Data

Ameresco, Inc.

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

Reporting Period: 2020

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Environmental
  • Social
  • Governance

Environmental Achievements

  • Customer projects and owned renewable energy assets delivered a carbon reduction of approximately 11.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2019.
  • Since 2010, Ameresco’s renewable energy assets and customer projects have delivered a cumulative carbon offset equivalent to over 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Social Achievements

  • Ameresco is the proud winner of the 2020 and 2019 Best & Brightest Companies in the Nation award.
  • Meaningful growth over the last five years in number and percentage of employees from key protected classes (women, ethnicity, veterans, and individuals with a disability), currently representing 39% of all U.S. employees.
  • 40% rolling three-year average of key protected class promotions among all promotions.

Governance Achievements

  • Maintained a confidential whistleblower hotline.
  • US operations had a recordable incident rate of 0.49 based upon approximately 2 million hours work in 2019.
  • Canadian and UK operations did not have any reported lost time injuries or fatalities in 2019.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Pursuit of net zero emissions.
  • Align senior management team goals to support future growth of ESG practices and initiatives.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Determine our operating impact baseline and define offset strategy plan in the pursuit of net zero.
  • Focused Diversity and Inclusion training at the management level.
Short-term Goals:
  • Increase cumulative carbon offset by at least 15 million metric tons with owned assets and customer projects by end of 2021.
  • Dedicate a Community Service Month where employees volunteer one day to give back to the environment and their communities.

Environmental Challenges

  • COVID-19 pandemic impacted group fundraising activities and office initiatives.
  • Raging wildfires and racial unrest halted group activities.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Portland, Oregon office supported wildfire-impacted communities with donations.
  • Canadian offices organized virtual yoga sessions and trivia games to keep employees engaged while working remotely.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Awards & Recognition

  • 2020 and 2019 Best & Brightest Companies in the Nation
  • Best & Brightest Companies in Boston (two consecutive years)

Reporting Period: 2021

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:47,570 tCO2e/year (Scope 1 & 2)
Scope 1 Emissions:25,223 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:22,347 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:5,535 tCO2e/year (limited data)
Carbon Intensity:Decreased between 2019 and 2020

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
  • Governance
  • Community Engagement
  • Employee Well-being
  • Cybersecurity
  • Supplier Diversity
  • Ethics & Compliance

Environmental Achievements

  • Calculated Ameresco's operational carbon baseline and set a 2040 net zero commitment
  • Provided customers with over 60 million metric tons of carbon avoidance through projects and Ameresco’s renewable energy assets

Social Achievements

  • Grew companywide workforce diversity year-over-year, with a keen focus on DEIJ initiatives and talent recruiting
  • Provided employees with 16 hours of paid volunteer time and established a network of volunteer opportunities
  • Invested in companywide training programs across technology, IT, and safety topics

Governance Achievements

  • Aligned senior management with ESG goals
  • Further diversified the Board of Directors with a new female member
  • Launched a new Global Safety Ambassadors program in support of zero accidents and injuries
  • Implemented best-in-class cybersecurity models

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Achieve net zero carbon emissions from Ameresco operations (scopes 1 & 2) by 2040
  • Reduce customers’ carbon footprints by a cumulative 500 million metric tons by 2050
Short-term Goals:
  • Establish greenhouse gas reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) by 2025

Environmental Challenges

  • Data collection challenges due to decentralized, analog data across departments
  • Mitigating emissions from owned energy assets that produce renewable natural gas and biogas
  • Addressing indirect emissions from the supply chain
Mitigation Strategies
  • Implementing a sub-metering program in select offices and owned assets with cloud-connection for data transmission into AssetPlanner®
  • Developing strategies to mitigate and offset emissions from owned energy asset portfolio
  • Planned materiality assessment to identify relevant indirect emissions sources and develop mitigation strategies

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Seeking to utilize qualified local and small disadvantaged, veteran, women and/or minority owned (D/V/WMBE) businesses

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Greenhouse Gas Protocol

Certifications: SOC 2 Type 2 (corporate level), SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 27001 (VisionDSM product)

Awards & Recognition

  • Top Project of the Year Award (Foothill Landfill project)
  • Finalist in S&P Global Platts Global Energy Awards (Nicole Bulgarino, Hamilton Southeastern Schools project)
  • People’s Choice – Project of the Year in the Cleanie Awards (Wells Fargo project)

Reporting Period: 2022

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:355,432 tCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:324,048 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:31,384 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:2,978 tCO2e/year
Carbon Intensity:194.82 MT CO2e/$ Million in 2022

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
  • Governance
  • Employee Well-being
  • Safety
  • Community Investment
  • Ethical Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Operations
  • Innovation
  • Data Security & Privacy
  • Board Diversity

Environmental Achievements

  • Avoided approximately 14.7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2022 through customer projects and owned clean energy assets.
  • Achieved a 42.9% decrease in total recordable cases over 2019.

Social Achievements

  • Achieved Great Place to Work® Certification.
  • Devoted 2,531 hours to volunteerism initiatives.
  • Donated approximately $243,000 to various non-profit organizations.
  • Funded 5 scholarships or grants to students attending underserved schools.

Governance Achievements

  • Completed ESG materiality assessment and implemented a companywide ESG reporting platform.
  • Refined board oversight, creating a structure for additional transparency.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Achieve net zero carbon emissions from Ameresco operations (scope 1 and 2) by 2040.
  • Reduce customers’ carbon footprints by a cumulative 500 million metric tons by 2050.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Establish greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets through the SBTi by 2025.
  • Continue to implement volunteerism initiatives.
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce total recordable incidence rate (TRIR) by 20% compared to 2022.
  • Develop an internal mentorship program.

Environmental Challenges

  • Managing and mitigating the environmental impact of owned energy assets (scope 1 and 2 emissions).
  • Improving data management and analysis of customer emissions reduction data.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Investing additional resources in the company’s overall ESG program.
  • Establishing a new position, Director - ESG, Reporting & Controls.
  • Expanding the ESG Ambassadors team.
  • Evolving the enterprise risk management (ERM) program.
  • Improving emissions reporting methodology to accurately capture operational characteristics.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Equal Employment Opportunity
  • Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
  • Child Labor policies
  • Environmental safety and health compliance

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI 2021 Standards, SASB Engineering and Construction Standards, SASB Professional and Commercial Services Standards, UN SDGs

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Goal 13: Climate Action

Ameresco's material topics are aligned with these SDGs.

Awards & Recognition

  • Silver Stevie® Award
  • Hermes Creative Awards
  • Ragan Communications Corporate Social Responsibility Awards
  • S&P Platts Global Energy Awards
  • Smart 50 Awards
  • Inspiring Efficiency Awards
  • DOE Better Buildings Integrated Lighting Campaign Award
  • Environment+Energy Leader Top Project of the Year
  • Procore Groundbreaker Awards Finalist
  • RACER Trust Edge Award
  • 2022 Energy Storage Canada Awards
  • SEAL Business Awards

Reporting Period: 2023

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:360,291 tCO2e/year (Scope 1 & 2)
Scope 1 Emissions:321,111 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:39,180 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:4,532 tCO2e/year
Carbon Intensity:262 MT CO2e per million dollars of revenue in 2023

ESG Focus Areas

  • People
  • Planet
  • Policy

Environmental Achievements

  • ~16 million metric tons of CO2 avoided from renewable energy assets and customer projects in 2023
  • U.S. Southeast’s largest floating solar plant implemented in collaboration with Duke Energy at Fort Liberty
  • 5 MW solar PV and 15 MWh battery energy storage system installed in Colorado

Social Achievements

  • Launched a six-month mentorship program with 95 participants
  • Over 150 team members participated in the Go Green Challenge
  • 3,119 hours of companywide volunteering
  • ~$135K donated via philanthropic giving
  • $7.5K of scholarship funds awarded
  • 23% below industry standard for Total Recordable Cases

Governance Achievements

  • Increased diversity of the Board of Directors
  • Streamlined enterprise risk management program

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Reduce customers’ carbon footprints by a cumulative 500 million metric tons by 2050
Medium-term Goals:
  • Achieve net zero carbon emissions from Ameresco operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2040
Short-term Goals:
  • Establish GHG reduction targets through SBTi by 2025

Environmental Challenges

  • Supply chain issues
  • Labor availability of contractors
  • Interconnection delays
  • Inflation and high interest rates
  • Total recordable incident rate increase (despite being 23% below industry standard)
Mitigation Strategies
  • Leveraging expertise to help customers balance capital expenditures
  • Expanding the ESG Ambassadors team to improve data management and reporting
  • Implementing improved processes for data collection and management
  • Investing in safety training (9,147 hours in 2023)

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Commitment to utilizing qualified local and small, Disadvantaged, Minority-owned, Women-owned, Emerging Small Business/Veteran-owned Business Enterprises (DMWESB/VBE)

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Extreme weather events
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes
  • Market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products and services

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI 2021 Standards, SASB Engineering and Construction Standards, SASB Professional and Commercial Services Standards, UN Sustainable Development Goals

Certifications: ISO 45001:2018 (Canada)

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Renewable energy assets (solar, wind, biogas, RNG, BESS)
  • Energy efficiency solutions
  • Microgrids

Awards & Recognition

  • 2023 North American Energy Services Company of the Year (Frost & Sullivan)
  • 2023 Alliance to Save Energy’s Transportation Infrastructure Award
  • 2023 Green Building United Sustainable Planning and Operations Award
  • 2023 SEAL Environmental Initiatives Award
  • 2023 Environment + Energy Leader Top Project of the Year Award