Energy Efficient Investments, Inc. Honored with 2025 NAESCO Keystone Award for an Outstanding Project through Performance Contracting: Cheshire County Energy Project
Prestigious award highlights EEI’s strategic approach in supporting Cheshire County’s goals to transition away from fossil fuel heating.
MERRIMACK, N.H. – Energy Efficient Investments, Inc. (EEI) is proud to announce that it has been selected as the recipient of the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) 2025 Keystone Award for an Outstanding Project through Performance Contracting, recognizing the firm’s innovative and strategic approach in supporting Cheshire County’s goal to transition away from fossil fuel consumption while maintaining fiscal responsibility. EEI was founded as a small New Hampshire ESCO in 2007 and has been steadily growing into their current role as a leader in Performance Contracting for New England’s schools, businesses, and municipal buildings.
This award honors exemplary member projects that highlight the power of public-private partnerships to drive sustainability, cost savings, and operational excellence. EEI earned this distinction for its Cheshire County Energy Project, which transitioned five county facilities away from aging systems and fossil fuels to heating systems that use locally sourced fuel and renewable energy, ensuring affordability and energy security long into the future.
“Cheshire County is consistently searching for creative solutions to pressing issues,” says Chris Coates, County Administrator. “The partnership between EEI and Cheshire County has been invaluable to ensure the County is finding new innovative ways to promote clean energy, prevent additional tax burdens on residents, and to ensure that all of our campuses are running as efficiently as possible. With the support of EEI, we have been able to achieve this goal, with a monumental reduction of 50 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.”
A Phased, Custom Engineering Approach
EEI was selected after two previous contractor attempts failed to meet the county’s energy goals and budget. The Energy Service Company (ESCO) developed a phased, site-specific design that balanced cost, efficiency, and operational continuity across all five facilities, which included the 1800s-era Courthouse, County Corrections, Maplewood Nursing Home, County Administrative Building, and County Hall. EEI implemented a diverse range of high-performance solutions: replacing fossil fuel systems with NH-sourced waste-wood biomass boilers and high-efficiency VRV heat pumps, installing a cutting-edge six-pipe geothermal heating and cooling system, and integrating all sites into a single, county-wide energy management system. Lighting was upgraded to smart LED systems across all buildings and obsolete pneumatic controls were replaced with modern, web-accessible direct digital controls. These efforts, which leveraged significant outside funding including ARPA and a $395,000 PUC grant, are delivering more than $118,000 in verified annual energy savings.
EEI’s customized approach also allowed critical facilities such as the nursing home and corrections center to remain operational 24/7 throughout the retrofit, ensuring uninterrupted public services while modernizing infrastructure.
Terry Clark, the Chair of Chesire County Commissioners, states “The primary goal of the county government of Cheshire County New Hampshire is to provide a continuum of care for our residents, at a low cost that does not compromise the quality of that care. To do this, we need to operate facilities that use a lot of energy. We believe that we owe our environment the same level of care, and our energy upgrades provided by EEI have allowed us to do this.”
Smart Funding, Real Savings
The project was financed through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) coupled with a $400,000 grant from the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission that incentivized the use of renewable thermal systems. Additional savings were achieved through thermal renewable energy credits (a first in the State of New Hampshire), making renewable energy cost-competitive with fossil fuel.
By leveraging available funding and phasing implementation, EEI’s design minimized tax impact and delivered measurable, long-term savings to the county, strengthening public trust and demonstrating the financial viability of renewable transitions in rural communities.
Setting a Model for Public-Sector Sustainability
The Cheshire County Energy Project serves as a model for other municipalities seeking to pursue their energy, infrastructure, and sustainability goals without compromising budget or service continuity. EEI’s collaboration with county leadership exemplifies how performance contracting and engineering innovation can decarbonize public infrastructure while maintaining fiscal discipline.
“We are honored to be recognized by NAESCO for the remarkable county facility transformation our team designed and built with our partners at Cheshire County,” said Michael Davey, President of EEI. “Through the installation of renewable wood chip boilers, high-efficiency heat pumps, and a state-of-the-art six-pipe geothermal heating and cooling system, we have helped the county take meaningful steps toward energy independence. Additionally, we upgraded facilities with LED lighting and integrated all sites into a single, county-wide energy management system. This comprehensive approach was executed through a multi-phase energy savings performance contract that will not require any new taxation.”