The city of Edina, Minn., has surpassed a $50,000 energy savings target set as part of the first year of an efficiency program by almost $2,000, local paper The Star Tribune reports.

Changes made to those city buildings reduced energy consumption by 7.5 percent year-on-year, the paper reports.

In 2011, Edina signed a $700,000 contract with consultant McKinstry to increase energy efficiency and reduce bills at 10 city buildings. As part of the project, the consultant installed energy efficient lighting and plumbing fixtures aimed at reducing water consumption; solar panels were installed at city hall; and a number of small fixes – such as re-caulking and installing weather stripping – were made.

Lighting changes contributed around 65 percent of the savings, changes to the building envelope contributed around 28 percent of the savings, water conservation measures contributed around 6 percent, and the solar panels contributed around 2 percent.

McKinstry guarantees the city savings of $50,000 a year – enough to service the debt on the contract. City manager Scott Neal described the progress as “successful” explaining that the city was just looking to break even, and that anything extra is a bonus.

In August, The Advance School District in Advance, Mo., hired McKinstry for a series of energy efficiency upgrades across all schools in the district. McKinstry helped the district secure funding for the project through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for a lighting retrofit that is expected to save the district nearly $13,000 a year on its utility bill. Lights were replaced in all classrooms, the library, hallways, the gymnasium and the exterior.