McKinstry Saves New Hope, Minn., $96,000

The City of New Hope,  Minn., has saved $96,381 in utility costs after just one year of energy upgrades as part of a guaranteed energy savings agreement with construction firm McKinstry, reports The Sun Post.

The city entered the savings agreement in 2011 as part of a $4.4 million project aimed at reducing its energy usage.

McKinstry guaranteed the city annual savings of $71,144 for utility costs and $122,227 for operation and maintenance, figures the company describes as "conservative," the paper reports.

Upgrades carried out by the construction firm include:

• The installation of energy efficient interior lighting fixtures at city hall, the public works building and other city-owned facilities, cutting energy use by 48 percent and saving $12,418 a year. An LED upgrade to exterior lighting garnered savings of $5,355 a year.
• Improvements to plumbing fixtures reduced $4,778 in the first year while maintaining significant flow.
• The ice arena saw a new roof with improved insulation that saves $631 a year and a new refrigeration system that will save $58,806 per year, the paper reports.

Overall the city saved 21,358 Therms, 949,800 kwh and 4,448 gallons of water, the paper reports.

In March, McKinstry won a $7.7 million second phase contract to continue its work implementing a city-wide energy efficiency, clean air and sustainability plan in Corpus Christi, Texas. The new phase, which was awarded by Corpus Christi City Council, will include the replacement of aging, inefficient and broken equipment at 76 city buildings.

In February, the city of Edina, Minn., surpassed a $50,000 energy savings target set as part of the first year of a McKinstry-implemented efficiency program by almost $2,000. Changes made to those city buildings reduced energy consumption by 7.5 percent year-on-year.