That's quite a bit of money for a small building

"It's one of those things we embrace because we not only want to be good citizens, but there's not a lot of money to support upgrades of buildings so we want to try to do our share to make sure that the performing arts center is run as efficiently and effectively as possible. And we do it as individual citizens as well. We see it as our way to make things better here in this building and this community," Harbour said.

Bigger savings can be done on a larger scale, too. The Juneau School District has saved more than $2 million, or about 28 percent, since the energy conservation program started in 2007.

The Juneau district's program involves mandatory guidelines like turning off lights and equipment not in use, regulating building temperatures and making changes to current equipment and lights.

Small businesses can reap big savings too. The Bear Square in Anchorage revamped its air blower and motor system, since that was the biggest power drain. Light switches were connected to motion sensors while the exterior lighting was put on a new timer. Some lights, like Christmas tree lights, are controlled by photocells.

Other energy-saving tricks involve changing stoves from electric to gas and retrofitting fixtures for narrower, more efficient florescent lights.

Owner Mary Rohlfing said these modifications have resulted in average savings of $500 each month.

"So that's quite a bit of money for a small building," she said.

The Bear Square occupies 20,000 square feet divided into two floors. It employs 20 during the summer and half that during the off-season.

In Fairbanks, MacCheyne's Carpet Plus has a similar view. Owner John MacCheyne said that cutting power costs for the 14,000-square-foot building are necessary due to the area's high utility rates.

Most of his lights were recently changed to LEDs. There are plans for additional LED lights for an auxiliary warehouse.

MacCheyne consulted with Genesis Energy to understand how much the conversion from traditional and high-pressure lights would save. The savings are about $6,000 a year, judging from savings so far. He estimates the expense of the conversion will be paid off within three years, allowing the savings after that to go back into the business.

"In an area where energy is so expensive, businesses cannot afford to have that type of expense eating away at their bottom line," he said.

Anchorage Municipal Light and Power General Manager Jim Posey said most businesses haven't looked at energy conversions yet, although those that have retrofitted their homes or business have seen "phenomenal" savings. ML&P is working with other utilities to try to get the word out.

Utilities often encourage efficiency and even offer incentives. Fairbanks' Golden Valley Electric Association has special conservation incentives. One is its Business$ense program offers rebates up to $20,000 to commercial business who revamp their electric systems. This is something that MacCheyne worked with for his operation.

However, the very conservation efforts utilities encourage can give everyone a little jolt later on, with higher rates.