According to the AEA, nonresidential buildings consume more than half the building energy use in Alaska, and the majority of these buildings are privately owned. The Commercial Building Energy Audit program is designed to pay up to 75 percent of the cost of an ASHRAE level 1+ energy audit performed on privately owned commercial buildings.

Learn how a home energy audit can save big money in monthly energy bills

A recent report by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), established by former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, and the National Association of State Energy Officials confirms that the energy sector as a whole grew 2 percent last year, which is .3 percent more than the national job growth percentage of 1.7 percent.

What if the Google Street View car took thermal energy scans of all the country's buildings and then built a database of building energy efficiency information? That's the concept behind startup company Essess's approach to home energy audits.

BEE Certified Energy Auditors