Last year during a similar test, residents in the region cut energy use by 2 percent to 4 percent.
Residents in Anchorage, Mat-Su and the Kenai Peninsula were asked to lower consumption by turning down their thermostats to 65 degrees, shutting off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances, and postponing dish washing and clothes washing, among other ways. The test took place from 6 to 8 p.m.
Both natural gas and electrical utilities in Southcentral measured energy use.
Weather, daylight, and decisions by large energy uses affect the results, according to the mayor's office.
This year, nighttime temperatures dropped five degrees on the test day from the day before, a city news release said. "This may have dampened the public's enthusiasm for turning down the heat," the written news release says.
The voluntary test is to gauge how much residents could conserve if there were an energy shortage during the winter.
It is not likely that Southcentral Alaska will have a natural gas delivery problem this year, the city says.
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