HAY RIVER - The prospect of added costs on upcoming power bills isn’t going over well with Hay River residents, who have already experienced sporadic service through the week.

"I don’t agree with it at all," said Jim Power, the general manager of First Nations Building Distributors. "If my delivery truck broke down … would I raise my prices and pass it on to customers? No."

"They should look for money to subsidize the cost. They need to dig deeper," he said, adding that regulatory bodies should protect customers from unexpected fee increases.

Power said his company lost $4,000 worth of business during three days of outages, one of which involved six hours without power.

"We had to turn people away. We had no choice. I couldn’t give them a price or even access the Internet," he said. "Once a customer comes in and you lose them, they’re gone."

Susan Gagnier, who owns the Woodshed Gift and Garden Centre, says she’s not looking forward to her next power bill.

"Nobody can be happy about it," she said. "My bill is already high enough."

She spends $1,300 per month heating her business. She said increased power payments are probably inevitable, although frustrating.

Gagnier said the recent mechanical difficulties and the expected price hike might be an opportunity to re-consider the way the community gets its electricity.

"Why not look for alternative energy sources? Why not look at wind turbines and solar power and some sort of subsidized program?"

Gagne didn't buy the argument that Hay River is too small or too cold to support a sustainable energy program. Solar panels are an investment she’d like to make. "It would pay for itself over the course of the year," she said.

Gagnier said sustainable energy wouldn’t take business away from utility providers,

"There are viable ways that they could change things, they’d still be servicing people. It’s still electricity. The only thing you’re cutting out is fuel," she said.