Maui Electric Bills Fall to Lowest Level in More Than 5 Years
Maui Electric customer bill. Courtesy photo.
Customers of Maui Electric and Hawaiian Electric this month are seeing the lowest monthly electric bills in more than five years, according to company representatives.
On Maui, the typical residential bill is now $141.57. The last time when bills on Maui were lower than this month was in September of 2010 when the typical bill was $141.10.
The company attributes the drop in large part to the continued drop in fuel prices.
On Hawaiʻi Island, customers of Hawaiʻi Electric Light are reporting the lowest monthly bills in more than six years, but still reported the highest bills in the state at $163.20.
“Lower oil prices are helping our customers right now, but we know our state needs to stay committed to long-term solutions, which means developing a diverse portfolio of low-cost renewable energy resources,” said Hawaiian Electric spokesman Darren Pai in a press release statement. “It’s critical that we keep working toward our state’s goal of a 100% renewable portfolio standard,” said Pai.
| Island | Typical residential bill* | Effective rate per kWh | Date when typical residential bill was last lower than this month |
| Oʻahu | $132.32 | 24.4 cents | June 2010; $132.21 |
| Hawaiʻi | $163.20 | 30.3 cents | July 2009; $158.30 |
| Maui | $141.57 | 26.3 cents | Sept 2010; $141.10 |
| Lānaʻi | $138.86 | 32.2 cents | April 2010; $135.74 |
| Molokaʻi | $132.73 | 30.7 cents | April 2010; $130.99 |
* based on 500 kwh/month for O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, and Maui; 400 kWh/month for Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i.
Currently, 22% of the electricity needs of the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ customers are met using renewable resources.
Company representatives say “Hawai‘i is by far the national leader in the percentage of customers with rooftop solar. And the Hawaiian Electric Companies are continuing to increase renewable resources and develop new options for customers to manage their bills.”
Company executives say efforts continue with the following actions taken:
- Proposed time-of-use rates for residential customers, public schools and electric vehicle owners
- Expansion of utility-owned electric vehicle fast chargers
- Piloting intelligent energy storage systems
- A proposed community-based renewable energy program that would benefit customers who cannot or chose not to take advantage of rooftop solar to receive the benefits of renewable energy
- Plans to install 137 megawatts of solar power from grid-scale projects to be completed in 2016
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