Power bills creep upward

Oahu electric bills rose in July for the second month in a row.

Honolulu County residents saw their bills edge up 1.2 percent this month over June, following an eight-month decline that ended in May.

The typical residential bill increased slightly due to higher fuel costs, according to Hawaiian Electric Co., the state’s largest utility provider with service to Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island.

The bill for a typical household using 500 kilowatt-hours on Oahu is $146.21 this month, HECO said. The price per kilowatt-hour increased to 27.2 cents this month from 26.9 cents in June, when the average bill was $144.54.

The increasing prices, after such a long decline, is one major reason the electric utility is looking to cut its use of fossil fuel, said Darren Pai, HECO spokesman.

“As we’ve seen before, volatile oil prices have an impact on our customers and our economy,” Pai said. “That’s why we are so committed to continuing to reduce our dependency on imported oil and increasing our use of diverse renewable energy resources at lower and more stable prices.”

HECO now reports the typical customer on Oahu, Maui and Big Island uses 500 kilowatt-hours a month, down from its previous definition of “typical” as 600 kilowatt-hours, due to a decline in energy use.

The utility reports the typical customer on Lanai and Molokai uses 400 kilowatt-hours.

Hawaii has the highest electrical rates in the nation due in part to the state’s dependence on imported oil for most of its power.

In 2013, oil made up roughly 72 percent of the HECO companies’ energy mix.

Other states use natural gas, hydro­electric power or nuclear power to keep costs low.

The latest figures provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that Hawaii’s price of electricity is more than double the national average. Hawaii residents paid an average of 30.54 cents a kilowatt-hour in April, while the national average was 12.64 cents.

HECO customers on the neighbor islands are also seeing a slight bump from their June bills.

Hawaii Electric Light Co.’s residential rate on Hawaii island increased to 33.2 cents a kilowatt-hour from 32.7 cents in June when the average bill was $175.16. The July bill for a household using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity is $178.14.

Maui Electric Co. customers using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity will see an increase in rates to 30.9 cents per kilowatt-hour from 30.7 cents in June, when the average bill was $163.43. Maui customers will pay an average of $164.44 this month.

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative lowered its rate to 32.7 cents a kilowatt-hour in July, from 33.4 cents a kilowatt-hour in June. The bill for a household using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity, including a $10.58 customer base charge, is $174.08, down from $177.58.

Average monthly usage varies by island, but the 500-kilowatt-hour number is used to make comparisons. Monthly bills include the cost for kilowatt-hours used plus various other charges.

The typical customer bill on Lanai and Molokai is measured with electrical use at 400 kilowatt-hours due to lower energy use, HECO said.

Maui Electric Co. customers on Molokai using 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity will pay an average of $148.55 with effective rates of 34.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, up from 33.7 cents per kilowatt-hour in June when the typical bill was $144.48

Customers on Lanai using 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity will pay the highest rates in the state at 37.1 cents per kilowatt-hour, an increase from the 35.8 cents per kilowatt-hour in June.

Lanai residents will pay $158.27 in July compared with $153.16 in June.

RISING ENERGY PRICES

Electric bills by island based on a typical household using 500 kilowatt-hours, the price per kilowatt-hour and the percent change per household from June:

*Customer bills on Lanai and Molokai are measured with usage at 400 kilowatt-hours