Rate hike to cover solar use is less than reported

Hawaiian Electric Co. estimates it would need to collect a relatively small amount from ratepayers to cover part of the revenue it loses when customers switch to solar power.

HECO said the amount needed to cover what it calls the "lost contribution to fixed costs" is 0.05 cents a kilowatt-hour on Oahu, 0.17 cents a kilowatt-hour on Hawaii island and 0.16 cents per kilowatt-hour in Maui County. For a typical customer using 600 kilowatt-hours a month, that translates into a 30-cent monthly increase on Oahu, $1.02 a month on Hawaii island and 96 cents a month in Maui County.

The amounts are significantly lower than were reported in a Star-Advertiser story on Page B5 Monday. That story, based in part on conflicting information from HECO, incorrectly reported the increase for a typical customer using 600 kilowatt-hours per month would be $3 on Oahu, $10 on Hawaii island and $9.60 in Maui County.