Electrical bills set to shrink as price of oil keeps falling

Hawaiian Electric Co. customers’ electrical bills in November will be the lowest in more than five years, as oil prices continue to pull down rates across the isles.

Oahu customers’ bills will decline $4.63, to $132.32, for a typical household using 500 kilowatt-hours. That is 3.4 percent lower than the typical bill of $136.95 in October. The decrease is largely due to lower fuel prices, according to HECO, the state’s largest utility provider with service to Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii island.

“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,” HECO spokesman Darren Pai said. “It’s critical that we keep working toward our state’s goal of a 100 percent renewable portfolio standard.”

The price per kilowatt-hour on Oahu decreased to 24.4 cents this month from 25.3 cents in October, HECO said. The last time Oahu customers saw a lower bill was in June 2010, when a typical household paid $132.21.

Since HECO changed its reporting method in April for a typical residential household to 500 kilowatt-hours from 600 kilowatt-hours, Oahu customers have seen their bills drop 9.5 percent from the recent peak of $146.21 in July.

But despite the five-year low, 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.

On Monday the benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $41.74 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, trading at half the price of the more than $80 a barrel a year ago. HECO’s fuel costs roughly track the West Texas Intermediate price, Pai said.

In 2014 oil made up roughly 71.3 percent of the HECO companies’ energy mix. HECO imports oil mainly from Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Other states use natural gas, hydro­electric power, coal or nuclear power, which keep costs low. Currently, 22 percent of the electricity needs of HECO’s customers are coming from renewable energy, such as wind farms and solar, the utility said.

Hawaii’s price of electricity is more than double the national average, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. State residents paid an average of 29.87 cents a kilowatt-hour in August. The national average was 12.93 cents in the same month.

Some neighbor island residents this month also will see the lowest electrical bills in more than five years.

The residential rate for Hawaii Electric Light Co. customers on the Big Island decreased to 30.3 cents cents a kilowatt-hour from 31.4 cents in October, when the average bill was $168.73. The November bill for a household using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity is $163.20. The last time HELCO customers paid a lower price was in July 2009, when the bill was $158.30.

Maui Electric Co. customers will see a decrease in rates to 26.3 cents per kilowatt-hour from 27.8 cents in October. A household using 500 kilowatt-hours will pay $141.57, down from $148.88 last month. The last time MECO customers paid a lower price was in September 2010, when the bill was $141.10.

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative raised its rate to 31.75 cents a kilowatt-hour in November, from 30.66 cents a kilowatt-hour in October. The bill for a household using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity, including a $10.58 customer base charge, is $169.33, up from $163.88.

Average monthly usage varies by island. The typical bill of 500 kilowatt-hours is used to make comparisons. Monthly bills include the cost according to the kilowatt-hours used plus 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 $132.73 with effective rates of 30.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, down from 31 cents per kilowatt-hour in October, when the typical bill was $133.75.

Customers on Lanai using 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity will pay 32.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, flat with the rate in October.

Lanai residents will pay $138.86 in November, compared with $138.53 in October.