Rates & Regulations

Average Price of Electricity

How much does your electricity cost?

Electricity prices in Hawaii are generally higher than on the U.S. mainland due to the cost of imported oil used to power many of the islands’ generators. The fluctuation in the cost of fuel, which makes up roughly 50% of a typical bill, is the biggest driver.

Our isolated geographic location also contributes to the higher cost of electricity because we don’t have any nearby utility companies from which to draw power in the event of a problem. So for system reliability, we must have reserve generating capacity and multiple distribution routes.

Electricity prices in 2022 for Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai increased compared to 2021.

Electricity rates vary by type of customer because they’re based on the cost of providing service. The charts below show the average price paid per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2022 by each type of customer (rate schedule) for each of our divisions.

Oahu

Rate Schedule 2022 Average Cents/kWh
"R" Residential 43.43
"G" Small Power Use Business 44.07
"J" Medium Power Use Business 38.68
"P" Large Power Use Business 36.62
"DS" Large Power Use Business, Directly Served 35.07
"F" Street and Park Lighting 45.30

These figures are derived by dividing the total revenue by the total kWh sold for each category during the year.

Maui County

Rate Schedule 2022 Average Cents/kWh
  Maui Molokai Lanai
"R" Residential 43.26 53.35 54.93
"G" Small Power Use Business 48.07 61.77 60.24
"J" Medium Power Use Business 41.74 52.12 56.68
"P" Large Power Use Business 39.41 45.06 53.83
"F" Street Lighting 39.86 50.26 54.60

These figures are derived by dividing the total revenue by the total kWh sold for each category during the year.

Hawaii Island

Rate Schedule 2022 Average Cents/kWh
"R" Residential 47.95
"G" Small Power Use Business 53.27
"J" Medium Power Use Business 44.16
"P" Large Power Use Business 40.24
"F" Street Lighting 46.04

These figures are derived by dividing the total revenue by the total kWh sold for each category during the year.