Gas Prices Maintain Downward Trend

Gas prices just keep dropping on the Big Island.

After a 20 cent drop in Hilo fuel prices last week and a nearly 25 cent decrease in Kona prices, fuel prices have continued to taper off as summer comes to a close.

Big Island Now has analyzed the latest numbers from AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report and Gas Buddy to crunch out just how much Big Islanders are saving at the pump.

On Tuesday, regular fuel prices in Hilo were an average of $2.94, an eight-cent decrease from prices one week ago but a number that held steady in the 24 hours prior. Mid-grade fuel saw an extra dip over the past week with an average price of $3.06, a decrease of seven cents from just one week ago. Hilo’s average for premium gas also took a nice slide with a nine cent drop.

Last week, Big Island Now reported that fuel prices had taken a drastic drop over the past week and month, and this week, the trend has only continued. Analysis of AAA’s report shows that the average of regular fuel in Hilo has dropped 33 cents, compared to one month ago, while mid-grade has dropped by 31 cents and premium fuel has decreased by 33 cents in average over the past month.

All grade levels of fuel in Hilo are over a dollar less in average price, compared to the same time in 2014. Regular fuel was $1.15 more per gallon during the second week of September in 2014, while mid-grade gasoline was an average of $1.12 more last year and premium fuel cost $1.13 more on average.

The numbers show a decreasing trend that has been consistent throughout the summer months with average fuel costs in the past two weeks dropping 28 cents for regular fuel in Hilo and 29 cents in Kona.

A similar trend to Hilo’s has been seen in gas costs over the past week in Kona. Big Island Now’s calculation of Gas Buddy data from West Hawai’i shows that regular fuel was an average of $3.21 on Tuesday, compared to $3.33 recorded last week, a drop of 12 cents in the past week and a 29 cent decrease over the past two weeks. Mid-grade gasoline was about $3.32 on average, compared to $3.33 last week, an overall decrease of 28 cents compared to two weeks ago. Premium fuel saw a similar comparison, where fuel on Tuesday cost an average of $3.41, a 28 cent decrease compared to numbers from last week.

In Honolulu, the average price of regular fuel held its stagger at seven cents less than Hilo’s average and was 34 cents lower than Kona’s average regular fuel price. Residents on Oahu are paying an average of $2.87 for regular fuel, a decrease of eight cents from last week and a total of 22 cents in the past month.

Diesel buyers in Hilo were paying an average of $4.17 on Tuesday. The price is a slight decrease compared to a week ago when fuel was $4.19, but six cents more than prices one month ago. Honolulu diesel buyers are paying $4.48, a two cent decrease since last week.

Club member-only prices, such as Costco and HFN, are excluded from this analysis and its averages.