Public Utilities Commission holding statewide hearings about Hawaiian Electric’s proposed rate hikes
The proposed plan could increase customer electricity rates on the Big Island by about $15 monthly.
The Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission will conduct public hearings across the state beginning Sept. 22 about a proposal that could hike monthly residential electric bills on five islands.
Hawaiian Electric Companies — which includes Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company (HELCO) and Maui Electric Company, Limited (MECO) — is seeking approval of a rebasing proposal that would increase annual revenues by approximately $170 million, or 5.3% over total operating revenues at current effective rates, according to a commission news release.
Rebasing is the process used to update revenue levels used to set customer rates. Hawaiian Electric currently operates under a framework that sets and adjusts utility revenues over a five-year period.
Hawaiian Electric serves 95 percent of Hawaiʻi’s 1.4 million residents on the islands of Oʻahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi and the Big Island.
The proposed rebasing would update rates to reflect costs and revenues that are not incorporated into current rates, including actual inflation, depreciation and higher insurance costs, the news release said.
The proposal would be implemented in two phases: $125 million of the annual increase beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and the remaining $45 million beginning Jan. 1, 2028.
Following implementation, the companies estimate the typical residential customer would see their monthly bill increase by approximately $15 on the Big Island. The increases would be about $14 on Maui and $11 on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.
Residents are invited to attend public hearings to provide comments. The first two are on the Big Island.
Public Hearing Schedule
| Date & Time | Island | Location |
| September 22, 6 p.m. | Hawaiʻi Island – Kona | In Person: Hawaiʻi Community College – Pālamanui Campus, 73-4225 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Kailua-Kona |
| September 24, 6 p.m. | Hawaiʻi Island – Hilo | In Person: Hawaiʻi Community College, Building 389, Rooms 101 and 102, 1175 Manono St., Hilo |
| September 29, 6 p.m. | Maui | In Person: Puʻu Kukui Elementary School Cafeteria, 3700 Kehalani Mauka Pkwy., Wailuku |
| September 30, 5:30 p.m. | Lānaʻi | In Person: Lānaʻi High and Elementary School Cafeteria, 555 Fraser Ave., Lānaʻi City |
| October 1, 5:30 p.m. | Molokaʻi | In Person: DHHL-OHA Conference Room, 600 Maunaloa Hwy., Kaunakakai |
| October 2, 6 p.m. | Oʻahu | Hybrid: PUC Hearing Room, 465 S. King St., Room 103, Honolulu and online via WebEx |
Written comments may be submitted online through the commission website, by email or mail. Reference Docket No. 2026-0162.
Additional hearing information is available on the commission website: Public Utilities Commission – State of Hawaiʻi
The Public Utilities Commission regulates all chartered, franchised, certificated and registered public utility companies in the state. The commission’s mission is to ensure safe, reliable and affordable utility services that are in the public interest.
