Hawaii electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Hawaii is 52.00 cents per kilowatt-hour, 182% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 1st highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +26.7% from 41.03¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +182.0% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #1 of 51 · #51 cheapest
- Supply market
- Island grids (no interconnection) Regulated monopoly
Why Hawaii pays what it pays
Hawaii is the only state that generates a large share of its electricity from petroleum. Each island runs an isolated grid with no interconnection to anywhere: no neighbouring state to import from, no shared reserve margin, no ability to lean on a regional market. Every island must hold its own reserves, which means more capacity per unit of demand than any mainland system.
Because oil sets the marginal price, Hawaii's rate tracks world oil markets more closely than any other state's. That is why it moved so sharply over the past year while most states moved by a few per cent.
Hawaii has responded with the most aggressive renewable mandate in the country and has built enormous quantities of rooftop and utility-scale solar plus battery storage. The state has among the highest rooftop solar penetration anywhere in the world. That is displacing oil steadily, but the transition is incomplete and the remaining oil still sets the price at the margin.
The closure of the state's last coal plant removed a cheap but high-emission resource, and the replacement has been a mix of renewables and, in the interim, more oil-fired generation.
Where Hawaii power comes from
Hawaii generated 9 TWh in 2025, the 47th largest output of any state. Petroleum supplied 74.5% of it, enough that the price of that fuel largely sets the price of electricity here. Renewables accounted for 20%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Hawaii #25 of 51.
- Petroleum 74.5% 7 TWh
- Solar 10.3% 968 GWh
- Wind 6.1% 573 GWh
- Geothermal 2.7% 257 GWh
- Hydroelectric 0.9% 82 GWh
- Other 5.4% 511 GWh
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Operational Data, net generation, all sectors. Net generation across all sectors. Nuclear counts as carbon-free but not renewable, so the two shares differ.
How Hawaii compares
Hawaii ranks #1 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 51st cheapest. Within the Pacific division, every other state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 14.95 | +9.5% | #37 |
| Oregon | 16.27 | +2.3% | #26 |
| Alaska | 28.23 | +8.2% | #7 |
| California | 33.25 | -0.1% | #2 |
| Hawaii | 52.00 | +26.7% | #1 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State. Data period May 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
What Hawaii households actually pay
Hawaii looks cheaper on paper than it is in practice. It has the 51st cheapest rate in the country but only the 1st highest bill from the bottom, because households there use 513 kWh a month against a national average of 871. See how every state compares on bills.
Estimate your Hawaii bill
Multiply your own usage by the May 2026 state average. Enter the kilowatt-hours from your last statement. This is a supply-and-delivery blended average, not a utility quote.
Rate used: …. U.S. average 18.44¢/kWh, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
Heating in Hawaii: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Hawaii averaged $48.88 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $4.71 per therm, against a national average of $14.50. Put on the same scale as the state's electricity rate, the cost of delivering one million BTU of heat works out as follows.
In Hawaii, a heat pump is cheaper to run than a gas furnace by about $1.58 per million BTU at these assumptions. Over a 60 million BTU heating season that is roughly $95, before counting the cooling a heat pump also provides.
Gas price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Prices, price delivered to residential consumers, 2024. Assumptions are adjustable in the heating cost guide, and every state is compared on the gas price page.
What each Hawaii utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 7 Hawaii utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 18.14¢ at Tesla Inc. to 59.57¢ at SunPower Capital, LLC . Together they serve 464,655 residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian Electric Co Inc | 42.87 | $195 | 454 | 276,206 |
| Hawaii Electric Light Co Inc | 48.31 | $220 | 455 | 78,386 |
| Maui Electric Co Ltd | 43.96 | $215 | 488 | 61,811 |
| Kauai Island Utility Cooperative | 41.29 | $221 | 536 | 30,109 |
| Sunrun Inc. | 28.34 | $197 | 695 | 15,122 |
| Tesla Inc. | 18.14 | $114 | 628 | 1,905 |
| SunPower Capital, LLC | 59.57 | $184 | 310 | 1,116 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024.
Who sells electricity in Hawaii
Hawaiian Electric serves Oahu, and its subsidiaries Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light serve Maui County and Hawaii Island. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative serves Kauai and is member-owned. It has moved further toward renewables than the rest of the state and has correspondingly different economics.
There is no retail choice. The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission regulates rates and has moved the utility to a performance-based framework tying revenue to outcomes rather than to capital spending.
Hawaii sits in Alaska and Hawaii. The two states with no connection to any other grid, where fuel logistics rather than market design set the price. Read the regional analysis.
What you can actually do about it
Rooftop solar with storage is more economically compelling in Hawaii than anywhere else in the United States, simply because the rate it displaces is so high. The constraint is grid capacity and programme availability, not payback period.
Solar water heating is required on most new single-family homes and remains one of the cheapest ways to cut a Hawaiian bill, since water heating is a large share of residential load in a climate with no space-heating demand.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Hawaii, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Hawaii electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Hawaii?
The average residential electricity rate in Hawaii is 52.00 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +182.0% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is the average monthly electric bill in Hawaii?
The average Hawaii household paid $215 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 513 kWh. That is +38.1% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 1st highest of the 51 jurisdictions. Your own bill depends on the size of your home, your heating and cooling equipment and your rate schedule.
Why is the Hawaii bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Hawaii ranks #1 of 51 on price but 1st on the actual bill, because households there use about 513 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
Have electricity rates in Hawaii gone up?
Hawaii rates rose 26.7% over the year to May 2026, from 41.03¢ in May 2025 to 52.00¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Hawaii?
Regulated monopoly. Hawaii households buy both supply and delivery from their local regulated utility or co-operative; there is no competitive residential supplier market.