Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) Rate Selection Guide
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is Hawaii's only electric cooperative, serving about 35,300 member-owners on the island of Kauai. Members access billing and hourly/daily usage through the NISC SmartHub portal, with 15-minute AMI interval data available on request; third-party access runs through KIUC's Account Authorization form and a manual data-request process rather than Green Button, EDI, or a public API.
Market Overview
Member-owned cooperative serving all of Kauai; Hawaii PUC oversight, no retail choice.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
KIUC's PUC-approved Tariff No. 1 carries some of the highest retail electric rates in the country — island generation costs flow through a Fuel and Purchased Power Energy Charge (~$0.20/kWh, adjusted via the Energy Rate Adjustment Clause) stacked on top of non-fuel energy charges on every schedule. Small commercial loads (≤30 kW and <10,000 kWh/month) take Schedule G; loads over 100 kW take Schedule LP (Large Power Service), which consolidated the former primary (L) and secondary (P) schedules following KIUC's 2023 rate case. LP demand is metered on 15-minute intervals with a 75% eleven-month ratchet, and a power factor adjustment swings billed kWh up or down ±5% around an 85% reference. Schedule Q covers distributed generation purchases at avoided cost. All-in commercial rates typically land in the mid-$0.30s to $0.40+/kWh range — fuel-cost-per-kWh updates post monthly on KIUC's rates page.
Effective: January 1, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule G – General Light & Power (Small Commercial) | commercial | Commercial accounts with maximum 15-minute demand ≤30 kW or usage under 10,000 kWh/month | $25.70/month customer charge; non-fuel energy $0.21811/kWh plus fuel and purchased power energy ~$0.20188/kWh (ERAC-adjusted), all kWh; no demand charge | ~$0.42/kWh all-in (non-fuel + fuel components, before ERAC) |
| Schedule J – General Light & Power (Large Commercial) | commercial | Commercial accounts with demand above 30 kW and below 100 kW (or over 10,000 kWh/month) | Customer charge ~$40/month; demand charge per kW of monthly demand; non-fuel energy plus fuel and purchased power energy on all kWh — see tariff for current rates following the 2023 rate case | —+ Per-kW monthly demand charge (approved 2023 rate case proposed $8.28/kW) |
| Schedule LP – Large Power Service | industrial | Loads exceeding 100 kW in any 15-minute interval (primary or secondary delivery); 12-month minimum contract | $396.63/month customer charge; $12.86/kW monthly demand; non-fuel energy $0.16374/kWh plus fuel and purchased power $0.20188/kWh on all kWh; billing demand ratchets at 75% of the highest demand in the prior 11 months; ±5% power factor adjustment around 85% | ~$0.365/kWh energy all-in (before ERAC and adjustments)+ $12.86/kW (75% 11-month ratchet) |
| Schedule Q – Distributed Generation Purchases | commercial | Members with qualifying distributed generation selling output to the cooperative | Purchases at KIUC's annual incremental (avoided) cost, updated yearly — see the current Schedule Q filing on the rates page | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Resorts and hotels (>100 kW)
Kauai's resort properties — Poipu, Princeville, and the Coconut Coast — are KIUC's anchor large-power loads on Schedule LP, where demand, energy, fuel, and power factor all carry real money at island rates.
With energy near $0.37/kWh all-in and $12.86/kW demand under a 75% eleven-month ratchet, a resort that shaves 100 kW of coincident chiller/laundry/kitchen demand saves over $15,000/year in demand charges alone — before counting the energy.
- Sequence chiller staging, laundry, and kitchen equipment so peaks don't stack within a single 15-minute interval
- Hold power factor above 85% — the tariff credits up to 5% of billed kWh for high power factor, a meaningful sum at KIUC energy rates
- Pair on-site solar with batteries: at ~$0.37+/kWh, behind-the-meter solar has among the fastest paybacks in the US
Grocery, restaurants, and small retail (≤30 kW)
Small commercial accounts under 30 kW take Schedule G — a pure energy rate with no demand charge but the full ~$0.42/kWh stacked energy cost.
Every kWh avoided saves the full bundled rate, so refrigeration, HVAC, and lighting efficiency dominate the savings math. Accounts growing past 30 kW or 10,000 kWh/month shift to Schedule J and pick up demand billing — plan for it.
- Prioritize refrigeration retrofits (EC motors, anti-sweat controls, door gaskets) — paybacks compress dramatically at $0.40+/kWh
- Watch monthly usage near the 10,000 kWh / 30 kW thresholds that trigger reclassification to Schedule J
- Track the monthly fuel/commodities cents-per-kWh posting on kiuc.coop/rates to anticipate bill swings
Agriculture and food processing with solar potential
Coffee, taro, seed, and diversified ag operations with land area can pair Schedule J or LP service with on-site solar, and sell qualifying excess under Schedule Q.
KIUC already runs on majority renewable generation, but retail rates still reflect island fuel economics. Self-consuming solar offsets ~$0.37–0.42/kWh retail energy, while Schedule Q exports earn only avoided cost — so size systems for self-consumption first.
- Size solar to self-consume — retail offset value far exceeds Schedule Q avoided-cost export rates
- Shift irrigation pumping and processing into solar production hours to maximize behind-the-meter offset
- On LP, verify added motor loads don't degrade power factor below the 85% reference
Cost Optimization Strategies
At KIUC's island rates — roughly two to three times mainland C&I averages — every optimization lever pays back faster than almost anywhere else in the US. The bill stack (non-fuel energy + fuel/purchased power + ERAC + demand + power factor adjustment) gives commercial members five distinct targets.
Behind-the-meter solar plus storage
For: Any commercial member with roof or ground area; strongest economics for Schedule G and J accounts
Self-generated solar offsets the full retail energy stack (~$0.37–0.42/kWh). Batteries extend offset into evening peaks and protect Schedule LP accounts against demand spikes — a dual-value play unique to high-rate island grids.
Demand ratchet management on Schedule LP
For: Schedule LP accounts over 100 kW
Billing demand floors at 75% of the highest 15-minute peak in the prior 11 months, so a single spike costs $12.86/kW for up to a year. Stagger large motor starts and stage chillers to keep the worst interval flat.
Power factor correction
For: Schedule LP accounts with heavy motor, compressor, or chiller load
LP bills adjust kWh ±0.5% per percentage point of power factor away from 85%, capped at ±5%. Capacitor banks that lift a 78% facility above 90% convert a billing penalty into a credit on every kWh.
Deep efficiency retrofits
For: All commercial classes; refrigeration-heavy and hospitality loads first
LED lighting, EC refrigeration motors, heat pump water heating, and VFDs all pay back two to three times faster on Kauai than at mainland rates. Hawaii Energy rebates further compress paybacks for eligible measures.
Fuel-cost tracking and load timing
For: All commercial members, especially energy-intensive processors
KIUC posts fuel/commodities cost per kWh monthly. Because the fuel and purchased power component (~$0.20/kWh plus ERAC) moves with oil prices, budgeting against the posted figure and timing discretionary load to KIUC's growing midday solar availability hedges volatility.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do C&I customers access usage data from KIUC?▾
Log into SmartHub at https://kiuc.smarthub.coop/ for billing history and hourly/daily usage charts with CSV export. For 15-minute interval data, submit a direct request to KIUC at 808.246.4300 or info@kiuc.coop with the account number, date range, and CSV format; expect 5-10 business days.
Does KIUC offer Green Button or a public API?▾
No. KIUC has not implemented Green Button DMD or CMD and publishes no official API. The NISC SmartHub API has been reverse-engineered by open-source tools (electric-usage-downloader) for 15-minute interval pulls using member credentials, but it is unsupported and may change without notice.
How does an energy consultant get authorized access to a member's KIUC data?▾
Have the customer complete and sign KIUC's Account Authorization form (kiuc.coop/forms) naming your firm, then submit it by mail, email (info@kiuc.coop), or drop box. Once on file, you can request bills (PDF) and usage data (CSV) directly from customer service, delivered by email in roughly 5-10 business days.
Does KIUC support EDI for enterprise billing integration?▾
No formal EDI program exists — no X12 specifications, trading-partner enrollment, or VAN guidance. KIUC's NISC iVUE platform may support custom exchanges; contact Business Services at 808.246.4300 to discuss alternatives such as CSV/XML delivery over secure SFTP.
What interval granularity do KIUC smart meters record?▾
KIUC's AMI meters, deployed under a DOE-funded NRECA Smart Grid Demonstration Project, record 15-minute intervals. SmartHub's web CSV export surfaces hourly data; the full 15-minute resolution is available via direct request to KIUC or the unofficial SmartHub API.
Can Kauai businesses shop for a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. Hawaii has no retail electricity choice, and KIUC is the sole provider on Kauai as a member-owned cooperative under Hawaii PUC oversight. Rate optimization comes from schedule selection and pilots like the Time-of-Use Solar Rate rather than supplier shopping.
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