12-01-2008, 03:30 PM
I've never understood why this isn't more of an issue here and why it got no attention in the mayoral race. I live alone in a small house. Lights and fans aren't on much, stove, dryer are gas and I have solar hot water with the electrical backup turned off. My bill was $180. When I lived in a much larger 3 BR home in Oakland, CA I rarely paid over $100 even with the heater running for hours a day, electric dryer and water heater. The rates here are criminal, especially for such a low income area. With far more of our energy coming from wind, geothermal, and solar, our rates should be much less than Oahu's. The rest is primarily from oil and if gas is any indication, that costs about 10% more than in northern CA, an area with far above average utility rates. I know some municipalities run there own non-profit utilities and of course customers pay far less. Not that I'd trust them to get that right here, but something has to change.