How Utility Service Works Across the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii runs its utilities differently from most of the mainland. The state is a chain of islands, and no island's power grid connects to another. Each island has its own electric system, its own water sources and its own local offices. A resident of Honolulu, Hilo, Lahaina or Lihue deals with a different set of organizations for the same basic services.

That structure is why this directory groups offices by county. Hawaii's four main counties handle most local services: Honolulu County covers Oahu, Hawaii County covers the Big Island, Maui County covers Maui, Molokai and Lanai, and Kauai County covers Kauai. Each county runs its own water supply, and each island has a different electric provider. Finding the right office starts with knowing which island your address is on.

Our database lists 12 utility offices statewide. They range from large county water boards in Honolulu to small private water companies on the Big Island, plus power producers and a Public Utilities Commission entry. The sections below explain who does what, so you can choose the correct office before you call or drive over.

Three questions sort out most cases. Is the issue about electricity, gas, water or sewer? Which island is the property on? Is the provider a county agency or a private company? Once you have those answers, the choice of office is usually clear.

Electricity and Gas in Hawaii: One Provider per Island, One State Regulator

Most electric customers in Hawaii have no choice of supplier. Hawaiian Electric serves Oahu, Maui Electric serves Maui, Molokai and Lanai, and Hawaii Electric Light serves the Big Island. Kauai is different: the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative is owned by the members it serves rather than by outside investors. Our listings include Maui Electric Co at 210 West Kamehameha Avenue in Kahului, phone 808-871-2378, which is the listed office for Maui Electric in the central Maui hub.

Because customers cannot shop around, the state steps in. The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission regulates electric, gas, water and telecommunications companies under Chapter 269 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. It approves rates, reviews major projects and hears customer complaints that a company has not resolved. The Division of Consumer Advocacy, part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, represents ratepayers in those cases.

Our database includes a Public Utilities Commission entry at 3060 Eiwa Street in Lihue, phone 808-274-3232. Call to confirm which services that location provides before you go, since many commission functions are centralized in Honolulu.

Not every listing serves households directly. Hamakua Energy Partners, at 45-300 Lehua Street in Honokaa, and Alstom Power Inc, at 91-111 Kalaeloa Boulevard in Kapolei, are power-industry businesses rather than customer service counters. They matter most if you work in energy, live nearby or need to reach a facility about operations. For a bill or an outage, call your island's retail electric company instead.

Hawaii has also set a legal target of 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045. Rooftop solar is common, and since 2015 new solar customers have generally joined grid-supply or self-supply programs rather than traditional net metering. Ask your electric company which program applies before you sign a solar contract. Gas follows the same pattern: Hawaii Gas is regulated by the commission and supplies piped gas in parts of Oahu and propane elsewhere.

Water Utilities in Hawaii: County Boards, Private Companies and Groundwater

Water is handled mostly by county agencies. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply, at 630 South Beretania Street in Honolulu (808-748-5000), is a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu governed by a board of directors. It draws mainly on groundwater from Oahu's aquifers, which is why protecting those aquifers is a constant public issue on the island.

On Maui, our database lists the Wailuku Board Of Water Supply at 200 South High Street in Wailuku, phone 808-270-7816. The Big Island's county water department appears at 78-6717 Mamalahoa Highway in Holualoa, phone 808-322-0600, a Kona-side location that is convenient for West Hawaii customers. Billing questions, new meter requests and leak reports usually go through these county offices.

Private water companies fill gaps where county mains do not reach. Kohala Ranch Water Co at 59 Kohala Ranch Road in Waimea (808-880-1330), Hawaii Water Service Company at 2010 Honoapiilani Highway in Lahaina (808-661-4510) and Hawaii American Water Co at 6700 Kalanianaole Highway in Honolulu (808-394-1280) are listed as private providers. Private water utilities generally fall under commission rate regulation, so customers can bring unresolved disputes to the Public Utilities Commission. County systems answer to their own boards and county law instead.

Two other state bodies matter. The Department of Health's Safe Drinking Water Branch enforces drinking water standards, and suppliers publish annual water quality reports. The Commission on Water Resource Management, within the Department of Land and Natural Resources, administers the State Water Code (Chapter 174C) and oversees withdrawals from aquifers and streams.

Lahaina customers should check current service notices before they visit. The August 2023 wildfire damaged parts of the town's infrastructure, and conditions have shifted as rebuilding continues. Call ahead rather than assuming normal counter service.

Honolulu Versus the Neighbor Islands: What Changes for Residents

Honolulu County holds most of the state's population, and its offices reflect that. Honolulu has two listings in our data, the Board of Water Supply and Hawaii American Water Co, and Kapolei in leeward Oahu adds a power-industry listing. Oahu providers tend to offer more branch options, online portals and phone lines. Traffic and parking in urban Honolulu can still slow an in-person visit, so plan extra time.

On the neighbor islands, distance matters more. The Big Island is large enough that a drive between Honokaa on the Hamakua coast and Holualoa in Kona can take well over an hour. Central Maui is compact by comparison, with Wailuku and Kahului only a few miles apart. Lihue is the Kauai county seat, so the Eiwa Street listing sits near other government offices. For small communities, a phone call often replaces a trip.

Use these steps to pick the right office quickly:

For new service or a water connection, bring photo ID, proof of ownership or a lease, and the service address. Many Hawaii counties also ask for the parcel's Tax Map Key, or TMK, number, which appears on property tax bills and in county records. For billing questions, bring the account number from your latest statement.

If you are comparing offices, the county pages for Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai list every utility we track on each island, so you can see which locations sit closest to you.

Municipal utility departments throughout Hawaii provide electricity, water, sewer, and related services to millions of residents and businesses. Utility governance in Hawaii is shaped by the state's public utility commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, while municipally owned systems operate under local authority.

Utilities locations are available in 10 cities across Hawaii. They are spread across 4 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of utility offices include Wailuku, Honolulu, Lihue, reflecting their larger populations and service area demands.

Hawaii residents should contact their local utility provider directly for account setup, billing questions, and outage reporting. State-level utility assistance programs may also be available through the state's health and human services agency.

Utilities by Counties

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Hawaii residents who need help paying utility bills may qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered through the state's community services offices. Contact your local utility provider to inquire about budget billing, shut-off protection, and additional assistance programs available in your area.

Browse Utilities by county across Hawaii to find your local utility department's contact information and service office locations.

Practical Steps When a Utility Problem Comes Up in Hawaii

Most utility problems in Hawaii are solved with one phone call to the right office, but a few habits save time. Keep your account number and service address handy. Write down the date and the name of the person you spoke with, and ask for a reference number.

If the first call does not fix things, escalate in this order:

Storm season deserves planning too. Hurricane season runs from June through November, and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency advises households to keep supplies for roughly two weeks, including drinking water. Heavy rain, flash floods and high surf can interrupt service on any island. After an outage, report it to your electric company rather than assuming neighbors already did.

Before any digging, even for a fence post, dial 811 so underground lines are marked. Hawaii's buried water mains, cables and gas lines make guesswork expensive.

Offices in smaller communities such as Holualoa, Honokaa, Waimea and Waikoloa Village may keep limited counter hours, so call first. Oahu residents can compare the Board of Water Supply with other Honolulu County listings to find the closest location.

Questions About Utilities in Hawaii

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission regulates investor-owned electric, gas, water, wastewater and telecommunications companies under Chapter 269 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. It sets rates through formal proceedings, reviews major infrastructure projects and handles unresolved customer complaints. The Division of Consumer Advocacy in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs speaks for ratepayers in those cases. County-run water systems, such as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, answer to their own boards and county law rather than commission rate cases. The Department of Health separately enforces drinking water standards.

Hawaiian Electric serves Oahu, Maui Electric serves Maui, Molokai and Lanai, and Hawaii Electric Light serves the Big Island. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative serves Kauai and is owned by its members. Households cannot choose a different retail supplier, so there is no switching in the mainland sense. You do have choices in how you use power, such as rooftop solar, batteries, efficient appliances and time-of-use rate plans where offered. Ask your electric company which options apply now, because rules for new solar customers have changed several times since 2015.

It depends on your address. Most homes get water from a county agency: the Honolulu Board of Water Supply on Oahu, the Department of Water Supply on Maui and the Big Island, and the Department of Water on Kauai. Some communities are served by private companies instead, and our listings include Kohala Ranch Water Co near Waimea and Hawaii Water Service Company in Lahaina. Your bill shows the provider's name and phone number. If you are unsure, call the nearest county water office with your address and ask who serves it.

Start with the utility itself and keep a record of the date, the representative's name and any reference number. If the company does not resolve the problem, you can ask the commission to review it. Include your account number, a short timeline and copies of bills or letters. Our database lists a commission office at 3060 Eiwa Street in Lihue, phone 808-274-3232. Call first to confirm how and where to submit your complaint, since filing methods and office functions can change over time.

Call 811 before any excavation, including planting trees or setting fence posts. The call starts a request for utilities to mark their buried lines, which can include electric, gas, water, sewer and telecommunications. Allow a few working days and confirm the notice period when you call. Do not dig until the marks appear. Hand-dig carefully near painted marks, because they show approximate rather than exact locations. If you strike a line, leave the area and call the utility, and call 911 for a gas leak or major break.

Call the utility before you miss a payment and ask about payment arrangements. Electric companies, county water departments and private water providers will often discuss installment plans. The state Department of Human Services runs energy assistance for low-income households, and community action agencies such as Maui Economic Opportunity or the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council can help with applications. Eligibility depends on household income and size, and funding and rules change, so confirm current requirements and deadlines directly. Bring recent bills, proof of income and photo ID.