Renewable energy up, but customer energy use even higher

It's 4 p.m. as I write this blog and it's also cloudy outside so there's not much sunlight to speak of. But here I am doing my best to conserve energy. No lights are turned on, no air conditioning running even though it's humid.

I suppose I'm just trying to do my part to conserve energy – to reduce the load on this intricate island grid.

Last year, Hawaiian Electric recorded the highest year-over-year increase – 2.5% -- in electricity demand since 2004. That, among other factors, kept the Renewable Portfolio Standard, or RPS, percentage from climbing higher in 2025 across the five islands we serve.

Renewable energy generation increased 6.3% in 2025 over 2024. That's a lot! Yet it was tempered by the increase in electricity usage. The RPS percentage in 2025 was 37% -- meaning 37% of the power generated came from renewable resources. That's a 1-point increase from 2024's 36%.

Why does it matter, you ask? Although I'm pretty good with words, I'll try to explain the math behind this. (Full disclosure: My math skills are questionable).

Imagine the electric load is an 8-inch pie and 36% of it was chocolate cream. Now imagine the next time it's a 10-inch pie and even though there is more chocolate cream (an increase of 6.3%) you wound up with just a 1-point increase in chocolate cream, or 37% of a much larger pie.

Does that make sense? In other words, if the divisor, or electricity usage, increases – and even if renewable generation increases quite a bit – the larger electricity load will offset the percentage of renewable generation.

You might be wondering why our load increased so much. Well, there was much warmer weather in 2025, which leads to more use of air conditioning. The continued economic recovery since the Maui windstorm contributed as well. And a lot of us are simply using more electricity. More tech gadgets, more charging of smartphones, more refrigerators and freezers in the garage working harder during the warmer summer months.

We all need to take a step back and assess our electricity usage. And we need to find ways to conserve energy. Hawaii Energy is a trusted resource that provides rebates for energy-saving practices, including switching to more energy-efficient appliances.

Here are some actions to take now:

• Reduce the use of anything that generates heat – water heater, oven, clothes dryer, stove. Consider a heat pump water heater, now available with a rebate of up to $700 from Hawaii Energy. It could cut your bill by up to 40%.
• Turn off air conditioning or set it at 78 degrees. Even turning it off for an hour helps.
• Use smart plugs or unplug electronics when not in use, including computers, printers, cable boxes, game devices and chargers.
• Consider rooftop solar. Hawaiian Electric offers Smart Renewable Energy programs designed to be simpler and more equitable in the long term.

If it's safe to do so, keep the lights off as long as you're able. Two and a half hours have passed since I started this blog and now the kitchen light is on. And my work here is done.