KIUC

What KIUC does

KIUC is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility cooperative formed in November 2002 and headquartered in Lihue, Hawaii. It is the sole electric cooperative in the State of Hawaii and one of approximately 900 electric cooperatives operating across 48 states, serving the island of Kauai. The cooperative is governed by an elected board of directors and delivers electricity to residential, commercial, and government members across the island.

Its core product is regulated electric utility service, delivered through a customer-facing digital platform called SmartHub (sourced via National Information Solutions Cooperative, a standard shared-services platform used across the U.S. electric cooperative network). Around this core service, KIUC has layered a suite of distributed energy and energy-efficiency programs, including Rooftop Solar Programs, Solar Water Heating Programs, EV Resources, the HALE (Home Access Loan for Efficiency) Program, the H-HEAP energy-assistance program, TogetherWeSave, Appliance Programs, Commercial Programs, and an Outage Center for incident communications. The SmartHub platform serves as the operational and member-engagement backbone, handling billing, usage data, and program enrollment.

KIUC's business model is the classic electric cooperative model: it generates or purchases electricity and resells it at regulated rates to its member-owners, with margins recycled into operations, maintenance, grid modernization, and renewable integration rather than distributed as profit. Revenue is therefore a function of kilowatt-hour sales, rate design (regulated by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission), and the penetration of customer-sited solar which affects net purchased volumes. Customer segments are residential, commercial, and government members on Kauai, with no off-island exposure. Leadership comprises CEO David Bissell and CFO Erin Tsuda.

Name

KIUC

Legal name

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative

Website

https://website.kiuc.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KIUC is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative serving residential, commercial, and government customers on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. It operates as the only electric cooperative in the state, providing regulated electricity sales alongside rooftop solar, EV, and energy-efficiency programs via the SmartHub platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Electric utility services
• Member-owned cooperative
• Renewable energy generation
• Energy efficiency programs
• Rooftop solar programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lihue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Electric Utility Service: As a member-owned electric cooperative, KIUC generates revenue through electricity sales to residential, commercial, and government members in its service territory. The cooperative operates on a not-for-profit basis, with rates set through regulatory proceedings.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KIUC (Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative) provides electricity generation, transmission, and distribution services to residential, commercial, and government members on Kauaʻi Island. As the only electric cooperative in the State of Hawaiʻi and a not-for-profit member-owned utility, KIUC supplements its core electric service with a digital self-service platform (SmartHub), rooftop solar programs, EV resources, energy efficiency rebates, and payment assistance programs for low-income members.

Product overview

KIUC operates as a single unified utility service (not a platform-plus-modules architecture) providing electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to Kaua'i Island. The core product is electric utility service, supported by the SmartHub customer portal for account management. Additional offerings include energy efficiency programs (HALE Program, Appliance Programs, Commercial Programs, Solar Water Heating Programs, Together We Save), renewable energy options (Rooftop Solar Programs), transportation electrification (EV Resources), and financial assistance (H-HEAP payment assistance). The Outage Center provides service reliability information to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Utility Service Electricity generation, transmission, and distribution services for residents and businesses on Kauaʻi Island, delivered by KIUC as the only electric cooperative in the State of Hawaiʻi.
• SmartHub
• Rooftop Solar Programs Programs supporting residential and commercial customers in installing rooftop solar systems, including general information, FAQs, and curtailment guidelines.
• Electric Vehicle (EV) Resources Resources and programs to support electric vehicle adoption among KIUC members, including charging infrastructure information and incentives.
• HALE Program Energy efficiency program for residential customers to reduce energy consumption and lower utility costs.
• Hawaiʻi Home Energy Assistance Program (H-HEAP) Federal program providing one-time energy credits to qualifying low-income households, including Energy Credit (EC) and Emergency Crisis Intervention (ECI) options.
• Together We Save Community energy savings initiative that includes a Medical Device Power Backup program for members with essential medical equipment.
• Appliance Programs Rebates and incentives for energy-efficient appliances for residential customers.
• Solar Water Heating Programs Programs incentivizing solar water heating systems to reduce electricity consumption for water heating.
• Commercial Programs Energy efficiency programs and incentives for commercial and business customers.
• Outage Center Real-time outage reporting, map, and status information for KIUC members to track electric service disruptions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Largest electric distribution cooperative in the U.S., serving central Texas. Directly comparable member-owned cooperative model with elected board governance, regulated rates, and a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial members across a defined exclusive service territory.
• Seminole Electric Cooperative: Florida-based generation-and-transmission cooperative supplying wholesale power to distribution co-op members. Comparable cooperative governance and rate-base recovery structure, though G&T-focused rather than vertically integrated like KIUC.
• Chugach Electric Association: Alaska-based electric cooperative serving Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Comparable as a member-owned cooperative operating an isolated/grid-edge system with high renewable targets and a small island/peninsular service territory analogous to KIUC's Kauaʻi footprint.
• Ohop Valley Electric Cooperative: Small Washington-state electric cooperative serving a rural membership with regulated rates and elected board governance. Comparable small-scale member-owned electric distribution cooperative business model.

Regional players

• Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company: Subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries serving the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Comparable island-utility operating model, customer mix, and exposure to high-cost island generation and renewable portfolio standards.
• Maui Electric Company: Subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries providing electric service on Maui, Lānaʻi, and Molokaʻi. Directly comparable as another island-scale regulated Hawaiian electric utility facing similar renewable integration, wildfire, and grid resilience challenges as KIUC.

Broad incumbents

• Hawaiian Electric Company: Investor-owned regulated electric utility serving Oʻahu and the broader Hawaiian market under parent Hawaiian Electric Industries. Comparable as another regulated electric distributor operating in Hawaiʻi under PUC oversight, though materially larger and IOU rather than cooperative.
• PNM Resources: Investor-owned regulated electric utility holding company serving New Mexico and Texas. Comparable as a small-cap regulated T&D utility with similar rate-base economics, though operating as an IOU rather than a cooperative.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kiuc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuytSkgye5WW8_Hw52tFr-w/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/KauaiCoop
• Instagraminstagram.com/kauaicoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kauai-island-utility-cooperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KIUC