The state Public Utilities Commission issued an interim decision Wednesday approving a 3.8 percent base-rate hike by Maui Electric Co. that will mark the utility’s first increase in more than six years.

The typical Maui monthly residential bill for 500 kilowatt- hours will go up by $5, effective Aug. 23. On Lanai, a typical monthly residential bill for 400 kWh will increase by $5 and on Molokai by $4.62.

The 3.8 percent increase, which will generate about $12.4 million in annual revenue, will help pay for operational improvements, including system upgrades to increase reliability. It also will improve customer service and integrate more renewable energy. The interim rate is less than the company’s original request last October for a 9.3 percent increase, or $30 million.

ON THE MOVE

Benjamin Woo Architects has promoted the following individuals:

>> Masato Tochika has been promoted to president from senior project manager. Prior to moving to Hawaii, Tochika spent 10 years in Tokyo, which resulted in his bringing a contemporary design style that he blended with Hawaii’s culture and environment.

>> Melvin Nakaoka has been promoted to vice president from project architect. Nakaoka has 22 years of project architect experience, including working on school and hotel renovations, commercial architecture projects and mixed-use developments.

A 2017 University of Hawaii at Manoa Institute for Astronomy (IfA) doctoral graduate has been awarded the Robert J. Trumpler Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The distinction recognizes a recent Ph.D. thesis considered unusually important to astronomy. Benjamin J. “BJ” Fulton is the third IfA graduate to receive the award in the past five years. Fulton’s doctoral dissertation focused on the discovery and categorization of extrasolar planets, particularly smaller planets between the sizes of Earth and Neptune.