State lawmakers told Hawaiian Electric Co. Tuesday that they want the utility’s proposed changes to rooftop solar incentives to go through the legislature and be aired before the public.

The utility announced Tuesday it had filed plans with the Public Utilities Commission to lower the credit rooftop solar customers would receive for the excess energy their systems send to the grid at press conference followed by a legislative briefing.

Sen. Mike Gabbard, chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, and other lawmakers said HECO should let them, with input from the public, decide what is fair.

"Shouldn’t you guys be introducing the bill and we would have the public involved," Gabbard said.

The utility asked the PUC to cut the reimbursement rate for solar customers on Oahu to about 15 cents per kilowatt hour from 29 cents.

Customers who already have rooftop solar or pending applications at the time of the approval would be grandfathered-in, said Jim Alberts, senior vice president of customer service at HECO.

"The key point is our proposal is not asking for changes with our customers that are already connected or waiting for connection approval, this is a forward looking proposal," he said.