Hawaiian Electric offers Maui County customers voluntary enrollment in time-of-use rates
A one-year “Shift and Save” pilot program by Hawaiian Electric has begun for about 16,000 homes and businesses on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. The program tests time-of-use rates and is intended to reduce bills for customers and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Although commencement of the pilot program on Maui was temporarily suspended, Hawaiian Electric is allowing eligible Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi customers to enroll for time-varying rates on a voluntary basis.
Time-of-use (TOU) rates for all islands can be viewed at hawaiianelectric.com/shiftandsave. Rates for all other customers remain unchanged.
Residential TOU rates for Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island pilot participants are as follows:
| Daytime (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) | Evening Peak (5 pm. to 9 p.m.) | Overnight (9 p.m. to 9 a.m.) | |
| O‘ahu | 17 cents per kilowatt- hour | 52 cents per kilowatt- hour | 35 cents per kilowatt- hour |
| Hawai‘i Island | 21 cents per kilowatt- hour | 62 cents per kilowatt- hour | 41 cents per kilowatt- hour |
The purpose of Shift and Save is to encourage customers to shift electricity use from the evening and overnight period when energy is generated by expensive fossil fuels to the daytime period when solar energy is abundant and less expensive.
Residential and commercial customers participating in the new TOU rates will be protected from an unanticipated increase in their bills for the first six months with a “bill protection” credit. During the first six-months on the new TOU rates, residential bills will be capped at no more than a $10 increase compared to what would have been charged on the existing rate for the same month, giving customers time to adjust their energy-use habits.
Commercial bill increases for those on the new TOU rates will be capped at no more than a 4% increase compared to what would have been charged on the existing rate for the same month. Hawaiian Electric said it doesn’t make or lose any money based on bill increases or decreases under Shift and Save.
The pilot will collect data and customer feedback that will be critical for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to determine how and whether this program will ultimately apply to all customers in the future. It was developed collaboratively by Hawaiian Electric, the state Consumer Advocate and representatives from the solar industry and reviewed and authorized for implementation by the PUC.
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