Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)

Hawaiian Electric Bill Too High? Create a Better Energy Future with Sunrun, Starting Today

How to Lower Your Hawaiian Electric Bill and Get Outage Protection with Solar Panels & a Home Battery

It's not exactly a secret that Hawaii is an expensive place to live. Home electric rates alone are more than double compared to the national average.¹ Fortunately, home solar system prices have reached an all-time low in the U.S.², and installing rooftop solar panels in Hawaii, today is one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to power your home for decades.

With a home solar battery plan from a company like Sunrun, you could save thousands of dollars on your future energy use3*, and also have a reliable power supply in the event of an outage. But before we discuss how solar power is smart power, it’s important to understand who Hawaiian Electric is, as well as the things they’re doing to combat extreme weather to ensure a better future for all Hawaiians.

Who Is Hawaiian Electric and How Many Customers Do They Have?

The Hawaiian Electric Industries — Hawaiian Electric Company, Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company — are the largest suppliers of electricity services in the state of Hawaii. To date, they deliver power to 95% of the state's residents on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Hawaii Island. Out of this percentage, Hawaiian Electric provides electricity to more than 300,000 customers on the Island of Oahu.⁴

Not a Hawaiian Electric customer? Find your HI electric company here.

10 Energy-Saving Tips for Hawaiian Electric Customers⁵

1. Replace your regular bulbs and compact fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LEDs. LEDs offer you roughly 10 times less energy consumption vs. regular bulbs and are also twice as efficient vs. compact fluorescent lights.
2. Turn your thermostat down a couple of degrees. An ideal money-saving temperature is around 78 degrees when you’re at home, and 85 degrees when you’re out.
3. Use fans instead of your air conditioner whenever you can. By using two floor or ceiling fans to cool your home instead of your A/C for only 4 hours each day, you could save up to $345 on your electric bills each year.
4. If you believe your home has air leaks, a DIY home energy checkup can help you pinpoint some of the easier areas to address before reaching out to a professional. Check out this simple guide for a DIY home energy audit.
5. Increase your energy savings by plugging your non-basic electronics into power strips and turn the strip off when you’re not using them.
6. Consider washing your clothes in cold vs. hot water. Switching from a warm to cold cycle for just two laundry loads each week could save you approximately $70 per year.
7. Air dry your dishes instead of using the heated drying setting on your dishwasher and save up to $33 each year
8. Install motion sensors inside and outside your home. These are relatively inexpensive devices that could reduce your energy costs by up to 40%.
9. Upgrade your old devices and appliances to energy-efficient ENERGY STAR® models and get up to 40%-greater energy efficiency.
10. Limiting how often and how long you open your refrigerator will save you energy and protect your appliance, too. The same principle applies when opening your oven while cooking or baking. Plus, when your oven is closed, this speeds up your cooking time.

All these tips are simple and relatively low-cost ways to save on your electricity bill, yet, if you truly want to boost your home energy savings and reduce your carbon footprint — while protecting yourself from power outages — installing a home solar battery system will benefit you and your community in more ways than one.

Why Go Solar in Hawaii?⁶

At Sunrun, we work hard to make solar power affordable to more Hawaiians day after day, because we believe there’s a better, cleaner and less-expensive way for families to power their homes. Need proof? Here are 10 facts:

• Solar can potentially save you thousands of dollars on your future billing cycles*
• Solar protects you against unpredictable electricity rates for years to come
• Solar reduces your carbon emissions, a major contributing factor to extreme weather events.
• Solar is a free and renewable energy resource, unlike fossil-based fuels such as coal and natural gas.
• Home solar systems work year-round. Yes, even on cloudy days!
• Solar can be stored for later use with a home solar battery like Brightbox™ to keep your devices and appliances running in the event of a power outage, or at nights, for approximately 8 to 12 hours.** Besides, with Brightbox, you can run your power-hungry electronics without being tied to Time-of-Use rate schedules in order to save money.
• Buying solar panels in Hawaii may increase your property value from 3 to 4%⁷
• Home solar systems are designed to last 30 years or longer⁸
• Solar creates thousands of good American jobs⁹
• As a Hawaii solar customer, you’ll be eligible for some attractive solar incentives. Like the country’s best solar power tax credits, as well as a property tax cut and an excellent 30% federal tax credit if you buy your home solar system.¹⁰

How Does Hawaiian Electric Calculate Your Solar Bill?

Each month, Hawaiian Electric will measure the difference between the kilowatt-hours your panels generate and the electricity you consume from the grid. And, if your home solar system produces more energy than you need, depending on the customer renewable program you’re enrolled in, Hawaiian Electric could issue you a bill credit for the excess energy you exported back to the grid. View the full list of Hawaiian Electric’s customer renewable programs.

The Hawaiian Electric Industries Commitment to Your Community and the Environment

Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company have long recognized how important environmental and energy conservation are. That’s why they’re actively engaged in service projects aimed to preserve and protect Hawaii’s unique habitats.

Here are some of the actions the Hawaiian Electric Industries are taking to ensure your community and the environment stay cleaner, healthier, and safer:

• Committing to Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative to reach the state’s 100%-clean-energy goal by 2045¹¹
• Offering customers free informational material to help them manage their electricity usage; which is available online, inside Hawaii Electric customer service locations, and at various community events and venues.¹²
• Boosting the use of electric vehicles in Hawaii by installing fast chargers across Oahu, Maui County, and Hawaii Island; and by also offering customers special electric vehicle rates so they can charge their EVs at a lower rate.¹³Click here to see if an EV is right for you.
• Hawaiian Electric installed three air quality monitoring stations at Waianae, Lualualei, and Makakilo to measure Oahu’s daily air quality index (AQI).¹⁴ Learn more about Hawaiian Electric’s air quality monitoring program.
• Hawaiian Electric reinstated a fish monitoring program along the Leeward Coast of Oahu to track changes in fish communities and populations¹⁵
• Learn the details about the Hawaiian Electric Industries green and sustainable initiatives.

The Time To Go Solar is Now

Sunrun is the nation’s largest residential solar and battery storage company providing clean, reliable electricity to households with little to no upfront cost. We’re here for you every step of the way from design and installation to maintenance. Plus, you receive predictable pricing and energy security for 25 years or more. 

If you would like to go solar, and protect yourself from rising electricity rates and potential long term outages in your area, contact Sunrun today. Get a free quote, see if you qualify.