HE (no L no CO) would like your cooperation

[Punatang]

As an aside as I see the subject of the thread was changed - TomK


As an aside from your aside, how does an OP go about changing the title of a thread?  

Mahalo

[terracore]

As an aside as I see the subject of the thread was changed - TomK


As an aside from your aside, how does an OP go about changing the title of a thread?  

Mahalo

Click edit, select "full edit" and change the subject.  Then click the update post button on the bottom.

---

Yahoo!!!

We can finally feed the kids, crank the air and wash our clothes! And even charge our EV’s at will!!!

Yahoo!!!

https://bigislandnow.com/2024/04/24/hawa...-in-march/

(Those of you who only rely on HECO for power that is!)

I'm one of those weird penny pinchers who conserve electricity all the time.  I even line dry the clothes and then run them through the dryer just long enough to remove the lint.  And by lint, I mean mostly dog hair.

[Punatang]

Mahalo TC!  What no donkey hair?

[HiloJulie]

"I'm one of those weird penny pinchers who conserve electricity all the time."

My post was tongue and cheek - ruffling feathers so to speak!

Both my husband and I as well as everyone else should be conserving energy at all times. And yes - even the EV users. 

And even though we are on solar, we have HE as back up. (We are not on "net metering" or buyback) RARELY - and I mean RARELY do we need to switch to HE due to insufficient solar power. As in only having to use around 300kWh in total last year of HE power.

"I'm completely convinced it's a change based on providing a better service and has nothing at all to do with improving profits."

Here is a hot off the press HE story of outstanding customer service which must translate to vastly improved profits somehow from just this afternoon:

At around 3:30PM, my dog Barney was taking me on a tour of his domain when he realized someone was at the gate. We walk to the gate to see a nice young man from HE there. He says, "Hi, I'm here on a disconnect order!"

Taken back, I said, "well who ordered that?"

He looks at his iPad and says "Mr. (Name redacted) on April 5th." He says it was ordered to be disconnected for today due to sale of home.

I ask him for what address he has. His reply was one road off. (Hawaiian Acres)

I give him the correct address as to where he is. He then says - "OH, yeh. I got my work orders screwed up. I'm here to install a new meter. " I replied that I was unaware that we were getting a new meter, and his reply was "well the work order says you don't use enough electricity - so we are replacing your meter with a different one."

He could not explain anything further. He swapped the meters - they look the same - and that's that. He said "Aloha!" and then I had to spend 5 minutes getting Barney out of his truck!

I have no idea why this was necessary. We were never emailed, mailed or contacted in anyway about this. And yes, the HE power is live!

[TomK]

As an aside as I see the subject of the thread was changed - TomK


As an aside from your aside, how does an OP go about changing the title of a thread?  

As another aside, hopefully, HiloJulie explained how it's done - note, you have to be the author of the thread to change the title, so it's not like any fruitcake can come along and edit things any way they want.

Just to elaborate, I've no problem with the subject or title being changed, it just caught my attention because I'd seen that Hawaii Electric no longer wanted to be called HECO or HELCO.

[terracore]

"well the work order says you don't use enough electricity - so we are replacing your meter with a different one."

When we lived in Alaska the water company had a "flat rate" billing regardless of how much water one used. Upon request, they would install a meter and a household could pay by the gallon instead. Most people didn't request this out of fear their bill could go up. They could also install a meter anytime they wanted to, if they SUSPECTED one was using more than their "fair share" of the water.

One day the water police came and knocked on the door with the dreaded meter of suspicion and installed their water tracking device.

It cut our bill in half! Of course nobody gets something for nothing, or even half price, so I added an additional layer of foil to my hat just in case.

Segueing this post back to rolling blackouts- we never had those in Alaska but the electric company did offer an option for a $5 monthly statement credit to anybody willing to let them install a device on the electric water heater that let them turn it off remotely. The number of volunteers was high enough they had to end the program. The kill would only be for 10-20 minutes so nobody ever noticed the "rolling hot water brownout" even happened because there was still hot water in the tanks.

[Obie]

I have the water heater cutout in Ohio. I have a 40 gallon tank so I never notice it when it's off. They can do the same with A/C but I don't have central air.

I have a smart meter here and volunteered for the new shift and save rates.Per KWH I pay 24.72 from 9:00am to 5:00pm, 74.18 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm and 49.45 between 9:00pm and 9:00am. That's in cents per KWH.

They will compensate me up to $10.00 if my bill goes up. Since February when it started my bill has gone down.

I have a mini-split A/C system that I run 24 hours a day. I set my electronic thermostat to 72 degrees during the day to pre-cool the house for the higher rate period from 5-9pm and turn it up to 79 during that time. It usually doesn't run at all at night.

I do have a 439 sqft tiny home that is insulated and was built as an energy efficient home with led lighting, tube sky lights and a gas 2 burner cooktop. My appliance are all inverter technology.

My last bill was $132.00 down from $195.00 in March.

Don't know how that will go over with working family's who get home from work at 5:00pm but it's good for me.

[terracore]

"Aloha,

If you’re behind on paying your electric bill, the federal government’s Hawai’i Home Energy Assistance Program (H-HEAP), formerly known as Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP, may be able to help.

Throughout the month of June, H-HEAP — administered by the Department of Human Services through County Community Action Programs — provides heating and/or cooling assistance to Hawai‘i households in need of financial help through a one-time payment toward electric or gas bills. Households may only receive one type of H-HEAP payment per program year (Oct. 1 – Sept. 30) and both programs are available in June:

• Energy Credit (EC) assists households in need of financial help ONLY from June 1-30
• Energy Crisis Intervention (ECI) year-round assists households facing disconnection due to outstanding balances, with greater availability throughout June

Apply Today

To apply on Hawai‘i Island with the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council (HCEOC), call (808) 731-7009 option 1, or click here for more information.

Applications can be completed at the following locations June 3-28, 2024:
• Main Office Hilo
o 47 Rainbow Drive, Hilo, HI 96720
o Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8 am – 12 pm
• Kailua-Kona Office
o 75-5706 Kuakini Highway, Suite 112, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
o Office Hours: Friday 10 am – 1 pm
• Holualoa Kona Office
o 78-6804 Mamalahoa Highway, Holualoa, HI 96725
o DROP BOX ONLY; no applications taken in person
• Na’alehu Office
o 95-5635 Hawai‘i Belt Road, Na’alehu, HI 96772
o Office located behind Na’alehu Community Center
o Office Hours: Monday 10 am – 1 pm
• Honoka‘a Office
o 45-3380 Mamane Street, Honoka‘a, HI 96727
o Office located behind State Library
o Office Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 1 pm – 4:30 pm; Friday 8 am – 4:30 pm
• Pahala Location
o 96-1252 Huapala Street, Pahala, HI 96777
o Location Hours: Thursday and Friday 2 pm – 8 pm

Mahalo,
Customer Service Department

[terracore]

Hawaiian Electric launches Public Safety Power Shutoff program to enhance wildfire safety

• Starting July 1, Hawaiian Electric is launching its Public Safety Power Shutoff program to reduce
the risk of wildfire.

• As part of this program, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in certain areas it has
identified as high risk during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions. This program is
our last line of defense to keep communities safe and may result in extended power outages.

• The program will start in areas that Hawaiian Electric has determined present higher wildfire risk
factors. In the future, Hawaiian Electric intends to expand the program to cover all high-risk areas
served by Hawaiian Electric.

• This program is just one component of Hawaiian Electric’s three-phase Wildfire Safety Strategy.
With the dry, summer months ahead, Hawaiian Electric is expanding its Wildfire Safety Strategy by launching a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
program.

Starting July 1, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in areas that
appear at high risk of wildfire during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions to help
reduce the risk of wildfires.

“Wildfires have been recognized as a top hazard facing Hawaiʻi. Hawaiian Electric has
responded with a multi-pronged approach to mitigating wildfire risk.

One component is proactively shutting off power, which is a last line of defense to protect the community. We understand shutting off power can create hardships for affected customers, so this is not something we take lightly,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief
operations officer.

The program will start in the following areas:
• Oʻahu: Waiʻanae, Mākaha, Nānākuli, Māʻili, and Ka‘ena Point (approximately 2,700
customers)

• Hawaiʻi Island: North Hawai‘i between Kohala (below 18 mile marker) and Waikoloa, in
West Hawai‘i between Kalaoa and Hōlualoa, and between Mauna Kea Access Road and
Waiki‘i Ranch (approximately 19,300 customers)

• Maui County: West Maui, Upcountry, parts of Central and South Maui, and parts of
central Molokaʻi (approximately 26,100 customers)

These initial starting areas have a combination of risk factors for wildfires, including exposure to
strong winds, dry conditions, vegetation prone to wildfires, and historically higher rates of
wildfires.

Over time, Hawaiian Electric will expand this program to all high-risk areas on the
islands that it serves.

For more information and maps, call Hawaiian Electric’s PSPS hotline at 1-844-483-8666 toll-free or go to hawaiianelectric.com/PSPS.

A PSPS will only be activated in an area if weather data, including statements from the National
Weather Service, indicate conditions for heightened wildfire risk. These conditions may include strong winds, low humidity and dry vegetation. Combined, these factors can result in downed trees or flying debris contacting power lines and damaging electrical infrastructure, which can create the risk of wildfires.

Before activating a PSPS, Hawaiian Electric will notify the public and coordinate with
government officials, first responders and emergency response agencies. Hawaiian Electric will provide public notifications through news releases, social media, online outage maps and
updates to its website. If weather conditions change suddenly, shutoff may occur with little or no notice.
During a PSPS activation, power will remain shut off so long as hazardous weather conditions
persist. When the weather improves, power lines must be inspected and any damage must be
repaired before service can be restored. This may involve ground crews and aerial inspections
using helicopters and drones.

This process may result in extended outages lasting several hours, possibly even days depending on the location and extent of any damage. Shutting off power, even to reduce wildfire risks, has broad impacts across the community.
Hawaiian Electric has coordinated with stakeholders from across government and the private sector, including emergency response agencies, government officials, essential service
providers and businesses, to ensure public awareness and safety during a PSPS activation.
Customers on life support with special medical needs are urged to prepare now for the
possibility of extended power outages. Hawaiian Electric asks those customers to provide their
contact information to receive future notifications in advance of a PSPS by submitting an online
Medical Needs Communications Form at hawaiianelectric.com/PSPS.

Looking ahead, Hawaiian Electric plans to continue to enhance and refine its PSPS program to
make it more targeted and effective. These plans currently include implementing additional
enhanced technology, weather forecasting targeting high-risk areas, customer education, plans for backup for critical customers, and community hubs and resources.

The PSPS program is just one component of Hawaiian Electric’s three-phase Wildfire Safety
Strategy. As part of the first phase, the company has already implemented changes in high-risk
areas, including:

• During hazardous weather conditions, deploying spotters to strategic locations in risk
areas to watch for ignition.

• If a fault or disturbance is detected on a circuit, automatically shutting off power lines in
risk areas until crews visually confirm that it is safe to restore power. This may result in
longer outages in some areas, including outages that last overnight.

The second phase includes work that is underway, or will soon be underway, to harden the grid
against a variety of extreme weather events and reduce potential hazards.

That work includes:

• Expanding inspections of poles and lines, using helicopters, drones, infrared and ground
inspection.
• Addressing sag and tension in lines and adding spacers to reduce the potential for
sparking.
• Switching from single-strand copper to aluminum wire or covered conductor in some
areas.
• Replacing wood poles with steel poles in some areas.
• Continuing vegetation management efforts adjacent to power lines.
• Using fault current indicators, quickly identifying the location of faults.
• Installing cameras and weather sensors in critical areas.

Additionally, Hawaiian Electric is advancing work on its $190 million grid resilience plan to
harden against wildfires, hurricanes, tsunami and flooding, and to adapt to climate change
impacts.

Half of this multi-year program is to be paid by the federal government with the other
half matched by customers.

The third phase will be longer term and will use a variety of tools to address continuing and
emerging threats from extreme weather and climate change. Some of those tools are expected
to include:

• Providing more precision in wildfire-focused weather forecasting and risk-modeling.
• Undergrounding power lines in strategic at-risk areas.
• Expanding use of covered power lines, fast-acting fuses and fire-resistant poles and
equipment.
• Seeking support for expanded hazard tree removal, wider rights-of-way, and rights of
access for clearing vegetation that threatens equipment.
• Ongoing collaboration with fire departments and emergency management agencies to
refine the overall strategy.
• Seeking more federal funding for wildfire defense programs.
For more information about Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire safety strategy, go to:
hawaiianelectric.com/wildfiresafety.