Hawaiian Electric announced the rates for its new, optional Time-of-Use (TOU) Rate Program on October 19 – outlining that, overall, customers will be charged less for power used during the day - when insolation is highest – and more at night. The utility will allow 5,000 customers to enroll in its two-year pilot program, effective immediately.
Developed under the direction of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) (Docket No. 2014-0192) and approved on September 16 (Order No. 33923), the new rates are intended to encourage customers on the islands of Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu to use electricity when solar power is abundant and to speed up cost-effective integration of renewable energy.
Under the TOU rate structure, the utility has carved out a mid-day period from 9.a.m. through 5 p.m.; an on-peak period from 5 p.m. through 10 p.m.; and an off-peak period from 10 p.m. through 9 a.m. Specifically, according a report in the Pacific Business News, the breakdown of costs will be as follows:
To better manage their usage, customers will receive a “shadow bill” feature, which will enable them to compare their bills under the TOU program to what their costs would have been under their previous residential tariff.
Customers may choose to opt-out of the pilot program at any time, without penalty.
