HONOLULU — Hawaiian Electric is postponing the scheduled start of its Shift and Save program, which was to test time-of-use rates for 17,000 randomly selected residential and business customers on Oahu, Hawaii Island and Maui.

What You Need To Know

  • On Aug. 19, the Maui Mayor requested a temporary suspension of the pilot program due to the wildfire emergency and ongoing recovery

  • HECO subsequently recommended to the commission that it delay the program and exclude Maui Island customers until further notice

  • The study was slated to begin on Oct. 1 but will now start on Feb. 1, 2024, for Oahu and Hawaii Island customers previously selected for participation

  • HECO said the revised schedule will allow it to continue to deploy and dedicate necessary resources in response to the wildfire emergency and allow for “a more informed study for the benefit of customers”

The postponement comes at the order of the Public Utilities Commission. On Aug. 19, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen requested a temporary suspension of the pilot program due to the wildfire emergency and ongoing recovery. HECO subsequently recommended to the commission that it delay the program and exclude Maui Island customers until further notice. (Maui Island customers with an advanced meter and reliable connections, including those initially selected for the program, may still opt into TOU rates.)

The study was slated to begin on Oct. 1 but will now start on Feb. 1, 2024, for Oahu and Hawaii Island customers previously selected for participation.

Hawaiian Electric will notify selected customers about the postponement by email or postal mail.

Shift and Save was developed by HECO, the state Consumer Advocate and solar industry representatives, to encourage customers to shift electricity use from the evening and overnight period, when energy is generated by fossil fuels to daytime, when less-expensive solar energy is available.

The one-year pilot will include about 4% of HECO customers. The data and customer feedback collected will be analyzed by the commission to determine how and whether the program should apply to all customers.

HECO said the revised schedule will allow it to continue to deploy and dedicate necessary resources in response to the wildfire emergency and allow for “a more informed study for the benefit of customers.”

The commission also postponed the launch date of the Distributed Energy Resources Program Structure from Nov. 1 to March 1, 2024. Enrollment in the Battery Bonus program on Oahu was extended to Feb. 29, 2024.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.