Newsletter Updates

To increase communication and transparency, the Customer Installation Division (CID) of Hawaiian Electric created "E Hoomaikai", which means "to improve." Using these periodic emails, the Customer Installation Division hopes to improve communication with you and provide a clearer path to getting your projects completed on schedule. Find updates and information compiled from past quarterly emails (previous four) below.

E Hoomaikai #17 (February 2024)

Update: Supply chain issues primarily affecting larger three-phase padmount transformers

We have been reporting periodically since 2022 about the impact of international supply chain issues on our equipment deliveries. This challenge remains, but we've made some good progress with additional suppliers and shipments.

Please continue to submit your requests as soon as possible so we can initiate requisitions and manage our supply. Please note that we have a good inventory and incoming supply of overhead pole-mounted transformers and single-phase pole-mounted and padmount transformers. We also were able to address early concerns regarding supply of conductors and large cables, and haven't experienced problems with switchgear demand.

Our highest risk at this time is with three-phase padmount transformers that are 750 kVA and above. Please continue to keep your Hawaiian Electric planner/designer/engineer aware of your construction schedule and the projected date for transformer installation.

Let us know your transformer requirements as soon as possible, and we'll inform you as to whether there are concerns with meeting your delivery needs. Otherwise, we have an adequate inventory of most transformer types, and our experience to date with customers attempting to purchase a transformer on their own have not been promising and could potentially add more risk and cost to your projects.

Failed service request applications

To help Hawaiian Electric manage the number of failed applications in the CIT online system, we will be voiding/cancelling and archiving CIT applications that were failed and have not been resubmitted for 60 days or longer (for small residential) and six months or longer (for commercial/large residential). This will help us focus on creating service requests from applications that are completed in full and provide the information needed to effectively complete the service request.

After the 60 days or six months have passed, Hawaiian Electric will send an email to notify requesters that the failed application has been cancelled, and the status will be changed to ARCHIVED. If you decide to proceed, you must submit a new application when you have all the required information and drawings. We appreciate your help and understanding to submit complete applications so we can create the service requests promptly and start working on them.

Oahu ONLY - Projects exempt from City & County of Honolulu permit requires a letter on customer letterhead

For projects that comply with the below City Ordinance (e.g. Federal/State/Board of Water Supply, etc.), Hawaiian Electric will still require a letter from the customer on official letterhead stating that they are exempt, the reason why and that they will still comply with all required codes and Hawaiian Electric standards.

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/honolulu/latest/honolulu/0-0-0-17056#JD_Ch.18Art.3

If your project is exempt, either provide the exemption letter with your application for service or let us know that you will be providing the letter so that our administrative team and planner know not to expect a permit and any City & County inspection or release.

All projects require appropriate drawings and should include the consultant company and contact names and border template if it is prior to Professional Engineering stamp and signature.

Projects that qualify for Special Assignment Inspection (SAI) and are allowed to proceed with construction prior to receiving a building permit require written proof of their SAI request and all requirements as stated in the above ordinance are satisfied, including that the building permit application has been accepted as complete and has been under review for at least 30 days.

Hawaiian Electric will not install service if the project does not have a proper permit. Even a project that qualifies for SAI will require a permit and City & County inspection release before Hawaiian Electric can complete a service request or installation.

Reminders

• Cancellations and Refunds – Please note that if you cancel your request after making payment and we have expended resources to work on your project, you will receive a refund minus any costs we've incurred.
• Please provide all required information when submitting applications for service to help reduce the time to complete your service request. Here is a link that details requirements for a complete application:

Requirements for applications

E Hoomaikai #16 (November 2023)

Submit your CIT application for electrical service prior to installing the equipment and prior to obtaining county release or approval

We kindly request that contractors submit customer interconnection tool (CIT) applications before the county release or approval is sent to Hawaiian Electric. We also request that you refrain from installing any electrical equipment until the CIT application is submitted so we can review, provide input and agree on the location of the installation.

Once we receive your online application, your project will be reviewed and assigned to a planner who will provide the estimated costs and requirements (C&R), and timeline, to complete your project. If an online application is not received within 30 days of the receipt of the county release or approval, it will be voided without further notice. Should this happen, we ask that you have the county resubmit your approval after the online application has been submitted.

To avoid delays, please submit an online application prior to installing the equipment and before obtaining the county release or approval.

The online application can be found at hawaiianelectric.com/electricalservicerequest.

Additional ducts for expected EV demand

For residential subdivisions (single-family or duplex), we request that consultants/developers design and install four 4” secondary ducts between transformers and the serving handhole. We cannot run two sets of cables in one duct, so additional cables require additional ducts.

These additional ducts will provide facilities to accommodate more cables for growth, including future EV loads. This may cause handholes to be a minimum of 4’x6’, but this has already been done for some projects, and we are now looking at making it standard practice.

It is more cost effective for residents in that subdivision as well as all Hawaiian Electric customers to include these ducts when the subdivision infrastructure is being built, versus adding additional 4” secondary ducts after everything is installed underground and energized.

Door sill construction in vault rooms

Regarding door sills in vault rooms, consultants/customers should follow Hawaiian Electric standard 30-6005. If the standard cannot be met, customers can submit their own door sill design for Hawaiian Electric review by the customer engineering planner and our structural team.

Door sill designs must be included in the customer’s structural drawings whether it meets our standard or is customer-designed.

Once the transformer(s) type/size is finalized, Hawaiian Electric will provide the oil capacity required for the transformer(s), and the dimension of the pad and/or equipment. With that information, the consultant should calculate the oil rise in the vault room, accounting for displacement of transformer(s) and switch vault. Oil rise must be 1” below the top of the door sill. This will determine the height of the door sill.

Most times, a 6” height is sufficient. A metal plate can be used to make the door sill higher when necessary. Maximum height of the door sill is 1.5’.

Door sills at roll up doors are to be constructed after Hawaiian Electric installation work is complete. Predrilling in preparation for the door sill must be coordinated with the Hawaiian Electric Inspector prior to final inspection release.

Change Notice

Due to the new Advance Rate Design (ARD) meter program and setup, for CT and CT/PT metering, it has been a challenge for electricians/contractors to complete the required work within one day. Therefore, customers should be advised that they will now receive two electric bills – one for the new meter and one for their existing meter - during this interim period until the existing meter/service is removed. We apologize for this inconvenience.

E Hoomaikai #15 (September 2023)

Supply chain challenges continue

Internationally, transformer manufacturers in general continue to struggle to meet demands and deliver transformers that have been ordered in a timely manner. The lead times have extended for some high demand units to almost three years!

Our Materials team continues to work hard with additional partners and on various options for building the inventory we need for critical system and customer spares, as well as new services, driven by growth with military privatization, affordable housing, electrification of transportation and continued growth with Customer Energy Resources.

We ask you to identify your plans and needs early and submit your service request application, then a planner can be assigned and a transformer can be ordered as soon as possible. We also ask developers to be realistic about their schedule and plans and phase out installations when possible, versus requiring all transformers on the same date.

Customer demand history for consultants

Due to customer privacy concerns, our administration clerks can no longer provide consultants with demand history for customers without prior authorization. Anyone requesting this information will need to be authorized on the customer’s account. Please work with our Commercial Client Services representatives to get authorization from the end customer.

Milestone information available from online application tool

If you enter an application for service with our online Customer Interconnection Tool (CIT) as a requester, or if you are listed as a stakeholder for a particular service request that is created, please be aware that you can view the status of your project by clicking on the Milestones tab. This will allow you to get the information when you need it, and avoid calls to our administration clerks or planners, allowing them to focus on completing work for you versus just providing a status.

Reminders

Contractors/Consultants – Please follow the Electric Service Installation Manual (ESIM) 9th Edition, which is online and provides the requirements our inspections will be based on. Building your electrical equipment and supporting infrastructure in compliance with the ESIM will help ensure smoother and faster inspections and Hawaiian Electric installations.

Consultants – Please complete revisions to drawings in a timely manner so your consultant drawings can be approved. This allows us to proceed with the design, and you can proceed with the electrical infrastructure build.

Developers/Consultants – For the safety of our crews, please remember that we recently implemented a policy in which we will no longer dead-end cables in a manhole or handhole. All installed cables should be connected to a transformer or a switch.

E Hoomaikai #14 (May 2023)

Where/when is billing information required?

Some requests are failing completeness review because the requester did not provide billing information. In the CIT tool, there is currently no field for this information. In the interim, please input the Billing/Cost information below in the Comments box under Submittals:

• Existing Account
  • Account Number
• New Customer/Account Number Needed
  • Business
    • Business name
    • Federal Tax ID # & General Excise Tax ID #
    • Authorized contact person
    • Mailing address
    • Phone number
    • Email address
  • Personal
    • Customer name
    • Mailing address
    • Phone number
    • Email address
    • Hawaiian Electric administrator will contact for Social Security Number (SSN)

Contractors must notify planners after completing meter installation

We ask that contractors notify their assigned planner as soon as possible after installing their new metering equipment. This helps us schedule our inspection and avoids situations in which contractors assume we’ll be notified by the city/county inspection release. In addition to notifying the planner that the meter equipment installation is complete, you can also check the Milestones tab in the CIT tool to confirm if we’ve received the city/county release.

Submit removal and temporary service requests early, especially for demolitions, renovations

Whenever you have a project that includes plans to demolish a home or do extensive renovations that require removal of service and/or temporary power, please submit your removal or temporary power service request at least one to two months prior to demolition. Once received we can work with you to plan and schedule the removal or establish temporary power prior to demolition work around our meter equipment and/or service line.

No hot-capped or dead-ended cables in manholes

Our operations team has long expressed concern about safety issues regarding their inability to effectively test cables that are hot-capped or dead-ended in a manhole/handhole. The testing is required prior to starting work to confirm circuits involved, grounding and whether circuits are energized.

After considering several other solutions, we’ve agreed that the best options to address this are as follows:

• Option 1 - Developers and consultants should design electrical infrastructure cables in such a way that cables must be terminated from one device to another (transformer or switchgear), and not leave them hot-capped inside manholes/handholes.
• Option 2 - Infrastructure cables should not be installed until they are required for service connections.
• Option 3 - Install a temporary termination switchgear or related equipment for testing purposes above ground. This also will require a temporary easement from the developer.

Estimated energization dates

Because the current online service application doesn’t ask for estimated dates when service will be needed, we ask that requesters provide a realistic and reasonable estimated date when power is required and include that in the Comments section of the application under Submittals.

Reminder

OAHU ONLY - For small residential requests, an E2 building permit is required for Hawaiian Electric to accept your service request. However, there is an option to pay a $500 (overhead) or $1000 (underground) deposit for us to create the service request without the required electric permit. This upfront payment will help provide Hawaiian Electric with sufficient financial commitment to have the request opened, but note the E2 building permit will still be needed to complete the project.