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.

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E Hoomaikai #24 (November 2025)

No turtlenecks for meter sockets

Meter sockets with “turtlenecks” or metal brims (see above picture) are not allowed. We can’t put our Hawaiian Electric meter bands on them and if something were to go wrong with the service, we can’t put a “false meter base” on it to run a temporary jumper to power the home/business. Please reference Electric Service Installation Manual (ESIM) page 41, Section 4.3.E, and the note about “Ring-type and comply with ANSI C12.7”.

Transformer/Switchgear lead-time updates

Supply chain issues for the past several years with transformers have primarily been resolved and lead times have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Switchgear lead times continue to be a challenge, but here are updated lead times for these critical components:

Transformers

• Pole mounts 75kVA and below: 6 months
• Pole mounts >75kVA: 12 months
• Sub/step down: 12 months
• 1-ph Pad mounts: 7 months
• 3-ph Pad mounts (750kVA and below): 7 months
• 3-ph Pad mounts (greater than 750kVA): 12 months

Switchgears

• PMH and PME Switchgears: 12 months
• Vista Switchgears: 24+ months

Project payments

Our engineering and construction costs consist of a preliminary deposit, rough cost (if applicable) and final or firm cost proposal. The preliminary deposit is an initial payment for engineering and expected support and operations resources required early in the process depending on scope, which will be credited toward the total project cost.

Please note that there should be only one party responsible for our engineering/service/construction costs, and we require this billing party information while creating your request. This way, after the project is completed and if for some reason there are any refunds, we will know who to refund.

Late to expect PV tax credits

We want to remind electricians/PV companies that it’s too late for customers to try to hurry and install PV during the latter part of the year to receive tax credits. We have been getting an unusually high number of applications for PV upgrades. Most will probably not be completed by year end, especially if they involve underground work.

PV companies should be aware of our typical upgrade timeframes. Putting in last-minute, end-of-year requests for upgrades creates unnecessary stress for our planners. Also, customers get upset because they may not receive tax credits they were promised.

Reminders/Things to know

• The 10th edition of our Electric Service Installation Manual (ESIM) should be released in 1Q26!
• Although it’s not a required field, we ask the Requestor of the service request application in our CIT-CID online tool to please include their phone number or to add themselves as a stakeholder. Having the phone number helps us ensure communication when needed, and helps address issues with your request in a timely manner.
• Customers should not expect our underground inspectors to help pull customer-owned cable into energized vaults or to pull cable at all. That work should be performed by the customer, or our T&D Operations crews when the vault or equipment is de-energized.
• Our main point of contact for a service request is the person who submitted the service request. Therefore, any updates on the status of the project go to the Requestor. If other stakeholders for the project require updates, we suggest that the Requestor create a group email that includes the other stakeholders requiring updates. This group email communication will help prevent multiple people from calling the planners and asking for similar information, which is not efficient and causes delays for everyone.

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E Hoomaikai #23 (September 2025)

Master metering

“Master metering service for apartments, condominiums, and multi-unit buildings containing residential units” may be allowed “when the individual occupant does not control a substantial portion of the energy such as for water heating or air-conditioning or if such service will tend to encourage conservation or the efficient use of energy” (from Title 6 of the State Department of Budget and Finance, Chapter 60-5). The utility, or Hawaiian Electric, has the right to determine the use of master metering. Determination, disputes, modifications, or exemptions should be in accordance with HRS 269-6 and 7.

In commercial and industrial uses, where a single tenant consumes a significant amount of electricity and controls a major portion of its use, then to the extent practicable, individually metered service should be used.

Preliminary Engineering payments are required for projects to proceed

Please be aware that after working with our Customer Engineering Support team and the completeness review process for your service request application, you will receive an email requesting preliminary engineering payment. This payment is required before our planners can spend any time working on your project.

Please ensure timely payment for this preliminary engineering cost so the assigned planner can receive your job package from our Customer Engineering Support team and start work on it. If payment is not received, the assigned planner will not receive the job package and no progress will be made on your project.

In addition, if payment is not received within four (4) months from the date of the email/letter, your application will be cancelled and you will need to submit a new application.

Plans for temporary power

Please be sure when planning removal or demolition work that temporary power is also considered and incorporated in your plans. This can help reduce rework and avoid rushes. Be sure to also confirm if single-phase or three-phase power is needed for temporary needs. Finally, please remember that the temporary equipment will need to be removed as well, so kindly let us know when the temporary service and equipment are no longer needed.

Reminders

• Changes in scope of work for your projects will likely incur additional charges. Even if the scope of work is reduced, additional engineering time to adjust to the changes should be anticipated.
• Submit service requests for ancillary service (e.g. irrigation, traffic signals, streetlights, etc.) meters only within 4 – 6 months of requiring energization.
• Our Electric Service Installation Manual (ESIM) is under review and a new electronic version (10th edition) should be available by early 2026. Please share any ideas, areas you think need clarity, or information that should be added, etc.

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E Hoomaikai #22 (June 2025)

Pole-bracing documents are online

Pole bracing is required anytime a contractor is digging within 10 feet of our poles or anchors. This is something that comes up regularly with projects, but we aren’t always notified within a sufficient time frame or at all! This can be a significant safety risk, so we encourage you to follow the process and include the standard pole-bracing notes on your consultant/customer drawings. Please also note that a structural engineer licensed in Hawaii needs to develop the pole-bracing plan and that needs to be submitted to Hawaiian Electric’s Structural team for review.

The following three documents can now be found on our external website to help you plan and work through the process more efficiently:

• Pole-bracing Process
• Pole-bracing Notes
• Pole-bracing Design Load Table

Additional contingency wording in firm cost letters

Please note that we recently added wording in all our firm proposal letters for all projects where we’re including the installation of Hawaiian Electric equipment. This additional verbiage is required to address the potential impacts to projects related to government tariffs, archeological findings, etc. Please be aware of this and know that we will continue to do what we can to work with you, but there are some things outside of our control that may cause delays and additional costs.

Phasing of projects

As much as possible phased projects should be planned in advance, and service requests should be submitted for each phase. If the decision to phase the project is made for a job that is already in progress, costs will need to be reevaluated due to the addition of multiple scheduling events and visits by our crews. This may also cause delays as drawing revisions will be required.

De-energize and re-energize requests require time and planning

If your project requires the de-energization and re-energization of overhead or underground lines, it is not always a simple process. It may require the planning and scheduling of our T&D Operations crews to complete overhead or underground work, including grounding, versus just our System Operations team creating a switching plan and our Primary Troublemen executing that switching plan. Even if you are told by Hawaiian Electric personnel that the lines can be de-energized, immediately submit a service request so we can determine the required scope and schedule. This typically will require at least a month of planning and scheduling.

Dedicated standby person to improve responsiveness and safety

A dedicated standby person can help provide oversight and increase safety on the jobsite, reduce the downtime for a customer, restore power so you can continue work if needed, and sometimes is required based on the circumstances of the installation. We recommend a dedicated standby person every time, as this will avoid the chance that the standby person will be called away for an emergency and then we all must wait around for that person to return and restore service.

Reminders

• Plan ahead and give sufficient time for permitting, design work, drawing reviews, creation, revisions, potential easements, inspections, corrections, scheduling, installation, energization, etc. Please be aware that our planners do not control the scheduling of our Operations’ resources.
• Ancillary equipment service requests (e.g., traffic signal, streetlights, irrigation, etc.) should be initiated 4 – 6 months prior to when you or your customer expect to require service. The main infrastructure should have been reviewed and installed in the subdivision or development infrastructure project, however, the installation of the actual metering equipment, supporting infrastructure and required inspections, etc. should be submitted several months prior to when the service is required.
• Oahu ONLY – Automate costs (for applicable large developers) are now included in our firm cost letter versus on the tail end with each home that is provided a meter and service. This is to help with planning and to reduce the number of financial transactions.

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E Hoomaikai #21 (February 2025)

Oahu ONLY - New process for vault room access

Most buildings have an electric vault room (often located in the basement, garage or side of the building), that contains sensitive electrical equipment, such as transformers, switchgear, etc. Pursuant to tariff and our electrical standards, the electric vault room’s structure i.e. door(s), window(s), walls, roof, flooring, etc. is owned by the customer/property owner and requires regular cleaning and inspection. Even in cases where the electric equipment within the vault is Hawaiian Electric-owned, the vault room’s structure must still be maintained by the customer/property owner. However, for safety and security, qualified Hawaiian Electric personnel must be present whenever the electric vault room is accessed.

To simplify the process by which property owners/managers (and their authorized consultants) may request access to their electric vault rooms for routine maintenance, we’ve published a revised request form that clearly defines our no-fee courtesy requests, and for-fee service requests. Please visit our website for complete instructions.

Service/Disconnect Request Form

Disconnect/Reconnects also require time and planning

We’ve been getting an increased number of disconnect/reconnects that are rushes on Oahu, and we ask that you please plan ahead and submit disconnect/reconnect requests 2 – 3 months in advance (not necessary for Hawaii Island as they can typically schedule within a few weeks; Maui requests 4 weeks in advance) of when you need the service de-energized. This will ensure we all have sufficient time to plan for and execute this work. These requests require our planners to do field checks to verify what is necessary to safely de-energize the service, and to develop a cost when necessary. In underground situations we may also need to schedule our T&D Operations crews to do work in a handhole/manhole to disconnect cables, which also requires more time to plan and schedule.

If your customer has an assigned Commercial Client Manager or Government Client Services Manager, then they should notify them to assist with planning any required disconnect/reconnect.

If payment is required, time is needed to determine scope, develop the cost estimate, send the cost and requirements, and to receive payment before we can issue the job for scheduling.

Please help us to better meet our customer expectations by effectively planning for all that may be required, and if it ends up being a simpler job, then we should be able to improve this timeframe.

PV upgrades with temporary jumpers

Please note that if your customer happens to have a temporary jumper, this will not prevent Hawaiian Electric or the City/County from proceeding with a meter upgrade or required inspections. All normal installation standards will apply, but the work to disconnect/reconnect or to relocate if needed can be done as part of our upgrade work.

Brochures to be updated

With the implementation last August of our Preliminary Engineering fees, we will be updating our residential and large customer brochures this year. Regardless, please reference these resources to give you a more realistic idea of key milestones and general timeframes required to complete service requests.

If you have any questions about what is applicable, please direct them to your assigned planner.

Reminders

• Last year, we made an improvement to allow consultants/engineering firms to start their service requests prior to stamped drawings. However, if drawings are submitted prior to Professional Engineering stamp and signature, the below is still required:
  • All projects require appropriate drawings (e.g. overall location map, site plan with street names, one-line, meter elevation)
  • Drawings must include the consultant company, contact names and border template
  • Point of contact information

• Here’s a link to all requirements:

Submission Requirements

• Oahu ONLY - If you are submitting a project that qualifies for Affordable Housing and/or falls under Bill 7, please be sure to note this in your application/project name so the assigned planner is aware.