In observance of Memorial Day, our offices will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2023. Time-of-Use Program
Shift and Save
Time-of-Use (TOU) rates enable you to save money if you shift your energy use away from the high-demand evening and overnight hours that are at a higher kWh rate. The more you shift your energy usage away from those hours, the more money you could save.
The pilot program for TOU rates, called Shift and Save, was developed in a collaborative approach by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Hawaiian Electric, the state Consumer Advocate and other stakeholders. Shift and Save will start later this summer with randomly selected customers who have had advanced meters for at least six months. This 1-year pilot program will involve only about 4% of our customers on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island.
The pilot will collect data and customer feedback. This feedback will be crucial for the PUC to determine how and whether this program will ultimately apply to all customers in the future. Shift and Save may be introduced to all customers in late 2024 or early 2025, but how the program works will be determined by the results of the pilot.
Shift and Save pilot program basics
- This is a program developed in a collaborative approach by the PUC, Hawaiian Electric, the state Consumer Advocate and other stakeholders.
- Prior to the launch, notifications will go out to about 15,000 residential and 1,700 business customers on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island that they have been selected at random to participate in a time-of-use pilot program.
- Notifications will be made by email and/or postal mail. If customers don’t get a notification, then they’re not in the program.
- The 1-year pilot program starts later this summer.
- Participants will be randomly selected residential and commercial customers who have had advanced meters for at least 6 months.
- Only 4% of Hawaiian Electric customers will be selected for the pilot, rates for all other customers will remain unchanged.
- Hawaiian Electric makes/loses no money on any customer bill that increases or decreases as a result of Shift and Save.
Am I in the pilot program?
If you have been randomly selected for the Shift and Save pilot program, you will receive a notification via postal mail and/or email. If you do not receive anything from us regarding this program, then you have not been selected to participate.
Participation
How do I decline participation?
Customers selected for the pilot can decline to participate at any time, including after the pilot has started.
Can I choose to participate?
If you have not been selected to participate in the pilot program, you can still choose to participate.
How Shift and Save rates work
The daytime rate is the lowest to encourage customers to take advantage of abundant solar power during the middle of the day. Conversely, the evening peak rate is the highest.
Rate periods are:
- Daytime: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Evening peak: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Overnight: 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.
The final rates will be set by the PUC before the program begins. The rates are valid seven days a week and are adjusted annually.
For the first six months of the pilot program, customers will be protected from an unexpected surge in their bill. For residential customers, there is a 6-month cap that will keep their Shift and Save bill from going up more than $10 a month compared to what would have been charged on the pre-pilot rate for the same month. For commercial customers, there is a 6-month cap that will keep their Shift and Save monthly bill from going up more than 4% compared to what would have been charged on the pre-pilot rate for the same month.
Why implement Shift and Save?
The purpose for the program is to encourage customers to shift some of their electricity use from the evening peak and overnight to daytime when solar energy is abundant and less expensive. If successful, Hawaii will further reduce dependence on fossil fuels, cut greenhouse gas emissions, make its electric grids more reliable and resilient and, over time, drive down costs for everyone.
Time-of-Use background
We offered Time-of-use rates to customers in the past. These customers will not be included the Shift and Save pilot program. Our most recent Residential Interim Time-of-Use rate schedule (TOU-RI) is closed to new enrollments effective October 31, 2022.
