Hawaiian Electric to End Moratorium on Disconnections for Nonpayment

Hawaiian Electric’s end on the moratorium on disconnections for nonpayment is approaching.

The moratorium, established about a year ago due to financial hardships inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled to end on May 31. Hawaiian Electric customers with a past due balance are urged to set up a payment plan that can stretch installments over many months.

While the moratorium’s end will not trigger immediate disconnections, customers who have set up payment arrangements are not subject to Hawaiian Electric’s disconnection process and late fees are waived while on a payment plan. A new 18-month payment plan is now available for residential customers. For more information, click here to see plan options and submit a request.

Residential and smaller commercial customers behind on payments who do not make contact with Hawaiian Electric may have their balance automatically enrolled in a 12-month payment plan starting in July to avoid disconnection.

Those customers will receive a notice with their bill when the payment plan starts that explains how the arrangement works.

Bills for customers on payment plans – auto-enrolled or by customer request – will include the current charges, plus the installment amount. The installment amount will differ for each customer.

For instance, If the customer’s past-due amount is small, the installment amount will also be a small fraction of the bill. However, if a customer has not made any payment toward their account over this past year, the total monthly bill could more than double.

If a customer does not pay the amount due while on a payment plan, it may trigger collection activity and service may be disconnected. Contact Hawaiian Electric right away for assistance or to make an adjustment to the payment arrangement.

Customers experiencing hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to seek government and nonprofit agency assistance. Hawaiian Electric does not administer these programs, but it works with many of these agencies. See a listing of resources here.

For assistance managing energy costs, Hawaiʻi Energy is a trusted resource for tips and rebates
to help offset the costs of energy-saving equipment and services. Visit https://hawaiienergy.com/tips for more information.