The Hawaiian Electric Company has proposed a new energy plan that will help reduce Hawaii's dependency on fossil fuels and transition into using more renewable energy sources. Under goal is to have HECO generate 65 percent of its energies by 2030, which would mean tripling the amount of solar power currently generated and thereby cutting the avergage bill for customers by 20 percent. However, upon closer review of the 2,731 page plan that was submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission, some local businesses and residents are unhappy with what they are reading. For example, HECO has proposed a $55 monthly fee for each residential customer starting in 2017 as well as an additional charge of $16 for new photovoltaic customers. HECO stated that by having the monthly fee of $55, Oahu customer would pay approximately 26 cents per kilowatt-hour, a significant decrease from the 34 cents per kilowatt-hour that they currently pay. However, many residents do not like the idea of paying this minimum monthly fee.
Below is a summary of the proposal for non-solar customers and solar customers:
FOR NON-SOLAR CUSTOMERS
* 20 percent lower electric bill by 2030.
* $55 charge added to all customers’ monthly bill starting in 2017; but current average charge of 34 cents per kilowatt-hour will drop to 26 cents in 2017.
FOR SOLAR CUSTOMERS
* $55 charge added to monthly bill starting in 2017; current minimum bill is about $17.
* $16 monthly charge added to new solar customers’ bills in 2017.
* 16 cents per kilowatt-hour paid to new solar customers for excess power, down from more than 30 cents paid now.
* One-time installation charge for new solar customers, amount yet to be determined.
The state Public Utilities Commission will be holding hearings open to the public to review HECO's plan.
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 8-28-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
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