Question: We are seriously thinking about installing a photovoltaic system and would appreciate clarification from Hawaiian Electric Co. about net energy metering. If I understand correctly, the surplus energy that your system generates in one month will be credited toward the next month. This continues until the anniversary of your net metering hookup. In your anniversary month your account is zeroed out, and you start all over for the next year. If this is correct, does it matter when you start net metering? For example, if you start in September, the account zeroes out the following September, and you may not have time to build up excess energy to carry through the winter months. Also, what is the average time it takes HECO to set up net metering once a photovoltaic system has been hooked up?
Answer: You understand the net energy metering process well, according to HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg, but he says it really doesn’t matter when during the year you begin the process.
“Any 12-month period will contain both months when the solar panels are sending more excess electricity to the grid (generally summer) and when sending less or none (generally winter),” he said.
“A properly sized system should not create significant excess energy over the year.”
He also explained that the energy credits cover eligible energy charges only — not the customer charge or minimum charge if the customer received minimum bills.
The last quarter of the year is usually busiest for PV installations and net metering applications. Because of that, “we are adding staff and resources to help with what should be a particularly busy October to December,” Rosegg said.
Beginning Oct. 1, he said, someone who installs a typical residential 10-kilowatt single-phase system “can apply, install, execute a final NEM (net energy metering) agreement and get a NEM meter installed with virtually no concern about delay due to needing an interconnection requirements study. The process should be faster and easier than ever.”
But he emphasized you still need all forms and approvals in hand, including a city building permit for installation work, before HECO can install a NEM
meter.
“After installation the customer benefits from ‘homemade’ electricity right away, and credits begin in the next full billing period,” Rosegg said.
We’ve twice reported on lengthy delays in getting the needed city permit, because of thousands of requests inundating the diminished inspection staff (see is.gd/
Cto62u).
However, the city Department of Planning and Permitting has since set up an online process — dev.honoluludpp.org — to obtain permits for single-family homes and was working to speed up the inspection process.
Question: Sometime back I read an article about scams by mail, mainly involving the winning of lotteries and targeting seniors. Who do I call about this?
Answer: Call the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii’s Senior Scam Hotline at 628-3950 or 888-333-1593.
The Honolulu Police Department also has information for people on how not to be scammed. Go to is.gd/GbjFxB and click on the “S.C.A.M.: Stop Criminals from Acquiring your Money” graphic on the right.
The basic warning is that when getting a call from a stranger, do not give any personal or financial information, and do not send any money.
In a typical sweepstakes scam, someone claims to represent a lottery or contest organization and says you have won a sweepstakes. But before you can claim any prize money, you will have to pay the taxes, usually about $3,000.
In a money transfer scam, someone claiming to be with a law firm will say a relative has been arrested in another country. You are asked for bail money, usually sent through a transfer company like Western Union.
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