HECO app allows customers to track outages

Hawaiian Electric Co. has released a mobile application that can send Oahu electric utility customers updates on power outages.

HECO said the app will send alerts about outages, utility work, weather-related events and other emergencies. The “Hawaiian Electric” mobile app is available for download at Apple iTunes and Google Play stores.

The app includes an outage map based on customer reporting and HECO’s system alerts. The map will display real-time information for power outages across the island, including the general areas that are experiencing outages, the approximate number of people affected, when the outage began and the estimated time of power restoration. If available, the map also will show the cause of the problem.

Users who allow the app to track their location can see information on any existing outages near them.

HECO said the mobile app also provides links for customers to sign up for services like paperless billing and time-of-use rates — a program that charges customers three different rates throughout the day instead of one flat rate.