Question: Could you tell me whether HECO has issued any Battery Bonus rebate to date? I had my PV panels and 2 Tesla batteries installed Dec. 1. I have gone back and forth between HECO and my installer, asking about my rebate since February of this year. All I have gotten from HECO in their responses are increasing submittal requirements of the installer. Frankly, I can’t help but feel that HECO is stalling by requesting more and more paperwork and photos.

Answer: Yes, Hawaiian Electric has paid $756,815 in Battery Bonus incentives to customers through March, according to the most recent monthly report it filed with the Public Utilities Commission about this initiative, which is formally called the Scheduled Dispatch Program. You can read the report, dated April 14, at 808ne.ws/sdp. It notes that incentive checks are not paid upon hardware installation, as some customers expect, but after a validation and verification process, which solar contractors are being asked to explain more specifically to their customers. In the report, the term “amendments” means applications, and SDP refers to the program marketed as Battery Bonus.

Under this program, “Hawaiian Electric will pay a cash incentive and provide bill credits for customers on Oahu to add energy storage (a battery) to an existing or new rooftop solar system. These perks will help move Hawaii toward its goal of 100% clean energy by 2045 and add more renewable resources to the grid in the short-term when the AES coal-fired plant is retired in September 2022,” the company says on its website.

As noted, the one-time incentive payments are being paid, and ongoing monthly bill credits are coming soon, according to a Battery Bonus Q&A that was updated April 19 at hawaiianelectric.com/batterybonus. You can also read details of the validation and verification processes there, as part of the incentive approval checklist.

Q: My child’s school may let the kids build a chicken coop and raise chicks. Is that safe?

A: Not for children under age 5, who are more likely to get sick from germs associated with poultry, such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Poultry should not be kept in schools, child care centers and other facilities with children younger than 5 years old. If this is not possible, the area where the chickens roam should be considered contaminated, and the children should not be allowed to play, eat or drink in these areas. The chicken enclosure should be cleaned frequently. Children 5 years and older should be supervised when interacting with chickens. They should wash their hands (under adult supervision) immediately after handling the poultry,” the CDC says.

Q: Where is the website that shows how many people with COVID-19 are in the ICU, etc.?

A: For Hawaii, one website is hiema-hub.hawaii.gov. It is updated weekly.

Western Union scam

The state Office of Consumer Protection is reminding Hawaii residents who lost money to scammers using Western Union that they have until July 1 to claim a refund as part of a legal settlement. The fraud, which involved thieves tricking victims into wiring money via the global transfer system, must have occurred between Jan. 1, 2004, and Jan. 19, 2017, according to an OCP news release. Claims may be filed online or by mail. Go to western unionremissionphase2.com for more information. Victims do not need a lawyer or to pay any fee to claim their refunds, which are part of a $586 million multistate settlement Western Union reached with federal authorities “for violating the law when it failed to guard against fraud in its system,” the news release said.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.