Letter: Alas, read fine print on time-of-use energy rates

To all those HECO customers that are part of the original net energy metering (NEM) program without an at-home battery and who regularly generate excess energy: Take a close look at your last bill. Specifically, the credit for net generation. The vast majority of my excess power was not earning the $0.45/kWh per my NEM contract, but instead approximately 60% less, or $0.17/kWh. This significant change is in the HECO “time-of-use” fine print, this added feature came very quietly. From HECO’s FAQ on how the Shift and Save pilot program impacts NEM customers: “The export rates for NEM customers will change and be based on the time-of-use pilot rates, depending on the time you are exporting back to the grid.”

Nice move by HECO to engineer this slick way to kill the original NEM program. Thanks, Public Utilities Commission.

John Sullivan

Pearl City

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