(BIVN) – As Hawaiʻi faces another Fire Weather Watch, which could trigger Hawaiian Electric’s Public Safety Power Shutoff in certain wildfire risk areas, a new program is being proposed by the utility to help certain customers with the purchase of backup power equipment. 

Under the proposal, Hawaiian Electric says qualified, low-to-moderate income customers in wildfire risk areas would be eligible to receive a rebate for the purchase of backup power equipment. 

Hawaiian Electric is seeking approval from the Public Utilities Commission to recover the cost of the proposed program from customers, an estimated $1.10 bill increase for a residents using 500 kilowatt hours on Hawai‘i island. 

From a Hawaiian Electric news release:

The Backup Power Rebate Program, designed to serve low-to-moderate income (LMI) households and customers with special medical needs, would provide eligible residential customers a rebate of up to $500 for the purchase of a portable generator and up to $1,000 for the purchase of a portable battery. Commercial customers would be eligible for a rebate of $400 per kilowatt for the purchase of a generator or battery.

For qualified residential customers, the program would be limited to home addresses that fall within areas subject to Hawaiian Electric’s Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Maui, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu. For commercial customers the rebate is proposed for all areas served by Hawaiian Electric, with prioritization given to those located in PSPS areas.

The primary goal is to provide LMI households and customers with special medical needs with the minimum power required to keep essential household appliances such as a refrigerator and medical equipment running during outages.
“We are sensitive to the fact that customers affected by PSPS events may experience extended power outages,” said Brendan Bailey, Hawaiian Electric vice president of customer service. “We want to make sure that vulnerable populations have access to backup power as the company works to reduce wildfire risks and keep customers safe.”

For commercial customers, the program would not only help strengthen their own resilience but the electric grid as a whole. Backup generators at commercial locations could be used to support resilience hubs within communities, which is a key part of Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire safety strategy. Businesses could be called upon to use their generators to help offset load on the system if an island encounters a generation shortfall.

The two-year pilot program, submitted for regulatory review, would authorize rebates totaling $3 million per year on the five islands served by Hawaiian Electric. When fully subscribed, the program is expected to serve about 4,800 residential customers and support commercial resilience hub development.

The funding would be allocated in an amount roughly proportional to the number of customers on each island that are in designated PSPS zones. Accordingly, about half of the funding would be allocated to customers in Maui County, with 40% going to customers on Hawai‘i Island and 10% to customers on O‘ahu. After two years Hawaiian Electric would review the program’s performance and seek feedback on whether to extend it.

To qualify for the program, residential customers would have to either prove LMI status using the same process as Hawaiian Electric’s BYOD Plus program for LMI self-certification, or registration with the company’s Special Medical Needs registry.

Hawaiian Electric’s PSPS program was launched in mid-2024 as part of the company’s wildfire safety strategy. It enables the company to proactively shut off electricity in high-risk areas during extreme conditions to prevent electrical equipment from igniting wildfires. Shutoffs are only implemented when there is a severe fire danger and other preventative measures are deemed insufficient.

The company designated specific circuits on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu and Moloka‘i that are subject to PSPS. The areas were designated based on wildfire history, vegetation dryness, wind exposure and evacuation challenges. PSPS decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, guided by National Weather Service red flag warnings and current field conditions.

Customers on life support with special medical needs are urged to prepare now for the possibility of extended power outages. Hawaiian Electric asks those customers to provide their contact information to receive future notifications in advance of a PSPS by submitting an online Medical Needs Communications Form.

Hawaiian Electric is seeking approval from the Public Utilities Commission to recover the cost of the program from customers. The company estimates that the average monthly bill impact for a residential customer using 500 kilowatt hours would be $1.64 on Maui, $1.10 on Hawai‘i Island and $0.08 on O‘ahu. For customers on Molokai and Lāna‘i using 400 kilowatt hours per month the estimated bill impact would be $1.31.