Customers who have not paid their bills because of the COVID-19 pandemic still kept their electricity and other utilities running. However, that may change at the end of the month when the state’s utility shutoff moratorium comes to an end. Some advocacy groups are calling for utility companies to be lenient to customers who are unable to pay their bills.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the economy, leaving many residents in Hawai?i unable to pay their utility bills.
The Public Utilities Commission issued a utilities moratorium in May 2020 and has extended the deadline several times since.
Despite many customers inability to pay for their electricity bill, the Hawaiian Electric Company was able to have a profitable year in 2020 through permanent and temporary changes to its operation costs.
The company used $2 million of its profits to fund the Hawai?i Utility Bill Assistance Program, and $3.5 million to fund various community assistance programs during the pandemic.
Advocate groups like the Sierra Club are calling for the Hawaiian Electric Company to do more.
"Hawai?i pays the highest electricity bills in the country, and that is just because of the way that our utility is set up," said Kirsten Kagimoto, communications manager at Sierra Club Hawai?i. "So we believe that Hawaiian Electric should be able to forgive the overdue bills of their customers because they are a for-profit utility that benefits off of providing an essential service."
"They’re in a unique position where they are making hundreds of millions of dollars a year while charging the most money for an essential service," Kagimoto said.
Hawaiian Electric Company encourages its customers to sign up for one of its interest-free payment plans with waived late fees.
Residential and smaller commercial customers who do not sign up for a payment plan by May 31 will be automatically set up with a 12-month payment plan.
"Even though the moratorium ends on May 31, there’s not going to be immediate disconnection," said Shannon Tangonan, HECO communications manager. "So we’re really just stressing that you take action now, get on a payment plan, and we’re going to work with you."
"What we don’t want people to think is that we’re ready to disconnect customers come June 1. That’s really not the case," Tangonan said.
The PUC is not planning on extending its deadline any further, but is requiring utility companies to notify their customers.
