Hawaiian Electric Company

Leaders of Hawaiian Electric, the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office, and the Public Utilities Commission were called to testify before a House subcommittee Thursday on events leading up to the devastating fire on Aug. 8. HPR's Savannah Harriman Pote has more.

Time-of-use rates were supposed to kick in across Maui, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island for some 17,000 households on Oct. 1. It's now been pushed back until next year for Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island residents — and suspended indefinitely for those on Maui.

Lawsuits related to the wildfires in West Maui continue to develop. One target is Hawaiian Electric and a local bank is addressing concerns about its connection to the utility. Pacific Business News editor-in-chief A. Kam Napier has more.

Lawyers for residents and business owners of the Hawaiian town devastated by last month's fires on Maui told a court that cable TV and telephone companies share responsibility for the disaster.

Hawaiʻi's electric utility acknowledged Sunday night its power lines started a wildfire on Maui but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have a second wildfire break out nearby and become the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.

The County of Maui has filed a civil suit against Maui Electric Company and the Hawaiian Electric companies for Maui wildfire damages. The complaint, filed in Second Circuit Court, alleges the electric company knew the risks of hurricane-strength winds heading to the county and did not turn off its electrical grid, causing the fires. HPR's Sabrina Bodon has more.

Notices are about to go out to about 15,000 Hawaiʻi residents and 1,700 business customers randomly selected to take part in a one-year pilot project. “Shift and Save” is the Hawaiian Electric Company's program that will change rates based on the time of day.

Hawaiian Electric Company is piloting a program with 'time-of-use' rates that is aimed at saving both money and energy. The one-year pilot is called "Shift and Save." Nearly 17,000 households and business customers across Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu have been randomly selected to participate for at least six months. Only those with advanced meters were eligible.

Hawaiian Electric needs the help of electric vehicle owners to better understand EV charging habits.

Hawaiian Electric plans to replace six oil-fueled generators in Pearl City outside Honolulu with smaller generation units powered by biodiesel and possibly hydrogen. The state Public Utilities Commission must approve the plan.