Past due customers can avoid collection activity by setting up a payment plan

The end of the moratorium on disconnections for nonpayment – May 31, 2021 – is fast approaching. Hawaiian Electric customers with a past due balance are urged to set up a payment plan that can stretch installments over many months.

While the moratorium’s end will not trigger immediate disconnections, customers who have set up payment arrangement are not subject to Hawaiian Electric’s disconnection process and late fees are waived while on a payment plan. Requesting a payment arrangement is easy – and a new 18-month plan is now available for residential customers. Go to hawaiianelectric.com/paymentarrangement to see plan options and submit a request.

Keeping customers connected is a top priority for Hawaiian Electric. Residential and smaller commercial customers behind on payments who do not make contact with Hawaiian Electric may have their balance automatically enrolled in a 12-month payment plan starting in July to avoid disconnection. Those customers will receive a notice with their bill when the payment plan starts that explains how the arrangement works.

Bills for customers on payment plans – auto-enrolled or by customer request – will include the current charges, plus the installment amount. The installment amount will differ for each customer. For instance, If the customer’s past due amount is small, the installment amount will also be a small fraction of the bill. However, if a customer has not made any payment toward their account over this past year, the total monthly bill could more than double.

Here’s an EXAMPLE of how a 12-month payment option works:

One-twelfth of the past due balance must be paid every month over 12 months – in addition to your current charges. On the first month of the installment plan, the Amount Due will include your current charges + 1/12 of your outstanding balance.

• Let’s say a customer has an outstanding balance of $1,200.
  • Divide the balance by number of months in payment plan: $1,200 divided by 12 = $100
  • If the current charge is $150, the customer owes $150 +$100. Total amount due will be $250.
  • The customer must pay the additional 1/12 outstanding balance, plus current charge, for 12 consecutive months.

If a customer does not pay the amount due while on a payment plan, it may trigger collection activity and service may be disconnected. Contact Hawaiian Electric right away for assistance or to make an adjustment to the payment arrangement.

Customers experiencing hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to seek government and nonprofit agency assistance. Hawaiian Electric does not administer these programs, but it works with many of these agencies. See a listing of resources at hawaiianelectric.com/COVID19.

For assistance managing energy costs, Hawaii Energy is a trusted resource for tips and rebates to help offset the costs of energy-saving equipment and services. Visit https://hawaiienergy.com/tips for more information.