Payment Assistance

Special Medical Needs

We recognize that some of our customers depend on life support equipment at home and/or have increased heating or cooling needs due to a medical condition. This may increase electricity bills on top of other health care expenses. With these customers and their families in mind, we created the Special Medical Needs Rate Program (SMNP).

Our Special Medical Needs rate offers a discount of $0.04 per kWh (on the Non-Fuel Energy Charge) on the first 500 kilowatt-hours in any month. Maximum savings is $20 in a given month ($0.04 times the first 500 kWh).

A new benefit of the SMNP program is that participating customers will be referred to Hawaii Energy upon final acceptance of your application, which can provide resources to help you reduce energy use and your electricity bill.

For Example

  • Customers who use 250 kWh in a month will see a $10 lower bill that month ($0.04 times 250).
  • Customers who use 500 kWh in a month will see a $20 lower bill ($0.04 times 500).
  • Customers who use 1,000 kWh in a month will see a $20 lower bill ($0.04 times 500). All kilowatt-hours over 500 will be charged at applicable rate for that tier on that island.

How to Enroll

This program is available to no more than 2,000 residential customers in total for customers on Oahu, Maui County, and Hawaii Island. Our program has reached capacity and we are currently waitlisting applicants.

Enrollment Form (PDF)

To apply, please fill out the form, obtain a licensed physician’s signature and submit it to us by regular mail. Please do not submit electronically. We will review each application for completeness and may need to verify that the applicant lives primarily at the service address. A customer may apply the special rate at only one service address. Upon acceptance, the applicant will receive a letter and the reduced rate will go into effect within 1-2 billing cycles.

You may mail the form to:

Hawaiian Electric
Attn: Credit Department
P.O. Box 2750
Honolulu, HI 96840

Who May Qualify

To qualify, a Hawaii-licensed physician must certify that the resident at that service address has one of the following medical issues:

  • Dependent on a life-support device used in the home, which includes but is not limited to: respirators; iron lungs; hemodialysis machines; suction machines; electric nerve stimulators; pressure pads and pumps; aerosol tents; electrostatic and ultrasonic nebulizers; compressors; intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) machines; and motorized wheelchairs; or
  • A paraplegic, hemiplegic, or quadriplegic person, or a multiple sclerosis patient with special heating and/or cooling needs; or
  • A person being treated for a life-threatening illness, or a person with a compromised immune system with special heating and/or cooling needs to sustain the life of the person or prevent deterioration of the person's medical condition; or
  • A scleroderma patient with special heating needs.

Our Special Medical Needs Rate Program can be used in combination with Net Energy Metering, Customer Grid Supply, Customer Self Supply, or LIHEAP.

Customers on the Residential Time of Use rates or Temporary Residential-Schedule G may not receive the Special Medical Needs Rate discount, but should apply for the utilities' Life Support Program so we are aware that someone dependent of life support equipment lives at that service address.