Customer Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Not at this time. But it’s possible that in the future Hawaiian Electric will seek regulatory approval to recover the costs of servicing customers who opt out. You’ll be notified before any fee is imposed.

We will note on your account that you have chosen not to receive an advanced meter. Depending on its age, you may keep your old meter or we may install a non-communicating digital meter. The digital meter doesn’t have the ability to send or receive data. and there is no radio frequency (RF) transmission. We will continue to read your meter manually.

Use data is transmitted to Hawaiian Electric on a private, secure network. Hawaiian Electric protects the privacy of its customers and their data. The advanced meter doesn’t track the activities in a home or the use of appliances or equipment, only the amount of electricity being consumed.

Like cell phones, wi-fi, remote controls and other wireless devices that are now common in most homes, advanced meters emit radio frequency (RF) energy. These meters have been used in the U.S. since the mid-2000s. Here is what the Federal Communications Commission says: “Some health and safety interest groups have interpreted certain reports to suggest that wireless device use may be linked to cancer and other illnesses, posing potentially greater risks for children than adults. While these assertions have gained increased public attention, currently no scientific evidence establishes a causal link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses. Those evaluating the potential risks of using wireless devices agree that more and longer-term studies should explore whether there is a better basis for RF safety standards than is currently used.” Hawaiian Electric continues to follow the research. We understand some people have concerns about radio frequency emissions, which is why our policy is if you don’t want one, you don’t have to have one.

Analog meters and older model digital meters don’t have the ability to receive or transmit data. They simply count the kilowatt-hours you use, like a car’s odometer. The average transmission from an advanced meter is typically about 14 milliseconds every 30 minutes, which means the total average transmission time is less than one second per 24 hours.

Advanced meter technology is rigorously tested for accuracy and reliability to meet specific standards, and tests have shown that advanced meters are more accurate than analog meters. The advanced meters deployed by Hawaiian Electric also are meticulously tested by the manufacturer and the utility prior to installation. In limited cases where your old (analog) meter may have been running slow due to age, you may see an increase in electricity usage on your bills after the advanced meter is installed due to the accuracy of the new (advanced) meter. However, if you notice a significant change in your electricity usage that is not typical for your household, please contact our Customer Call Center and we can send a field representative to verify the equipment is working properly.

An advanced meter should not affect your solar program and/or billing but will offer many benefits including more accurate energy use data and access to the My Energy Use portal. Through the portal, customers with a rooftop solar system also can monitor their generation and see how well the solar system offsets energy consumption. Additionally, you can track energy use, compare energy use data to previous periods, set up notification alerts when use hits a certain threshold and download the data for analysis – such as verifying your home energy savings investments – among other uses.

Hawaiian Electric recommends customers with rooftop solar and/or battery systems check their systems’ main control panel to make sure it is functioning properly once the advanced meter is installed as it may need to be reset. If it’s not working properly, please contact your solar contractor for guidance on how to reset your system.

No, the advanced meter does not have the ability to turn off your water heater without the necessary hardware. While advanced meters will enable Hawaiian Electric to offer customer demand response programs in the future, such programs will require customer or homeowner approval and voluntary participation prior to installation of the required hardware.