Hawaiian Electric

Tsunami Warning on July 29, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. HST: With the threat of a tsunami under evaluation, Hawaiian Electric is taking precautions to respond to a potential impact to the electric system. We are coordinating efforts with city and state emergency response agencies. Facilities are being secured to make sure employees and equipment remain safe. For example, preparations are being made to ensure emergency vehicles are properly fueled and moved to higher ground. In addition, system operators are managing the output of generating units at our power plants and have brought in additional crews to respond as necessary.

Our summer interns are out and about, and we are asking them about their go-to Chinatown & downtown Honolulu food finds! Faith Ota grew up in Pearl City on Oahu and currently attends Baylor University, where she is studying mathematics and computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity. This summer, she is interning with our Information Assurance department! Faith loves dim sum, and took us to try Honolulu Seafood Restaurant, a convenient dim sum spot near our downtown Honolulu office! If you are in the downtown Honolulu or Chinatown area for the summer, check out some of the small businesses and food finds in the area! What are your favorite spots? 

What is your favorite way to stay cool during summer?   One of our favorite ways to stay cool is by enjoying cold treats like ice cream! Taylor Oda, our digital communications intern, loves beating the heat with the banana split Dippin’ Dots!   Give it a try the next time you’re out in the sun!   Be sure to stay tuned to learn more about how @Wet’n’Wild Hawaii is leading the charge in energy efficiency!

Whether it be going to a substation visit or working in the office, summer interns get a chance to learn about what it takes to power the five islands the company serves.   In a new blog post, Taylor Oda, a summer intern for the digital communications department, shares about her experience interning at Hawaiian Electric.   “For me, I was fortunate to get hands-on experience in and out of the office,” writes Taylor.   “I’m so grateful to everyone who mentored me and allowed me to get a glimpse of what happens at Hawaiian Electric. I highly recommend everyone looking for a hands-on learning experience to apply to next year’s summer internship program!”   Read the full blog post at: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/g65y_vMg Music: If You Don't Want My Love - Jalen Ngonda

How are you staying cool this summer? In a recent blog, Emily Miyashiro, one of our digital communications and social media specialists, shares her favorite tips for staying cool during the hottest months of the year. “Ceiling fans are a great way to stay comfortable without having to turn on your air conditioner. While ceiling fans don’t lower the actual temperature of your room, it creates a wind chill effect that can make your body feel cooler by helping evaporate the sweat from your skin faster.” writes Emily. “Bonus: Turning on a fan instead of an air conditioner for eight hours a day can potentially save you over $65 (based on $0.39 per kWh) per month!” For a full list of Hawaiian Electric’s cool tips, visit: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gBGYdyPU. Read the full blog post at https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gCxhU2cn

What is an Enhanced Fast Trip (EFT)? We reprogrammed sensors on protective devices to detect and automatically trip to stop the flow of electricity faster than normal when a fault occurs. Reclosers attempt to restore power automatically if a fault clears itself within a few seconds. For example, when an object temporarily contacts a power line, customers may experience a flicker or brief outage. In wildfire risk areas, reclosing is blocked. An inspector will visually inspect the entire line, and power will be out until we isolate or clear the fault or complete repairs. Cameren Banis, an intern from the transmission & distribution (T&D) engineering department, and Andrew Yang, an intern from the substation engineering department, break down what they’ve learned about EFT during their summer internship at Hawaiian Electric! For more information, visit https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gV46HnHV 

Here’s another tip from Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization's annual wildfire awareness and preparedness campaign, Wildfire & Drought LOOKOUT! Several neighborhoods across Hawaii have already become nationally recognized Firewise communities, and in doing so have reduced wildfire hazards and improved safety. Lead your neighborhood in becoming a Firewise community as well! For more information, visit hawaiiwildfire.org

Earlier this month, a couple of our line crew members presented to the kindergarten class at The Children’s House in Pearl City, Oahu! Nolan Spencer, one of our overhead lineman, joined Kawehi Sablan, an underground cable splicer, in presenting to his daughter Halia and her classmates. The keiki learned about electrical safety and different jobs at our company. They also had an opportunity to explore one of our bucket trucks and see how high the bucket can go! Mahalo to Nolan and Kawehi for taking the time to inspire Hawaii’s next generation! 

Hawaii’s counties took a step closer to meeting their clean transportation goals with the recent addition of electric buses to their fleets. The eBuses, manufactured by GILLIG, will replace 12 diesel buses currently in use on Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island. Maui and Hawaii counties utilized our Charge Up eBus Pilot to partly offset the cost of their charging infrastructure. The program anticipates providing the two counties between $250,000 to $400,000 each for expenses related to design and construction. In addition, fleets operating in our service area are eligible for eBus charging rates, which can reduce costs by eliminating the demand charge in the middle of the day and overnight.

Did you know you can pay your electric bill without leaving your home? We offer several secure and convenient online payment methods: One-time payment service from your bank account through our online customer service center. Credit card, debit card, electronic check, or other digital payment methods through Paymentus. Paypal Mobile App You can also sign up for automatic bill payment to never miss a due date! For more ways to pay your bill, visit: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gN7X-S6 Music: Girl, so confusing featuring lorde by Charli XCX, Lorde