Hawaii regulators have begun the process to implement a
program that may help more isle residents install solar energy systems by
financing the heavy up-front costs through their electric bills, according to a
public filing on Wednesday.
The on-bill financing program is known as the “Hawaii Energy
Bill Saver Program."
The program, which stems
from Act 204, provides two options to make renewable energy systems and
energy efficient devices available to underserved markets through the use of a
customer’s electricity bill, the Hawaii
Public Utilities Commission said.
The first option allows a utility customer to install a
renewable energy system or energy efficient device, which will be paid for
through a tariff assessment that is placed on their account.
The customer would not actually own the system or device.
Instead, a third party would own the system or device and hold responsibility
for maintenance and insurance with the customer essentially “renting” it.
The second option allows a customer to install a system or
device through a market- and finance-based product that allows for payment of
the product by using the customer’s electric bill for the purpose of billing
and collection.
Under this option, ownership and maintenance as well as
insurance responsibilities for the systems or devices remains with the person
or entity paying for the products.
In July 2011, Gov. Neil
Abercrombie signed into law House
Bill 1520 as Act 204, which directs the PUC to investigate an on-bill
financing program for electric utility customers to buy or acquire a renewable
energy system or energy-efficient device through an assessment on the
customer’s bill.
The main focus of the program is to make such systems and
devices available to underserved markets, including the rental market, by
overcoming the barrier of upfront costs.
About a year ago, the PUC released a report from its
consultant, Harcourt, Brown & Cary,which
concluded that the program makes sense for Hawaii.
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