Reduce energy use, save money this Earth Month and beyond!

by Dan Kaneko | April 20, 2024

As an employee at Hawaiian Electric, friends and family members often reach out to me when they have questions related to their electric service. I’m always happy to help, even if I feel that my technical knowledge is limited compared to employees working in specialized areas of the company.

One topic that I often handle as a digital communications and social media specialist is helping customers discover ways they can lower their electric bill. So, when my friend Chad reached out for advice managing his energy consumption, I immediately thought of the energy-saving solutions I recommend to our online followers.

For example, I asked Chad to consider upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and adopting energy-saving habits like using fans and opening windows for the natural breeze instead of air conditioning, washing only full loads of laundry and using cold instead of warm water, and checking the rubber seals on the refrigerator and freezer to keep in the cold air.

When I mentioned swapping out old incandescent lightbulbs for energy-efficient LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes), Chad lit up to the idea because it sounded simple and cost-effective.

“I was looking for ways to lower the electric bill for my 3-bedroom apartment and I was open to any suggestions,” Chad said. “Switching out my old lightbulbs for LEDs was inexpensive and easy enough to give it a shot.”

After using the newly installed LED lightbulbs for a full month, Chad was ecstatic when he shared that he saved almost $70 on his electric bill. Across his entire apartment, he upgraded a total of 14 light bulbs.

I congratulated him for the huge savings he achieved with just a minor change, and I referred him to Hawaii Energy’s website for more ideas and rebate offers to help him save further.

“I was happy to see making small changes and being mindful of my energy consumption helped me save money!” Chad said. “I’ll also check out Hawaii Energy’s rebate offers to see if there are more ways I can save.”

Like Chad, you can commit to reducing your energy consumption this Earth Month and all year long with easy tips and rebate offers from Hawaii Energy. Learn how you can save at hawaiienergy.com.

Dan Kaneko is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric.