Reduce energy use, stabilize your bill
by Shannon Tangonan | March 9, 2022
I don't know about you, but last year about this time our family's electricity bill was pretty low — creeping up a little from 2020, but nothing that raised eyebrows.
But the world has changed dramatically since then. Russia invaded Ukraine. That triggered Hawaiian Electric’s fuel supplier to stop importing oil from Russia — a decision our company fully supported.
Hawaiian Electric is making great progress toward reducing its dependence on imported oil by adding more renewables to our island grids. In 2021, 38.4% of electricity sales across the five islands we serve came from renewable sources.
A barrel of oil in April 2020 was $18.38; today it’s over $100. As oil prices rise, we’ll pay more to charge our phones, keep our refrigerators running and cook our meals. So conserving energy should be top of mind to help stabilize electricity bills.
Being energy efficient doesn't require turning off every appliance you own, but it does take effort. Does the garage or porch light need to be on all night? Probably not. Do you have to wash that small load of dirty laundry now or can you let it accumulate a few more days? It can probably wait. Are you able to cook dinner during the day when renewable energy is abundant? Possibly.
We all need to make the right decisions when it comes to energy use. This will become even more important as we move away from fossil fuels for power generation. In September the AES coal plant on Oahu will be retired. It'll reduce carbon emissions, but also reduce power generation. That means we'll have tighter reserve margins — or backup capacity.
If we're not reducing our energy use, we'll be putting extra pressure on our electric grid. This isn't just an Oahu issue. Together, we can build a more sustainable energy future for Hawaii simply by using less electricity. And it's especially critical to reduce energy use during peak hours from 5 to 9 p.m.
I've already started making an effort:
- I no longer do laundry after 5 p.m. and my loads are larger.
- If lights aren't needed, they're turned off.
- We take hot showers in the morning rather than at night so that the water heater isn’t working overtime.
I know that my small contributions won't make a huge dent. But collectively we can make a difference. Conserving energy reduces the strain on our island grids — and the financial strain when bills come due.
For more tips and programs on energy efficiency, visit Hawaii Energy at https://hawaiienergy.com/.
Shannon Tangonan is a manager of external corporate communications at Hawaiian Electric.
