When should you contact an electrician to repair your electrical equipment?

By Robert Yang | Feb. 7, 2024

Disruptions to electrical service can occur due to multiple reasons. In some cases, outages can be caused by problems with electrical equipment on the customer’s property. Lengthy disruptions can be costly to businesses and knowing who to contact can help expedite the restoration process.

Hawaiian Electric maintains and repairs equipment that leads “up to the meter” so this includes most equipment located outside of your property, such as overhead electrical equipment (utility poles, power lines and transformer boxes, as well as underground equipment). If you’re experiencing a power outage, you can report it to your commercial client manager or to one of our 24/7 Trouble Lines:

• 1–855–304–1212 (Oahu)
• 808–871–7777 (Maui)
• 1–877–871–8461 (Molokai and Lanai)
• 808–969–6666 (Hawaii Island)

If the cause of the outage is the result of a problem with electrical equipment on the customer’s property, then they will have to coordinate the repairs with a licensed electrician to restore service. This can include the meter, weather head and insulator (where electric lines connect to the property), main service panel, internal electrical wiring and any equipment located in the electrical/vault room of the building/property. A licensed electrician should also be contacted for inspections, repairs and preventative maintenance.

Most businesses either have an electrical or transformer vault room and in some cases, both. For many property owners, the condition of these structures may not be known. By design, electrical/vault rooms are found in out-of-the-way locations–such as the basement, garage or side of the building–and can easily be overlooked.

Hawaiian Electric encourages property owners/managers to maintain these structures and conduct regular inspections and maintenance of vault rooms. At minimum, maintenance and inspections should be done every 36 months — but annually is recommended. Poorly maintained electrical/vault rooms can potentially impact power service.

Clear and safe access to electrical/vault rooms can help expedite the restoration process. A licensed electrician and/or structural/civil engineer should be contacted to address any structural issues (including doors, walls, ceiling, etc.). They may use our Customer Interconnection Tool to request access to the electrical/vault rooms.

We urge business customers to work with their property manager or owner to have a contact list of reliable licensed electricians on hand so they may get help as soon as possible. We also recommend implementing an annual maintenance program to upkeep any electrical equipment.

Robert Yang is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.