MEDIA RELEASE

To further support the growth of solar energy, the Hawaiian Electric Companies today launched a free online tool to make shopping for rooftop PV easier.

WattPlan® will help customers considering rooftop solar to estimate electric bill savings based on their electricity use, current rates, and available rebates and tax credits. Customers may also compare outright purchase to financing side-by-side to understand the long-term impact on household budgets.

Customers of Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawai‘i Electric Light Company can find this tool at http://hawaiianelectric.com/WattPlan

“We want to increase rooftop PV sustainably and provide customers options and tools to manage their electric bills. Solar power is good for customers and good for the state, so we want to help people make informed decisions,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president of customer service.

WattPlan gives customers an individualized estimate for the address where they’d like to install rooftop PV. It can estimate how much of their own energy use a PV system would supply, bill savings and carbon footprint reduction.

In addition, WattPlan allows customers to compare estimated costs for paying for their PV system with cash, a loan, or a lease agreement. WattPlan will analyze lifetime costs for a PV system and estimate when a customer will break even on their investment in solar power.

Hawaii leads the nation in the integration of rooftop PV, with more than 20 times the national average. Nearly 70,000 rooftop PV applications have been approved across Oahu, Maui County, and Hawai‘i Island.