Aloha,

Welcome to the first edition of our new Good Energy Connections monthly newsletter. We hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe during the pandemic. In these challenging times, we’re starting this newsletter to keep in touch with you and share updates that support our community’s resilience, hope and perseverance. What you’ll see every month:

• At Home: helpful tips and facts about using gas for cooking, grilling, heating water, drying clothes, and more.
   
• Our ‘Ohana: local stories of Hawai‘i Gas customers and employees.
   
• Foodie Finds: culinary news, recipes, restaurant features and other fresh tidbits.

Additionally we will share information regarding Hawai‘i’s energy future.

Mahalo to everyone who showed your support for Hawai‘i Gas while the Honolulu City Council was reviewing Bill 25. The original Bill 25 proposal effectively eliminated a customer's option for a cost-effective on demand gas water heater, even if they did not have enough sun for a solar water heater and regardless of their economic circumstances. With all of your support, Bill 25 was amended and approved this May by the Honolulu City Council and signed by Mayor Caldwell in June. The water heater language in the final Bill 25 now aligns with the state statute, which allows on demand gas water heaters if certain conditions are met.

Have feedback or story ideas? Send us a note. We’re glad to hear from you.

As an essential business, we’ve continued to provide reliable and safe gas service to our customers with no interruptions during this crisis. We’ve implemented heightened cleaning and sanitizing procedures, social distancing and work-from-home arrangements for employees, and mandatory mask wearing on the job. Our customer service offices are currently closed, and we ask customers to pay their bill through alternative options.

Please check out the COVID-19 page on our website for the latest updates and links to a variety of resources about financial assistance, food assistance, childcare, and more, for both individuals and businesses. Our thoughts are with those currently impacted by COVID-19, and we are grateful to our state’s health care community for the work they have been doing. 

Hawai‘i Gas is committed to maintaining gas service for our customers during the pandemic, and we have suspended service disconnections for our regulated utility customers through December 31, 2020, per the PUC Order 37284. If you’re having a hard time paying your gas bill during the pandemic, please contact your local office for helpful resources and payment options.