Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Saturday, December 14, 2024 78° Today's Paper


Letter: Some solar-energy owners pay, not rich

Hawaiian Electric’s director of customer energy resources programs, Kaiulani Shinsato, made broad misstatements in the article, “The Price of Solar” (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 7).

Homeowners like ourselves installed rooftop solar between 2001 and 2015 at our own expense. Energy created is credited against our bill. If we use more than we generate, we pay for it. We are never paid for any excess we generate. We did not “cost HECO $103 million dollars during that time,” as stated.

We pay a connection fee each month. As an early adopter we paid a premium price for the system, which we will foot the bill to repair or replace.

We made the decision many years ago to lower our expenses during our retirement years, which have arrived. Not everyone who opted to make that big investment is rich.

Lynn Miller

Mililani


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