We’re Here to Help
By David Iha, Board of Directors

The holiday season brings much joy as family and friends come together in celebration to close out the year. While there is festivity in the air, the season can also bring a healthy dose of stress to many families.

“Extra expenses can pile up on top of regular bills, and that can strain a household budget to the limit,” KIUC’s Member Services and Communications Manager Beth Amaro says.

Fortunately, KIUC can help members who find it difficult to keep accounts current any time of the year.

“The best thing to do is reach out to us early,” Beth says. “We can refer our members to financial assistance programs or set up payment plans for past-due balances that are larger than your monthly budget can afford.”

Both Kauaʻi Economic Opportunity and Catholic Charities of Hawaiʻi manage utility assistance program for income-qualified members. In addition to this ongoing financial assistance, funded by the KIUC Charitable Foundation (a separate legal entity from KIUC), KEO administers the Hawaiʻi Home Energy Assistance Program, or H-HEAP. Formerly known as LIHEAP, H-HEAP uses federal funding to provide qualifying low-income households with assistance paid directly to KIUC to assist with energy costs.

Applicants may apply once per program year for one of two types of credit: energy credit or emergency crises intervention.

• Energy credit: Applications are only accepted during June, and applicant must have an active electric account.
• Emergency crisis intervention: Applications are accepted throughout the year. Applicants must meet the same criteria as the energy credit, except the purpose of the emergency crisis intervention is to restore or prevent disconnection of electric service at the current residence.

KIUC is also implementing new notifications for members with past due accounts. “In addition to a prominent notice on the bill, we’ll be making automated email notifications to members whose accounts are overdue,” Beth explained. “We want to ensure members are aware of potential service interruptions and can call us to make payment arrangements before that happens.” Members are encouraged to sign up for SmartHub, and verify that a valid phone number and email address are noted in their account.

Details on financial assistance programs can be found at kiuc.coop/payment-assistance. Call KIUC at 808.246.4300 if you’d like to discuss setting up a payment arrangement plan to retire a past due balance. KIUC can also assist with a home energy audit to help minimize your bill. Email us at energyservices@kiuc.coop for more information.