Help paying utility bills in Hawaii

Apply for H-HEAP through your island's agency

Hawaii's version of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is called the Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program (H-HEAP). The state Department of Human Services oversees it, but its own offices do not accept applications. The community action agency serving your island takes and processes them instead. On Oahu that is the Honolulu Community Action Program. Maui Economic Opportunity, the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council and Kauai Economic Opportunity cover the other counties. The program year runs from October 1 to September 30, and a household can receive only one type of H-HEAP payment in that year. The help arrives as a one-time payment toward your electric or gas bill, not as cash in your hand.

Energy Credit opens only in June

H-HEAP has two parts, and the timing matters. The Energy Credit helps households that are not in crisis pay for heating and cooling, and applications are accepted only from June 1 through June 30 each year. Energy Crisis Intervention is for households whose electric or gas service has been cut off or soon will be, shown by a disconnect notice. Crisis applications are taken all year, but only a limited number are approved each month and spots fill quickly, so apply the day a notice arrives. Hawaiian Electric says a household may be eligible if at least one member receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Credit amounts change yearly with income, household size and available funds.

Spread a Hawaiian Electric balance over four or six months

If you owe Hawaiian Electric more than you can pay at once, ask for a Payment Arrangement Plan. It divides your current total balance into equal monthly installments over four or six months. A shorter fix is a Payment Extension, which moves a past due balance to a later date, up to 15 days. Both are interest free and late fees are waived, but each new month's energy charges must still be paid by the due date. You can request either one through the online Payment Arrangement Request form, which is offered in Japanese, Chinese, Marshallese, Chuukese, Korean, Vietnamese, Ilocano and Hawaiian. Hawaii Gas asks customers in hardship to call its customer service team about alternative payment arrangements and points them to the Aloha United Way 211 helpline for local agencies.

Register life support equipment before trouble starts

Hawaiian Electric keeps a record of customers who need power for life support devices, such as dialysis, oxygen, respirator, nebulizer, intravenous and CPAP equipment. To enroll, complete the Life Support Enrollment Form, have a licensed physician sign it, and send it by regular mail or bring it in person. The company does not accept it electronically, so allow time for delivery. Once you are enrolled, billing problems are reviewed case by case, workers may visit to assess medical needs, and you get advance notice before any disconnection. You may be asked to confirm that the service address is your main home. Enrollment does not erase what you owe, so pair it with a payment plan or an H-HEAP application if a balance is building.

Extra options on Kauai and through Catholic Charities

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) members have a few more places to turn. KIUC runs its own Payment Arrangement Program with an online request form. The KIUC Charitable Foundation funds a Low Income Assistance Program through Kauai Economic Opportunity that provides a one-time credit once in any rolling 12 month period. The same foundation funds utility help through Catholic Charities Hawaii, capped at $300 once every 12 months for households at or below 300 percent of the poverty level. Kauai Economic Opportunity also handles H-HEAP for the island, including crisis requests to prevent or restore a disconnection. On every island, Hawaii Gas lists the Hawaii Relief Program at Catholic Charities Hawaii, which uses TANF support for housing and utility payments, as another resource to try.

When to bring in the Public Utilities Commission

Call your utility first, because the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) asks customers to try to resolve problems directly. If the company cannot fix it, or you disagree with its answer, you can file an informal complaint with the PUC under Hawaii Administrative Rules section 16-601-66. If that does not settle things, a formal complaint is the next level, and the Division of Consumer Advocacy can help with that filing. Keep copies of bills, notices and the names of people you spoke with. Know the limits too. The PUC does not regulate county water departments such as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. For a county water or sewer bill, the PUC suggests contacting your mayor's office, and the county department sets its own payment rules.

Where Settlemont fits in Hawaii

Settlemont is bill payment technology run by a for-profit company. You submit one current utility bill privately using six fields: first name, email, state, bill category, amount and due date. There is no statement upload and no account number on the form. You then receive a one-time private access code and name your biller in a separate private step, and staff verify the biller, you and the balance. An approved public page shows only your first name, Hawaii, the Utility category and the verified amount. Support from anyone who chooses to help pay toward it goes straight to the utility, with a service fee of 7% by card or 5% by bank added on top. You never pay Settlemont, and posting does not guarantee payment by the due date.

Sources

• Hawaii Department of Human Services: Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program
• Hawaiian Electric: H-HEAP application period opens June 1, 2026
• Hawaiian Electric: Payment arrangement options
• Hawaiian Electric: Life support program
• Kauai Island Utility Cooperative: Payment assistance
• Hawaii Public Utilities Commission: Informal complaints against a utility

Facts checked November 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency or utility before relying on a protection.

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