Action Alert HHEAP

Testify in support of HB 2739

<HB2739 or SB3263>, which creates a Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program, has a hearing on <Date> in the <Committee>. Please submit testimony by <date> in support of this important bill. See below for instructions and sample talking points.

What does this bill do? The bill would create a Hawai‘i Home Energy Assistance Program to provide low and moderate-income families in Hawai‘i with electricity bill assistance, crisis assistance to prevent disconnection, home weatherization, and energy related home repairs. Additionally, this program offers energy audits and energy efficiency upgrades to reduce families’ electricity costs over the long-term.

Why does this bill matter? Hawai‘i has the nation’s highest residential electricity rates, yet it receives the least amount of funding for the Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In 2023, Hawai‘i received $7.8M in federal assistance, which served fewer than 9,000 households. With almost half of Hawaii families being employed but still struggling to make ends meet, there is a huge need to support low-income households with rising electricity bills through a new Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program.

Ideas for Personal Testimony on HB 2739

The strongest testimony is personalized, describing the reasons why you support bold action on climate. Feel free to use one of the following prompts to get you started on telling your story about why you support this bill:

It’s important create an energy assistance program to assist families who are struggling to pay their utility bills due to Hawai‘i’s high electricity costs and high cost of living
Electricity bills in Hawaii have been rising and will continue to rise from a warming planet and more cooling needs
This bill helps to address energy equity disparities, where disadvantaged communities have historically had underinvestment in clean energy and lacked access to energy efficient homes

Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the Committee,

I am testifying in support of <bill number>, which creates a Hawai‘i Home Energy Assistance Program to provide low and moderate-income families in Hawai‘i with electricity bill assistance, crisis assistance to prevent disconnection, home weatherization, and energy efficiency upgrades.

[INSERT PERSONAL STATEMENT HERE] ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Almost half of Hawaii households are below the ALICE threshold, meaning these families are employed but still struggling to make ends meet. Hawai‘i also has the most expensive electricity rates in the nation and electricity bills have been increasing on every island.

Despite this, Hawai‘i receives the least amount of federal funding out of all 50 states to administer the Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides utility bill assistance to low income households. Last year Hawai‘i received $7.8 million in federal support, which served less than 9,000 households.

Creating a complementary state-level Hawai‘i Home Energy Assistance Program is needed to assist more of Hawai‘i’s families who are struggling with the rising cost of living. This new program would expand and streamline eligibility. It would not only offer energy bill payment assistance, but also funding for home weatherization and energy efficiency improvements–to cut electricity use, drive down utility bills over the long-term, and make homes more resilient to climate change impacts.

Thank you for allowing me to testify in strong support of <bill number>.

[Sign your full name, and list your city, state, and zip code]

Submit Testimony