Could Your Solar Exports Earn More? An O‘ahu Guide to Switching to Smart DER

An early move to Smart Renewable Energy Export, also called Smart DER Export, may increase your solar export credits, but it can also reduce them. The answer depends on your current HECO program, when you export electricity, and how much credit you can use.

This guide is for O‘ahu homeowners still on Smart Export, Customer Grid-Supply (CGS), or Customer Grid-Supply Plus (CGS+). Start by confirming your current program before comparing rates.

Start with a recent bill and, ideally, several months of history. The question is how much more usable credit your actual exports could earn.

Check Which Program You Have

Confirm your program on your latest bill, agreement, or transition notice. Ask HECO if it is unclear; your original enrollment may have changed.

HECO began automatic transitions from these legacy export programs in October 2024, based on the original contract date. Some customers have already moved. If your bill already shows Smart Renewable Energy Export, you do not need to request the same transition again.

Net Energy Metering (NEM) and NEM Plus customers are not required to make this transition. This guide is for the three legacy export programs above. HECO’s program transition guidance

Find the Solar Exports on Your Bill

Solar electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours, or kWh. Your photovoltaic (PV) panels produce electricity; the portion sent out to the grid is your export.

On HECO’s legacy bill examples, look for:

• DEL kWh: electricity HECO delivered to your home.
• REC kWh: electricity HECO received from your home.
• Export credit: the credit applied for eligible electricity you sent to HECO.

REC kWh is different from the solar production shown in your inverter app. Electricity used directly in your home never becomes a grid export. HECO’s CGS bill guide and CGS+ bill guide illustrate these labels.

For legacy Smart Export, also find “Export 4 p.m.–9 a.m.” That is the credited window; exports from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. receive no credit. Check both total exports and credited exports. HECO’s Smart Export bill guide

Read the rate beside the credit when available. Dividing a credit by total REC kWh can be misleading when only some exports qualify or banked credits are involved.

Compare O‘ahu’s Export Rates

HECO lists the following Smart DER Export rates for 2024–2026, checked October 16, 2026:

When You Export	Credit per kWh
Daytime: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.	13.5¢
Evening peak: 5–9 p.m.	32.9¢
Overnight: 9 p.m.–9 a.m.	18.9¢

These are export credits, not the prices you pay for imported electricity. Check the current table before deciding, particularly for a transition taking effect in 2027. HECO’s Smart Renewable Energy Export rates

HECO’s legacy pages list O‘ahu rates of 10.08¢ for CGS+, 15.07¢ for CGS, and 14.97¢ for eligible Smart Export hours. Those pages retain older rate-period wording, so use your actual bill rate for your comparison.

Three Examples of What Switching Could Change

These hypothetical examples keep exports and imported electricity unchanged. Assume at least 500 kWh imported for the CGS and CGS+ examples and enough eligible bill charges to use every illustrated credit. They exclude banked credits, true-ups, equipment costs, and changes to import rates.

CGS+: 500 kWh of Daytime Exports

Suppose your bill shows 500 REC kWh and a 10.08¢ credit rate. If all those exports occurred between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.:

• Existing credit: 500 × $0.1008 = $50.40.
• Smart DER credit: 500 × $0.135 = $67.50.
• Difference: $17.10 more credit for that month.

This example shows a possible benefit, not a forecast for your account. Your actual timing and usable credits determine the result.

Smart Export: 300 kWh During Currently Uncredited Hours

Suppose your system exports 300 kWh between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., with no exports at other times:

• Existing daytime credit: $0.
• Smart DER daytime credit: 300 × $0.135 = $40.50.
• Difference: $40.50 more credit for that month.

For a household with unused daytime exports, this can be a meaningful benefit. Include every other export window in your own calculation: notably, 4–5 p.m. moves from legacy Smart Export’s credited window into Smart DER’s daytime rate.

CGS: A Higher Legacy Daytime Rate

Suppose you are still receiving 15.07¢ under CGS and export 500 kWh, all between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.:

• Existing credit: 500 × $0.1507 = $75.35.
• Smart DER credit: 500 × $0.135 = $67.50.
• Difference: $7.85 less credit for that month.

This illustrates why switching early is not automatically beneficial. Treat it as a legacy-rate comparison; confirm you are actually still on CGS and check your required transition date.

Estimate Your Own Difference

Calculate your Smart DER estimate as:

Daytime export kWh × $0.135 + evening-peak export kWh × $0.329 + overnight export kWh × $0.189.

Compare that with your existing eligible credits for the same exports. Monthly REC totals alone cannot show the three time windows. If your bill does not provide that breakdown, ask HECO about available interval export data.

More credits do not always mean an equal reduction in the amount due. Legacy billing can limit credited exports to imported kWh, and minimum charges and surcharges can remain. Review banked credits and true-up history, especially if you already pay close to your minimum bill. The official bill guides explain these limits.

A battery can change export timing, but a higher evening credit does not by itself justify discharging it. Stored electricity used at home can avoid later purchases from HECO. Compare that value before changing battery settings; these examples assume no equipment or operating changes.

Before You Request a Transition

Confirm these points:

• Your deadline: HECO’s form describes seven years from the original contract start, with a six-month grace period; the earliest transitions began October 1, 2024. Check your account notice.
• Your meter: an advanced meter is required. HECO lists next-billing-period processing when the meter has had a good connection for the preceding 30 days; confirm your account’s timing.
• Your authority: the form is for the electric account holder. Coordinate with the system owner if you lease, have a power purchase agreement, or otherwise do not control the system.
• Your commitment: after transitioning, you cannot return to your previous program. HECO’s transition form and terms

Transitioning legacy customers receive no new seven-year rate lock. Standard Smart DER export credits undergo annual true-up, with unused credits expiring; HECO identifies a separate BYOD Plus exception. Check your applicable terms rather than treating credits as cash. HECO’s export program terms

If you are also changing equipment, check the additional amendment requirements in HECO’s transition guidance.