How HECO's BYOD program puts cash in your pocket while helping Hawaii go green

If you already own a smart thermostat, an EV charger, or a home battery, there’s a good chance you’re leaving money on the table. Hawaiian Electric’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program pays Hawaii households for letting those devices help balance the grid during short, occasional events. This is separate from BYOD+, the newer solar-specific upgrade to the program (covered in our BYOD+ deep dive); this post focuses on what the original BYOD program pays out for the smart devices you already have at home.

What BYOD actually does

BYOD connects eligible smart devices to Hawaiian Electric’s grid services so they can participate in load shifting, a core piece of the state’s push toward 100% renewable energy. Hawaii generates abundant solar power during the day, but household demand tends to peak in the evening after solar production has already tapered off. That mismatch creates real inefficiency in the grid.

Enrolled devices, smart thermostats, EV chargers, and home battery systems, let Hawaiian Electric make small adjustments during occasional grid events to smooth out that mismatch. In exchange, you get paid.

What enrolled devices actually earn

This is the part most homeowners haven’t done the math on. Annual incentives break down roughly like this:

Many participants also receive an enrollment bonus when they first sign up. Beyond the direct payments, optimized usage patterns from the program can contribute modestly to lower bills overall.

Stacking devices multiplies the payout. A household enrolling a smart thermostat and a home battery, for example, can be earning in the $150 to $200 per year range in direct incentives alone, on top of whatever savings show up from more efficient usage patterns. If you’re also running a home EV charger, adding it to the program is close to free money for equipment you already own.

How grid events actually work

Grid events are infrequent, typically 10 to 15 times per year, and brief, usually 1 to 2 hours. Hawaiian Electric notifies you ahead of an event, and your enrolled devices adjust automatically. You keep override control the entire time: if your thermostat shifts during an event and you want it back where it was, you can change it manually with no penalty. You can also opt out of specific events if the timing doesn’t work for you.

How to enroll

1. Check device eligibility on Hawaiian Electric’s BYOD page. Most major brands, including Nest, ecobee, ChargePoint, and Tesla, qualify.
2. Create an account through the enrollment portal, typically a five-minute process.
3. Connect your eligible devices by following the enrollment prompts.
4. Start earning as soon as enrollment is processed.

Why this pairs well with a solar and battery system

If you already have a Tesla Powerwall or Enphase battery installed alongside your solar system, enrolling it in BYOD adds a direct annual payment on top of the bill savings your battery already provides. It’s a case where a device you installed for backup power and self-consumption also earns you a standing incentive for participating in the broader grid. Our solar batteries page covers battery options if you don’t have one installed yet, and our smart home page covers eligible thermostats and other connected devices.

BYOD versus BYOD+: which one applies to you

The original BYOD program described here rewards you for enrolling smart devices you already own, whether or not you have solar. BYOD+ is a separate, larger incentive tied specifically to new solar installations, paying a lump sum per kilowatt of installed solar capacity rather than an annual per-device payment. If you’re weighing a new solar and battery system, BYOD+ is the incentive that affects your upfront costs; BYOD is the ongoing incentive for the smart devices in your home afterward. Many households end up eligible for both.

Getting the most out of it

Independent Energy Hawaii can help assess which of your existing devices qualify, recommend upgrades where they make sense, and walk through enrollment so nothing gets left half-finished. Contact us at (808) 460-6015 to see what your household could be earning from devices you already own.