LIHU‘E — Sun rays may travel at light speed, but when it comes down to assure heat from those rays will be used to provide hot water, it could take years until the water heats up. The County Council’s Environmental
LIHU‘E — Sun rays may travel at light speed, but when it comes down to assure heat from those rays will be used to provide hot water, it could take years until the water heats up.
The County Council’s Environmental Committee on Wednesday approved a communication from Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, requesting that a loophole in a 2008 state law — mandating new homes to be fitted with solar water heating — be addressed in the county’s 2012 legislative package.
The request addresses Act 204’s fourth variance, which allows builders to choose an approved tankless gas water heating rather than solar water heating, given that at least one other gas appliance is installed in the unit.
The intent of the law, however, states that end owners should exercise this choice, according to Yukimura. If the house is built as a rental or as a turn-key unit, end owners are left out of the choice.
On Kaua‘i and Big Island, approximately 50 percent of new homes are being built with tankless gas water-heaters, which was not the intent of the legislation, according to Yukimura. Elsewhere in the state, contractors are utilizing the variance in about 5 percent of new homes.
Yukimura said her request aligns the intent of the legislation with its actual language.
A similar request introduced by Yukimura in September was defeated because it eliminated the variance, and a majority of the council felt government should not take choice away from residents. The new request keeps the variance, but limits it to end owners.
The request still has to go through full council before being included in the county’s 2012 legislative package.
The approved document states that the fourth variance application shall be accepted only if the applicant is the party who will ultimately pay for the energy bill, and as part of the application, the applicant signs an affidavit that he or she will be the occupant of the new home.
The full council on Wednesday is scheduled to discuss and vote on the county’s 2012 legislative package. If the request passes full council and mayoral approval, it goes to next year’s state Legislature, where it would have to survive committees before a final floor vote. In the end, Gov. Neil Abercrombie would have to sign the bill.
If somewhere along the road the request fails to advance, the process could be pushed back an entire year, or more if state lawmakers don’t pick up the issue in the 2013 legislative session.
