HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0141.008 2008-2010
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From: Rod Hinman [rod@auroraresearch.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 2:33 PM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: testimony in support of Bill 385 2009 MR 16
Attachments: Hinman_TestimonylE000317.pdf (C' l.!'i' ` ! C'_F=''<
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Hinman TestimonyI
E000317.pdf
Dear Chair,
I will be unable to attend your Committee meeting scheduled for 9 a.m.
March 17, 2009. Instead, please find attached written testimony in support of Bill 385.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
Sincerely,
Roderick. T. Hinman, Ph.D.
Kailua-Kona
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Ref. To: `r LFLAG,
1 Ref. Date MAR 7 iil(LQ _
Aurora Research, LLC
a 73-4372 Huflau St.
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
+1 808-325-1631
March 17, 2009
Testimony in support of adoption of IECC 2006, Bill 385
Dear Chair and Members of PWIR Committee:
I, Roderick Hinman of Kailua-Kona, Hawai' i, support the adoption of the 2006
International Energy Conservation Code as amended, as part of our county's building
code. My background is electrical engineering; I conduct research on solar energy
technologies for a tenant at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
(NELHA). In my testimony last month before this committee, I discussed the public
benefits of reducing energy use in government buildings and the benefit to all rate payers
of reducing the strain on HELCO's system.
Today I would like to focus on the specific benefits of adopting this code for individual
c
residents, based on a study of new residential construction costs in Hawaii performed by
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory:
• Current practice construction vs. IECC-compliant construction
• 3 BR, 2 BA, 1800 sq. ft. home with A/C and solar hot water: a standard home
• Increased mortgage cost to meet IECC, but reduced energy cost to operate
• Result: $140/month less expensive for IECC home, from day 1
• Based on Honolulu electricity cost of $0.30/kWh (Hawai'i Island: about
$0.33/kWh now, was $0.45/kWh last fall)
A savings of $140 or more per month can make a home much more affordable. We can
benefit all residents of our county by adopting this code and requiring that all new
buildings be more energy efficient. In particular, we will help those families buying
homes for the first time, families that do not have the purchasing power to demand
energy efficiency from the builder.
Let us build our county's reputation as a leader in energy independence. We already
have a large percentage of renewable energy on our island, and we need more. But first,
we need to be as efficient as possible in all sectors of the economy. The International
Energy Conservation Code is a positive step in that direction. The sooner we act, the
sooner we will realize the benefits.
Sincerely,
Roderick T. Hinman, Ph.D.
Kailua-Kona, HI