HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0141.011 2008-2010
Murashige, Laura
From: Rod Hinman [rod@auroraresearch.com]
Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 10:45 AM L)
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: April 8, in support of Bill 385 2009 APP 6 Pn 11- 55~
Attachments: Hinman_TestimonylE000408.pdf C...C'i.,.. : ; -('-I
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Hinman _Testimonyl
E000408.pdf
Please find attached testimony.
Sincerely,
Rod Hinman
Comm. No.
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1 Ref. Date APR
Aurora Research, LLC
73-4372 Hulilau St.
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
+1 808-325-1631
April 6, 2009
Testimony in support of adoption of IECC 2006, Bill 385
Dear Chair and Members of the Council:
1, Roderick Hinman of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, 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 initial testimony before the PWIR 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.
I would like to reiterate my second testimony by focusing on the specific benefits of
adopting this code for individual 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,
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Roderick T. Hinman, Ph.D.
Kailua-Kona, HI