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Code Status: Hawaii

This page contains information about current energy codes in the state of Hawaii. Information for all 50 States is also available. Hawaii Code News.

Current State Codes

  • Residential Code: The Hawaii Model Energy Code exceeds 1995 MEC, voluntary statewide and mandatory in the counties of Honolulu and Maui.
  • Commercial Code: ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-1989 with modifications, mandatory in Hawaii County. Honolulu, Kauai and Maui Counties have adopted ASHRAE 90.1-1999.
  • Code Change Cycle: No set schedule. Most recent update: April 25, 2005
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Code Adoption & Change Process

Process Type: Legislative

Code Change Process: No schedule exists for making statewide changes to the Hawaii Model Energy Code. Each county reviews its code periodically. If changes are deemed necessary on a statewide basis, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism submits proposed legislation to the state legislature. Following final passage, any new criteria becomes effective after an appropriate lead-in time.

State Code History: The first Hawaii energy code was based on ASHRAE/IES Standard 90-1975. It was mandated by state legislation in 1978 and adopted by three of the four counties in the state in 1978 and 1979. Although the law was mandated, there was no penalty provision. The HMEC was formalized in 1993, and is based on ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-1989 with modifications to accommodate Hawaii's climate. Changes include the deletion of all space-heating requirements and changes in the building envelope and water-heating requirements. In 1994 the legislature enacted Act 168 requiring counties to adopt efficiency requirements based on ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-1989 by October 24, 1994, for new and renovated commercial buildings.

As of March 6, 2006, the Hawaii DBEDT/Energy Efficiency is in the process of developing the "Tropical Energy Code" which will draw from the Guam Energy Code, ASHRAE 90.1-2004 and design considerations unique to the tropics. Please contact Howard Wiig for any questions.

On May 21, 2007, Governor Linda Lingle signed SB795 SD2 HD1 CD1, which created a nine-member state building code council to establish a state building code based on the International Building Code.

State officials hope to have a final draft of Hawaii's version of the 2006 IECC submitted to the Hawaii Building Code Council by their scheduled August 12 meeting. If the Council accepts the proposal, additional time will be necessary to formalize the code and adopt it. The counties of Hawaii are free to submit the draft to their County Councils for codification and adoption, though this has been deemed to be unlikely for the next several months.

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Energy Consumption Estimates

The consumption estimates below are derived from the total end use of residential and commercial energy consumption in the United States in 2005, and are not limited to energy consumption based on building code-related factors. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

  • Residential Sector: 37.1 Trillion BTU
  • Commercial Sector: 45.4 Trillion BTU
  • Total Energy Consumption: 82.5 Trillion BTU
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Construction Activity

Residential:

  • Population (2000 US Census)1: 1,211,537
  • Total Housing Units2: 470,512
  • 2004 New Housing Units Authorized by Permit (Privately Owned)3:
    • total units: 8,785
    • 1 unit: 5,562
    • 2 units: 36
    • 3 and 4 units: 266
    • 5+ units: 2,921
    • structures of 5+ units: 211

References:

  1. http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t2/tab01.xls
  2. http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/housing/sthuhh1.txt
  3. http://www.census.gov/const/C40/Table2/20k_t2yu200412.txt
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Web Links

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State Energy Code Contacts

Howard Wiig, Institutional Energy Analyst
Energy, Resources and Technology Division
Department of Business, Economic Dev. and Tourism
P.O. Box 2359
Honolulu, HI 96804

Tel: (808) 587-3811
Fax: (808) 587-3820
hwiig@dbedt.hawaii.gov

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