On January 1st, 2010, Hawaii became the first state in the country to require new homes to have solar water heaters installed. The law was passed in 2008 and was delayed to give more home builders time to get ready for the law to take place.
The law was the dream for an organization known as the Blue Planet Foundation, which sees the new law as a way to protect the environment and save a lot of money on energy costs for homeowners. It was also supported by the Hawaii Solar Energy Association.
It is estimated that the new law will save homeowners an average of $750 a year in energy costs, which are relatively high for an island nation that’s located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In some instances, home builders have been installing solar water heaters in homes since 2005, so it’s not necessarily a problem for them. However, there are some negatives with this new legislation.
Up until this year, there have been tax incentives for homeowners to install solar water heaters. Those incentives end with the new law, which means that home owners are going to have to foot the bill to the cost of somewhere between $5,000 and $7,000 per home, depending on the size of the home. Also, though the savings average $750 a year, that’s only for homes that have high water consumption, so a single family of 3 might not make back their investment for at least 15 years.
And that leads to one of three loopholes in the new law that can be exploited. One, if it’s estimated that homeowners won’t have the ability to make back their money within 15 years, they can opt out of having the water heaters installed. Two, if it can be proven that they live in what’s called a “sun disadvantaged area”, and I’m not sure how that would be determined, they can opt out. And finally, if a homeowner decides to install a tankless water heater, they also get to opt out of this law.
Loopholes aside, there is one more controversy with the new law that probably wont’ be changed. Some homeowners don’t believe it’s fair for the state to pass a law that will end up costing them more to purchase new homes. For their part, both BPF and HSEA are upset that there are so many loopholes in the law. It seems to prove that whether you get what you wanted or not, no one is ever totally happy.
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Solar home opportunities
There will always be controversy when legislation requires a move toward different technology. A tankless water heater is a responsible alternative to the solar water heater and an attractive incentive to buyers. In fact, I encourage many of my sellers to replace their current water heater with a tankless system.
.-= Bruce Dietz´s last blog ..Fantastic townhome in great West Augusta location =-.
Tankless water heaters an excellent option. I encourage all of my sellers to install them as they are an attractive incentive to buyers.
.-= Bruce´s last blog ..Fantastic townhome in great West Augusta location =-.
@ Bruce – I think that we will begin to see more of this from home builders around the country. It is always great to hear from you!
The only problem I have with the law is that they could have extended the tax credit another year, especially while the housing market is going through so many problems.
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..Why People Are Scared Of Bad Credit Scores =-.
I like this law – people should be trying to power everything in their home from solar energy not for the tax credits, but to do their part in saving the Earth. Think beyond the money, think about our kids and our kids, kids, and so on.
.-= sarah@diy solar panels´s last blog ..How To Make Your Own Solar Panels =-.
Obviously there are two sides to this. One that says it is a good thing as it is a step in the right direction with regards to the environment, and the one that says this las is forcing people to spend money they just don’t have. Although I don’t think that it is right to force people to get in line with this law, I do think that it is going to be good thing in the long run. Jus t hope that more and more states and other countries adopt this attitude.
.-= Hans @ Rinnai Tankless Water Heater´s last undefined ..Response cached until Tue 20 @ 20:12 GMT (Refreshes in 23.82 Hours) =-.
Always look for green technology to help you save up on costs. If you are a buyer, this would be a great incentive to buying a particular home. If you are a seller, consider fitting solar water heaters to make your home more attractive.
.-= Commercial Plumber Chandler´s last undefined ..Response cached until Tue 20 @ 21:05 GMT (Refreshes in 23.97 Hours) =-.
It is definitely true that with solar water heaters we can protect the environment and save a lot of money on energy costs. I like this law.
Brilliant idea.. This is a pro-earth initiative.. I think this could help saving millions and saving mother earth.. Good Job!
The law sounds like a great beginning. However remember that a law for one state may not be good for another. I live in the northern corner of the U.S.A. and solar would not be the best option for our area. Tankless is great alternative because it is generally less expensive then solar and can be adapted to more areas of the world. There are flaws with thankless also but it is a vast improvement over the usual tank heater we see in most homes today.
Solar water heaters should be mandatory not just in Hawaii, but also in other states and countries.
solar water heaters are definitely great to have and should become mandatory in all states