Barely two years after Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle and the state Legislature suspended Hawaii's gas-cap bill, the price of gasoline has reached nearly $4 a gallon on Oahu, a reaction, the oil industry tells us, to the price of sweet crude climbing past the $100 a barrel mark.
Combine that sugary news with the sobering plunge of the U.S. dollar and the continuous slide of the nation's economy into what most experts now concede is a recession, and it's no mystery that Hawaii residents have a vigorous new interest in conserving energy at home.
The increasingly high cost of fuel is putting a stranglehold on the household budgets of families from Haleiwa to Hawaii Kai.
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"Oh yeah, there were 700,000 CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) sold in Hawaii last year," Hawaiian Electric Company spokesman Peter Rosegg said, indicating that residents are responding to suggestions for how they can reduce their electric bills. "That's five times the amount sold the year before."
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, even if you replace only 25 percent of your lights in high-use areas with CFLs, you can save about 50 percent on your lighting energy bill. CFLs are four times more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
When CFLs first hit the market in force in the '90s, consumers bought them in large numbers, but they didn't like them. The bulbs were too big for many fixtures, too expensive (up to $25 each) and they threw a dim, antiseptic light that paled next to the warmth of good old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.
Now, a new CFL revolution is at hand. Retail giants are pushing hard for the bulbs - Wal-Mart hopes to sell 100 million CFLs by the end of the year. The new bulbs are smaller and far cheaper (about $5 each) than their predecessors, and more powerful than ever.
"They've definitely come down in price," Rosegg confirms. "In addition, we (HECO) are offering coupons for $1 to $5 off of each bulb to take the edge off the initial investment. When you realize you can save $20 a year for each CFL you put in your home, you end up saving anyway."
Apparently, Hawaii residents have been paying attention, judging by last year's spike in CFL sales. It may signal that we've begun to realize "living green" can have a positive impact on their pocketbooks, as well as the environment.
Fortunately, there are already a number of eco-friendly technologies and developments available to the world of "green homes." Perhaps the best known innovations are such things as low-flow toilets, solar heating and energy efficient appliances. All have come a long way in past years and were some of the original "green home" products that helped form the basis of a revolution in home building and in the way we think about the construction of a home.
In sun-soaked Hawaii, solar water heating seems like a no-brainer, even though it requires an initial investment on the part of the homeowner.
"The U.S. Energy department lists $5,000 as the average cost for installing a basic solar water heating system in your home," says Mitchell Johnson, a certified home energy expert and owner of Energy Management Solutions. "But you can expect to pay between $5,000 and $7,000, depending on variables."
Until recently, many folks in Hawaii simply were not ready to make that kind of investment. But now that they're faced with higher gas and energy bills, they're taking a harder look at doing something about it.
"The average cost per kilowatt hour is 21 cents in Hawaii," Johnson points out. "In Las Vegas, it's 11 cents per kilowatt hour and 11-and-a-half cents in California. That means in Hawaii, we're paying 207 percent more for energy."
Heating water draws the lion's share of electricity from most homes in Hawaii, which means the lights may be coming on as to the long-term value of solar energy.
An Island family of four can substantially reduce their annual home energy costs with the installation of solar panels or solar water heating equipment. In addition, federal and state tax incentives are also available.
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"Thirty percent of every thousand dollars spent on energy goes to heating water in the home," Johnson points out. "It's used for doing dishes, washing clothes, showering, bathing. If you can save 50 percent or more on your energy bill, Hawaii should be all over this."
The government seems to be. Lest we forget bigger picture issues such as global warming, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that some 2,700 pounds of carbon per person each year, or 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, come from individual homes.
The feds have been addressing these statistics with tax credits. A 30 percent federal tax credit is available to those who add qualified solar panels or solar water heating equipment to their homes in the United States. The state is in on it, too. An existing 35 percent Hawaii Energy Tax Credit, under review during this past Legislature, has already enabled individuals and corporations to purchase and install solar water heating systems.
Interestingly, HECO appears to be doing its part to promote solar energy, as well. "We're offering a $1,000 instant rebate for installing a solar water heating system," Rosegg pointed out. "And if they use an authorized installer, we'll send someone out to do a free, 100-point quality inspection."
The $1,000 instant rebate, by the way, is available only for solar water heating systems sold on or after Feb. 13, 2007. And you must use a HECO approved solar contractor to be eligible.
For his part, Johnson neither sells nor installs solar equipment. He's a home energy rater, certified by Energy Star, a government organization that works in conjunction with the EPA to reduce the amount of energy the country uses, thereby reducing the amount of pollution it produces.
"I field-test homes to assess energy efficiency," he says. "I find ways to help people cut their energy costs. Solar water is getting to be more cost-effective and more affordable, and the long-term benefits are priceless.
"Anytime I walk onto a roof that doesn't have (a solar water heating system), I ask them what their energy costs are. With all of the tax benefits and the rebate, all Hawaii homeowners should be looking at this."
Johnson, of course, strongly advocates that residents purchase Energy Star products, as does Rosegg. Energy Star qualified products produce less pollutants and use less energy than their traditional counterparts.
"In the middle of 2007, we started offering an Energy Star rebate worth $50 to $75," Rosegg said.
A new washer and dryer with an Energy Star rating will run you considerably more than that. But the experts insist that if you can tolerate a little sticker shock early, the money you'll save on your energy bill will pay for the appliances fairly quickly, and even more down the road.
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