Homes

Architects, builders, and property owners can make their buildings more comfortable (and energy efficient).

• Comfortable Homes in Hawaii: Guidelines for Energy Efficient and Economical Housing (consumer brochure, with illustrations; 2 pages; 964 kb).
• Hawaii Homeowner's Guide to Energy, Comfort & Value (booklet, with illustrations; 37 pages; 632 kb).
• Field Guide for Energy Performance, Comfort, and Value in Hawaii Homes (book, with illustrations; 144 pages; 9,412 kb).
• Data Collection and Analysis of the Heat Mitigating, Passive Design Strategies at the Waianae Model Demonstration House (report, with photos and graphs; 66 pages; 2,143 kb).
• Building Media website: includes videos. http://www.codecollegenetwork.com/hi/index.html
• Hawaii Builtgreen™ Home Program - The "Hawaii BuiltGreen™ Program" is a statewide program to make it easier for builders and homeowners to design and build energy- and resource-efficient homes in Hawaii. It includes hands-on, right-here-in-Hawaii examples of what to do and how to do it, such as a real home, exhibits, seminars, and workshops.
• Good insulation in roofs, attics, and walls can help keep the sun's heat out of the building. See Roof Insulation (brochure, with illustrations and cost estimates; 2 pages; 834 kb). 
• Have Some Energy on the House - SOLAR (2003 booklet, illustrated by Reiko Tom; 36 pages; 397 kb).
• Tips from US Department of Energy on Staying Cool and Saving Money (PDF, 305 kb)
• WATER HEATING
  • Should photovoltaics be your first choice to heat water? Solar Water Heating Fact Sheet (2008; 2 pages; 340 kb)
  • Excel spreadsheet: compare the costs of water heating using solar, electric, gas, and heat pump water heaters (PV not included; see fact sheet). Data such as electricity rates, gas cost, water heater size can be changed.
  • Financial Impacts on Home Buyers of Mandated Energy Efficiency Improvements in Water Heating for State Affordable Housing Projects: Report argues that solar and heat pump water heating systems are affordable to buy when they are installed in new residential construction and their costs are included in home mortgage loans.
     

Commercial and Government Buildings

• Hawaii Commercial Building Guidelines for Energy Efficiency (documents)
• Energy Performance Contracting
• The Lead By Example (LBE) initiative began in 2006 in response to legislative and executive mandates, including Act 96 of 2006, to change the way state executive agencies use energy and resources in operations and facilities. These efforts acknowledge the high cost of electricity in Hawaii, the energy security of alternative fuel use and the many opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy in state facilities and schools.
• State Government Facilities - This section contains Administrative Directives; Executive Memoranda; the Hawaii Green Government Challenge; reports on State facilities' energy use, potential for performance contracting, energy benchmarking, and energy efficiency; information resources, and links. 
• Building Media website: includes videos. http://www.buildingmedia.com/hi/index.html
• Hotels
  • Green Business Program
  • Hawaii Hospitality Online, July 2006
• Each County has adopted slightly different requirements. Check with the building departments of each county (Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui) for the latest information.
  Honolulu County has posted its ordinances on-line. See Chapter 32, building energy efficiency standard. The commercial code is Articles 1-13 of chapter 32; residential is Article 14.
  Articles 1 - 3: www.co.honolulu.hi.us/refs/roh/32a1_3.htm
  Articles 4 - 7: www.co.honolulu.hi.us/refs/roh/32a4_7.htm
  Articles 8 - 14: www.co.honolulu.hi.us/refs/roh/32a8_14.htm 

Schools

Educational Facilities - This section contains case studies, examples, diagrams, guidelines, calculation tools, and commissioning information on how schools can incorporate building design, cooling, and lighting techniques into original designs or retrofits, or use performance contracting in existing buildings, to enhance the learning environment for students and reduce the schools' energy bills. Includes information for and about public schools, private schools, and institutions of higher education.

Energy Analysis Tools

There are several energy analysis tools to help engineers, architects, and even just "regular people" reduce energy use while still having attractive, comfortable, and well-lit residential and commercial spaces.

Lighting compliance software entitled "HI-Light," developed in 1994, is available here: HiLight (1.1 Megabytes, zipped file)

There are many tools available from the Building Technologies Program of the U.S Department of Energy: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info_software.html

The DOE2 website has links to freeware products including eQUEST and PowerDOE, weather data, and a Building Life-Cycle Cost analysis spreadsheet:  http://www.doe2.com/

Vehicles

The fuel economy of new light duty vehicles is shown on the "window sticker." This information is also available on-line at www.fueleconomy.gov. The website also provides information on how to drive your existing car, truck, or SUV more efficiently, and has tips on how to maintain your vehicle in order to obtain the best mpg.

The Transportation Energy Data Book, compiled by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, provides information on vehicles, fuels, and other transportation modes.

Information for State agencies is available here.

People, Organizations, Workshops, and Conferences

There are several organizations and groups that participate in conferences, sponsor training, or work together to obtain grants.  

• The Rebuild Hawaii Consortium is a statewide forum established in 1998 to encourage Rebuild America partnerships; Federal, State, and Local governments; schools, colleges, and universities; utilities; and community and private business groups in Hawaii to share information on energy and resource development.
• The Build and Buy Green Conference and Expo features presentations from local and Mainland experts; case studies of projects; and an opportunity for networking. Presentations and a list of exhibitors are available on-line.
• The Building Industries Association sponsors training and workshops on new and energy-efficient technologies and materials.