STAND. COM. REP. NO. 124

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 557

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 557 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to protect consumers by allowing a variance application for a demand water heater to be accepted only if solar water heating is impracticable and cost-prohibitive and no renewable energy technology system can be used as the primary energy source to heat water.

The Office of the Governor; Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; Hawaii Solar Energy Association; Blue Planet Foundation; 350Hawaii.org; Organizing for Action; Our Revolution Hawaii; Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; We Are One, Inc.; Pono Hawaii Initiative; and many individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii; Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers, Local 996; Hawaii Gas; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; and several individuals submitted testimony in opposition to this measure. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism provided comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2100, to encourage further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 557, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 557, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair