HB2608 would amend Hawaii’s solar water heater law to create an additional pathway for obtaining a building permit variance for new single-family dwellings. Under current law, a new single-family home generally must include a solar water heater unless the Hawaii State Energy Office approves a variance based on specified conditions such as poor solar resource, cost-prohibitive installation, substitution of another renewable energy system, or installation of a qualifying gas demand water heater with another gas appliance in the home. This bill adds a new variance option for a high-efficiency electric water heating system using heat pump technology, but only when installed together with a photovoltaic system.
The measure is framed as a clean-energy and affordability initiative. Its findings state that heat pump water heaters have become more efficient and less expensive, can reduce utility bills and greenhouse gas emissions, and can work in housing types where rooftop solar water heating is impractical, such as rentals, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings. The bill also notes the expiration of a federal rebate for heat pump water heaters, suggesting a need for a state-level policy adjustment to preserve access to the technology.
Impact
If enacted, HB2608 would amend section 196-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by expanding the list of acceptable variance justifications for new single-family homes that do not install solar water heaters. It would not repeal the solar water heater mandate itself, but it would allow certain heat pump water heating systems paired with photovoltaic systems to qualify as an alternative primary water-heating energy source. The practical effect would be to broaden compliance options for builders, architects, and mechanical engineers, while potentially reducing reliance on gas-fired demand water heaters and increasing adoption of electric heat pump systems.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally favorable in policy intent, reflecting Hawaii’s broader clean energy and decarbonization goals. Its findings emphasize lower household energy costs, reduced emissions, and improved access to efficient water heating for housing types that cannot easily use rooftop solar. However, the committee record provided shows the measure was deferred by the House Committee on EIG, indicating that while the concept aligns with clean-energy priorities, it had not advanced at that stage and may have required further consideration.
Contention
The main policy tension is between preserving Hawaii’s existing solar water heater requirement and expanding flexibility for alternative technologies. Supporters of the bill would likely favor heat pump water heaters as a practical, lower-emission option that can work in more housing situations and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Potential concerns could come from those who prefer maintaining a strong solar-first standard, or who question whether pairing heat pump systems with photovoltaic systems should be treated as an equivalent substitute for solar thermal water heating. The bill also implicitly pushes back against prior variance practices that allowed gas-based water heating systems, making fossil fuel use another likely point of disagreement.