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by PBMom from The Woodlands

Last Post 23 hours Ago


Hawaii Solar Law
Jul 8, 2008 | 1:27 AM
Category: News
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Hawaii has become the first state to require solar water heaters in new homes starting in 2010.  Hawaii Electric Co says that about 85,000 households, or 20% of all homes in the islands, already have solar water heating systems.  They come standard in many new homes. 

The article says that a traditionally powered water heater is the largest consumer of electricity inside a home, accounting for 25-40% of the power used. 

The article says the solar system costs about $6,000 compared to $700 for a electric or gas water heater (I don't know where they got their figures, three years ago mine was $800 on the mainland and everybody knows things cost more in Hawaii for everything. 

The legislation was signed into law by Republican Govenor Linda Lingle.

Would you like to see something like this in Texas?

I think it is a bold move on Hawaii's part.  I think it may cost more up front, but the savings will be tremendous as the cost of power and gas keep going up.

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Member Comments Total Comments: 10
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Skyder read my blog view my photos
Jul 8, 2008 | 8:17 AM

I think it's a great idea. In fact, there are so many things in the home that could be powered by solar energy (alarm clocks, alarm systems, small appliances, etc). Just like the Prius idea. Use solar for various items to take the strain off the big ticket items like AC/Heating and things like that.
Gottaluvit read my blog view my photos
Jul 8, 2008 | 12:34 PM

We could do that here in the summer months. Just a long hose in our attics would get enough hot water for a good shower.
Donnelly read my blog view my photos
Jul 8, 2008 | 9:13 PM

I think it's a great idea. I think it might work in other sunny states too.
PBMom read my blog view my photos
Jul 9, 2008 | 1:37 AM

Gottaluvit: So funny, but so true. That water coming out of the hose is pretty warm. When my foster family used to dock their boat at Davis Park, Fire Island for the summer, we didn't have a shower on-board and the public restroom areas only had very cold showers, so we would put water in a big plastic bag, I hate to say it but it looked like a clear enema bag and it had a little flower spout on the end of it and that is how we would shower.
PBMom read my blog view my photos
Jul 9, 2008 | 1:41 AM

Skyder: Next time it comes around that we have to replace our water heater, I am certainly going to look into alternatives such as this and water on demand (where the water heats when you need it only). I have a gas water heater currently. I've increased the temperature in the house 4 degrees during the day while I'm here and turn it down only because Jeff moans and complains about the heat when he gets home. And I'm unplugging my computers at night (because even turned off, a laptop will continue to charge the battery. I turn off every unnecessary light. I even caught myself yelling to everyone in the house tonight, "What, are we lighting the East Coast now?" Sort of a take-off of what my parents used to say to us growing up in the winter, "Shut the door; I'm not heating the neighborhood."
kagua2 read my blog
Jul 9, 2008 | 8:42 AM

Everything on my computer is plugged into a surge protector and I always turn it off there when the computer isn't in use. I've taken to unplugging small appliances. My husband jokes that I should unplug the stove because I never use it! What I am bad about is leaving the front door open so I can look out through the storm door. That generates a lot of heat.
ac55txstar read my blog
Jul 9, 2008 | 5:17 PM

The only thing that bothers me regading solar energy is what if one day, the earth was covered by some type of blanket cloud whether caused by nature or not and solar energy went dead. How would you live each day with no energy? It was difficult enough the days we went without electricity when Hurricane Rita hit. What about the time when it rained for days and days and days - would solar work? I just do not understand enough about it to trust it completely for day to day living.

I see it as greedy Hawaii would pass such a charge for alternative energy. Of course everything in Hawaii is over priced.
Wonderful-World read my blog view my photos
Jul 9, 2008 | 5:45 PM

It's a good idea, but I wonder about rain days or smoke and ash days. Remember when our sky was grey due to smoke from fires in Mexico? How about all of the volcano ash from Mt. St. Helens? When smog in Houston is so bad that you can literally see a ring around the city, it makes you wonder if solar would work for us. Considering the volcano activity in Hawaii (as recent as this week), they're doing a pretty bold thing.
PBMom read my blog view my photos
Jul 9, 2008 | 7:11 PM

I don't think we should ever 100% rely on one source. Solar panels work just fine on cloudy days. Many people will sell their excess energy back to power companies, which eventually pays for itself and then works out to become a profit. These are solar panels on roofs. A lot of homeowners associations won't allow them, so we would need federal law or state law to overturn their decisions. I worry about nuclear energy on our environment, so I'm a big backer of wind and solar. The areas of the country that have volcanoes could tap into geothermal energy.
Wonderful-World read my blog view my photos
Jul 10, 2008 | 10:52 AM

Texas recently surpassed California in wind energy - something I never thought we'd see.

I have heard of people selling energy back to the power company, but never for a profit; only for a $0 due bill.
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PBMom

Mother of a 12-year-old child with autism, mild hypotonic CP, dyspraxia, MR and a seizure disorder. Married for 15 years. Have worked full-time as a telecommuter for the last 19 years. I've been the special needs minister at our church, but time demands haven't allowed me to go back. Published before in "Catholic Digest", and different poems in several books of poetry. I love 24, American Idol, Lost, Jericho and Sci-Fi (Stargate Atlantis, SG-1, Farscape, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica). My husband and I are huge movie buffs. I love to swim. I love golden retrievers. They are awesome dogs. I used to sing/take formal vocal lessons and had a formal vocal recital at Hamman Hall at Rice University in the mid 1980's. Although my friends have encouraged me that I need to write about my life story, I've made several attempts and it isn't going too well. I love blogging. It's my new creative outlet. I am a member of Texas School Watch, an advocacy group bent on exposing misuse of your tax dollars within school districts. Join the fight at: http://texasschoolwatch10
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wfchannel/ I am also going to be part of a womens' panel on Fox 26 called Your Family Matters that will air during the 5:00-5:30 segment, not every week, but as the subject matter applies to me.

Member Since: 4/16/2007


 

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