Energy Program Initiatives

Energy Sustainability Vision

• The County of Hawai‘i will lead by example to transform Hawai‘i Island from its current reliance on imported fossil fuels at the high level of 70% and expenditures exceeding $750 million dollars annually (2007) to a level where more than 70% of our electric generation and fuel resources are from renewable sources. Efficiency and conservation programs will be implemented continuously to provide the most cost-effective results. 

• A transformation to Hawai‘i County's energy future will result in direct savings of energy dollars, increased sustainable economic development and new job creation. Concurrently, the Island's impact on a global scale will be a reduced Island GHG footprint with positive consequences for the environment. 

Program Accomplishments

• The Energy Program continues to monitor a contract to reduce energy consumption at the Hilo Public Safety Building and Kona Police Station. Now in its seventh year, this project has already generated over $1 million in savings through retrofitting of the lights and air conditioning units
• A prior energy performance contract on the Hilo County Building resulted in $3/4 million in energy dollars saved.
• Completion of the County of Hawai‘i Energy Sustainability Plan that will serve as the roadmap for the County of Hawai‘i and the island to transition away from its heavy dependence upon imported fossil fuel.
• A study was completed on the opportunities and challenges associated with utilization of waste heat from geothermal production. Economic opportunities identified included heat for agricultural production, value-added processing and lumber drying and more.

Current Initiatives

• The Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative has embraced the initiatives of Hawai‘i County's Energy Plan. We are attending key meetings to determine how best to partner with our similar missions. National Renewable Energy Laboratory sent key personnel in engineering and finance to discuss how to leverage Hawai‘i Islands resources.
• The Department of Public Works' policy is to include photo-voltaic systems on all new construction and roof replacement bid specifications. This policy is optional, as some facilities lend themselves more readily to accommodate such systems and result in a higher cost/benefit ratio.
• The County's efforts to lead by example are expressed through initiatives such as the 100 kilowatt (kW) photo-voltaic system that will be installed shortly as part of the renovations to the County Building in Hilo.
• A second major photo-voltaic system will be installed on the new West Hawai‘i Civic Center. The 400 kW system will provide nearly one-third of the building's power requirements and help to assure that the building meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver of higher certification. The photo-voltaic power would be supplied by a third party, thus eliminating the upfront costs estimated to be  nearly $4 million dollars and resulting in an overall lower price per kilowatt-hour of power used. While contract terms are negotiated, discussions are on going with the utility to "net meter" the power generated on the weekends for credit to the County.
• $737,000 has been obtained to complete a detailed Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (EECS) to include an audit of energy use throughout the County's buildings, equipment and transportation systems; development of policies and programs to rapidly move forward with the EECS; and retrofitting or installation of energy efficient systems such as street lights for immediate savings.
• 400 street lights will be retrofitted with LED lamps in coordination traffic division.
• Alex Woodbury to conduct energy audit of multiple County buildings.
• The Kenoi Administration fully supported a recent initiative by the County Council to update the Model Energy Code. Changes to the Code will ensure that new construction of residences will employ energy efficient design and construction to minimize roof heat gain, create passive cooling systems and provide for low-emissivity windows and doors. The small added cost for new construction is expected to result in significant cost savings over the life of the buildings.
• The County's newly formed Green Team, consisting of County employees will take on sustainability issues as a means to save on energy costs for the County and lead by example within the community by adopting sustainable practices. Efforts will focus on collecting and analyzing data on energy, transportation, buildings and waste. Future steps will include development of policies to address reduction in our global footprint and to protect and conserve our environment.
• Efforts are proceeding to identify appropriate workforce development needs and opportunities in the area of green jobs. These include building design and construction, reuse and recovery of resources, renewable energy production, eco-tourism, creative digital media and fashion, holistic science and technology and through education and collective efforts to make all jobs "greener."
• Efforts are proceeding to develop a detailed website that residents and businesses may visit to secure answers to their energy related questions.

Future Focus

• The Mayor has committed to establishing an Energy Advisory Commission to expedite the County's efforts to achieve or exceed the goals laid out in the County's Energy Sustainability Plan, dated October 2007. Similar to the State's Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, the County's Energy Plan calls for a large percentage of the current fossil fuel use to be replaced by renewable energy sources and gains in efficiencies. With an aggressive application of the Energy Plan recommendations, the island will be able to move from the current reliance on fossil fuels of 70% to 31% or lower. The Mayor's Energy Advisory Commission will focus on transformative policies, programs and other initiatives to address how building envelopes are constructed and managed; the fuel used to power vehicles; and how electrical power is produced and delivered.
• Increased focus on Energy Grant for Federal stimulus funding will provide much needed cash infusion to the County for energy efficiency initiatives.