HB350 • 2026

RELATING TO ENERGY.

Energy

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: LOWEN, EVSLIN
Last action: 2026-04-07
Official status: The committee on CPN deferred the measure.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about specific variance approval processes beyond mentioning that a chief energy officer must approve any variances.

Expanding Water Heater Options for New Homes

This bill allows new single-family homes to use ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters as an option when getting a building permit.

What This Bill Does

Allows new single-family homes to have ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters as an option for getting a building permit.

Who It Names or Affects

Homeowners building new single-family homes in Hawaii
Builders and contractors working on new home construction

Terms To Know

ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heater: A type of water heater that uses electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly.
Variance: An exception or change in the rules for a specific case, approved by an authority.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if a variance is denied.
It's unclear how many new homes will choose heat pump water heaters over solar water heaters due to this change.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment allows new single-family homes to use ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters instead of solar water heaters, with some exceptions.

Adds ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters as an option for new single-family residential construction.
Allows variances if installation is impractical or cost-prohibitive based on a life cycle cost-benefit analysis.

The amendment's effective date of July 1, 3000, seems unrealistic and likely contains an error.

HD2

Hawaii published version HD2

Plain English: This amendment allows new single-family homes to use ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters instead of solar water heaters, with some exceptions.

Adds ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters as an option for new single-family residential construction.
Allows variances if installing a heat pump water heater is impractical due to space constraints or cost-prohibitive based on life cycle costs.

The amendment's effective date of July 1, 3000, seems unrealistic and may be an error.
Details about the approval process for variances are not fully explained in the provided text.

Bill History

2026-04-07 S
The committee on CPN deferred the measure.
2026-04-02 S
The committee(s) on CPN will hold a public decision making on 04-07-26 9:25AM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-03-13 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading and referred to CPN.
2025-03-13 S
Reported from EIG/HOU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1078) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading and referral to CPN.
2025-03-11 S
The committee(s) on HOU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in HOU were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Hashimoto, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Aquino, Fevella.
2025-03-11 S
The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in EIG were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, Richards; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) DeCoite, Fevella.
2025-03-07 S
The committee(s) on EIG/HOU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-11-25 3:01PM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.
2025-03-06 S
Referred to EIG/HOU, CPN.
2025-03-06 S
Passed First Reading.
2025-03-06 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 215).
2025-03-04 H
Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Marten voting no (1) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2025-02-28 H
Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-04-25.
2025-02-28 H
Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1046) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
2025-02-19 H
The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Kong, Lowen, Marten, Tam, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2025-02-14 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Wednesday, 02-19-25 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-13 H
Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on CPC with Representative(s) Pierick voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kitagawa, Ward excused (3).
2025-02-13 H
Reported from HSG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 587), recommending referral to CPC.
2025-02-12 H
The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Grandinetti, Kila, Kitagawa, La Chica, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran.
2025-02-06 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by HSG on Wednesday, 02-12-25 9:00AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-04 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on HSG with Representative(s) Garcia, Pierick voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kong, Ward excused (3).
2025-02-04 H
Reported from EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 93) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to HSG.
2025-01-28 H
The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Perruso, Kahaloa, Kusch, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward.
2025-01-24 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by EEP on Tuesday, 01-28-25 9:00AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to EEP, HSG, CPC, referral sheet 1
2025-01-17 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-16 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO ENERGY.
Energy; Water Heater System Requirements; Heat Pump Water Heaters; Variance
Expands the types of water heater systems that may satisfy the relevant requirement for the issuance of a building permit for new single-family dwellings to include ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB350

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

350

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to energy
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 196-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending its title and subsection (a) to read as follows:

����
"
�196-6.5
�
[
Solar water
]
Water
heater
system [
required
]
requirements
for new single-family residential
construction.
�
(a)
�

On or after January 1, 2010, no building permit shall be issued for a
new single-family dwelling that does not include a solar water heater system
that meets the standards established pursuant to section 269-44[
,
]
or
an ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heater,

unless the chief energy
officer of the Hawaii state energy office approves a variance.
�
A variance application shall only be accepted
if submitted by an architect or mechanical engineer licensed under chapter 464,
who attests that:

����
(1)
�
[
Installation
]

For a solar water heater system, installation
is impracticable due to
poor solar resource[
;
]
and for a heat pump water heater, installation
is impracticable due to interior or exterior space constraints;

����
(2)
�
Installation

of either a solar water heater system or a heat pump water heater
is
cost-prohibitive based upon a life cycle cost-benefit analysis that
incorporates the average residential utility bill and the cost of the new solar
water heater system [
with a life cycle that does not exceed fifteen years;
]

or new heat pump water heater;

����
(3)
�
A
renewable energy technology system, as defined in section 235-12.5, is
substituted for use as the primary energy source for heating water; or

����
(4)
�
[
A
]

An ENERGY STAR certified
demand water heater device [
approved by
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.,
] is installed; provided that at least one
other gas appliance is installed in the dwelling[
.
]
and a life cycle
cost-benefit analysis justifies the variance.
�
For the purposes of this paragraph,
"demand water heater" means a gas-tankless instantaneous water heater
that provides hot water only as it is needed.

����
For the
purposes of this subsection, "heat pump water heater" means a water
heater that uses electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of
generating heat directly.
"

����
SECTION 2.
�
This Act does not affect rights and duties
that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun
before its effective date.

����
SECTION
3.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Energy;
Water Heater System Requirements

Description:

Expands
the types of water heater systems that may satisfy the relevant requirement for
the issuance of a building permit for new single-family dwellings to include
ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.