Hawaii-2010-HR197-Introduced

WHEREAS, Act 82, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, established a state building code applicable to all construction in the state of Hawaii, which incorporates, among other things, the "latest edition of the International Building Code, as published by the International Code Council"; and

WHEREAS, the latest edition of the International Energy Conservation Code, which was adopted into the International Building Code by the International Code Council, contains an amendment that establishes a solar heat gain coefficient, U-factor and fenestration air leakage level on louver jalousie windows for both conditioned and unconditioned buildings and dwellings; and

WHEREAS, these levels and standards make perfect sense for conditioned buildings because jalousie windows could account for greater heat loss and air leakage, necessitating the use of more electricity to cool a building through air conditioning or heat a building in winter months through a heating system; and

WHEREAS, these levels and standards make little sense for buildings or dwellings that are unconditioned and located in a state like Hawaii which is blessed with a very temperate climate and prevailing trade winds that often provide free air ventilation; and

WHEREAS, prior to 1970, many homes were designed and built with a single wall design with jalousie windows to take advantage of cross ventilation and the trade winds, which helped to keep the cost of homes lower; and

WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu has long had an exception to their building codes that include the use of glass jalousie windows for use as emergency escape or rescue; and

WHEREAS, requests were made to both the Department of Accounting and General Services, whose director serves on the State Building Code Council, and to the Small Business Regulatory Review Board, to take up this issue, and in both cases, the issue was placed on their respective agendas for the last meetings of 2009; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Accounting and General Services is still deliberating the issue and the Small Business Regulatory Review Board voted to defer action on proposed amendments to Chapter 3-181, State Energy Conservation Code, of the Hawaii Administrative Rules; and

WHEREAS, the exemption requested will leverage our natural gifts with the desire to reduce energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels, while preventing an unnecessary increase in the cost of building materials, and construction overall; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, that the Small Business Regulatory Review Board and the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to exempt louver jalousie windows installed on unconditioned buildings and dwellings through the rulemaking process from the Statewide Building Code established under Act 82, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Department of Accounting and General Services and the members of the Small Business Regulatory Review Board.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

State Building Code; louver jalousie window exception; unconditioned buildings and dwellings

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	197
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII