The Hawai‘i State Energy Code (SEC), as adopted by the State of Hawai‘i on December 15, 2020, which adopts, with modifications, the International Energy Conservation Code, 2018 edition (IECC), as copyrighted by the International Code Council, is adopted by reference and made a part hereof, subject to the following amendments, which, unless stated otherwise, are in the form of amendments to the IECC 2018 edition:
(1) Amending Section C101.1. Section C101.1 is amended to read:
C101.1 Title.
This code shall be known as the Building Energy Conservation Code (BECC) of the City and County of Honolulu (CCH) or the CCH BECC. It is referred to herein as “this code.”
(2) Amending Section C101.3. Section C101.3 is amended to read:
C101.3 Intent. This chapter sets forth minimum requirements for the design and construction of buildings for the effective use of energy and is intended to provide flexibility to allow the use of innovative approaches and techniques to achieve a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. This code is not intended to abridge safety, health or environmental requirements contained in other applicable codes or ordinances.
These measures are intended to help buildings have lower energy costs, improved grid stability, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and increased resilience from current and future climate impacts.
(3) Amending Section C101.5. Section C101.5 is amended to read:
C101.5 Compliance. Commercial buildings shall meet the provisions of IECC. Compliance and enforcement procedures are in accordance with ROH Chapter 16, Article 10.
(4) Adding Section C103.1. Section C103.1 is added to read:
C103.1 General. When the requirements in this code apply to a building as specified in Section C101.4, plans, specifications, or other construction documents submitted for a building, electrical, or plumbing permit required by the jurisdiction must comply with this code and will be prepared, designed, approved, and observed by a design professional. The responsible design professional shall provide on the plans a signed statement certifying that the project is in compliance with this code.
Exception: Any building, electrical, or plumbing work that is not required to be prepared, designed, approved, or observed by a licensed professional architect or engineer pursuant to HRS Chapter 464.
(5) Adding Section C103.2. Section C103.2 is added to read:
C103.2 Information on construction documents. Construction documents must be drawn to scale upon acceptable material or submitted in an electronic form acceptable to the code official. Construction documents must be of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature, and extent of work proposed and show, in sufficient detail, pertinent data, and features of the building, systems, and equipment as herein governed. Details must include, but are not limited to the following, as applicable:
(a) Insulation materials and their thermal resistance (R-values);
(b) Fenestration U-Factors and solar heat gain coefficients (SHGCs);
(c) Area-weighted U-factor and SHGC calculations;
(d) Mechanical system design criteria and power requirements;
(e) Mechanical and service water heating system and equipment types, sizes and efficiencies;
(f) Economizer description;
(g) Equipment and system controls;
(h) Fan motor horsepower (hp) and controls;
(i) Duct sealing, duct and pipe insulation and location;
(j) Lighting fixtures schedule with wattage and control narrative;
(k) Location of daylight zones on floor plans;
(l) Air sealing details;
(m) Electric vehicle ready infrastructure; and
(n) Solar ready infrastructure.
All plans, reports, and documents must be certified by the project design professional or engineer, using the appropriate form shown below and submitted to the code official certifying that the plans and documents conform to the requirements of this code.
(6) Adding Section C104.1. Section C104.1 is added to read:
C104.1 Fees. Prescribed fees must comply with ROH Chapter 18.
(7) Adding Section C105.2. Section C105.2 is added to read:
C105.2 Required inspections. Inspections must comply with ROH Chapter 16.
(8) Adding Section C105.2.6. Section C105.2.6 is added to read:
C105.2.6 Final inspection. The building must have a final inspection and cannot be occupied until approved. The final inspection must include verification of the installation of and proper operation of all required building controls, and documentation verifying activities associated with required building commissioning have been conducted and any findings of noncompliance corrected.
(9) Adding Section C105.6. Section C105.6 is added to read:
C105.6 Re-inspection and testing. Where any work or installation does not pass an initial test or inspection, the necessary corrections must be made to achieve compliance with this code. The work or installation must then be resubmitted to the responsible code official for inspection and testing as required by this code.
(10) Adding Section C105.7. Section C105.7 is added to read:
C105.7 Approval. After a building passes all tests and inspections required by this code, the responsible design professional must submit a confirmation letter to the code official certifying that the building has passed all of the tests and inspections required and stating that the building owner has received the Preliminary Commissioning Report, as required by IECC Section C408.2.4.
(11) Adding Section C108.1. Section C108.1 is added to read:
C108.1 Authority. Stop work order must comply with ROH Chapter 18.
(12) Adding Section C109.1. Section C109.1 is added to read:
C109.1 General. Appeals from the actions of the Code Official under this code will be heard by the building board of appeals, subject to and in accordance with the requirements of ROH Chapter 16.
(13) Amending Section C202. Section C202 (“GENERAL DEFINITIONS”) is amended by:
(a) Amending the definition of “CODE OFFICIAL” to read:
CODE OFFICIAL means the director of planning and permitting or the director’s authorized representative.
(b) Amending the definition of “DWELLING UNIT” to read:
DWELLING UNIT means a building or portion thereof that contains living facilities, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation, as required by this code, for not more than one family, or a congregate residence for 16 or fewer persons.
(c) Adding the definition of “ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV)” to read:
ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) means an automotive-type vehicle for on-road use, such as passenger automobiles, buses, trucks, vans, neighborhood electric vehicles, and electric motorcycles, primarily powered by an electric motor that draws current from a building electrical service, EVSE, a rechargeable storage battery, a fuel cell, a photovoltaic array, or another source of electric current.
(d) Adding the definition of “ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY EQUIPMENT (EVSE)” to read:
ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY EQUIPMENT (EVSE) means equipment for plug-in power transfer including the ungrounded, grounded and equipment grounding conductors, and the electric vehicle connectors, attachment plugs, personal protection system and all other fittings, devices, power outlets or apparatus installed specifically for the purpose of transferring energy between the premises wiring and the electric vehicle.
(e) Adding the definition of “ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGER READY” to read:
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGER READY means a designated parking stall that is provided with a dedicated circuit for future Level 2 EVSE. The circuit shall terminate in a suitable termination point such as a receptacle, pullbox, handhole, or junction box located in close proximity to the proposed location of the electric vehicle charger ready stall. The service panel shall include an over-current protection device.
(f) Adding the definition of “HIGH EFFICACY LIGHTING” to read:
HIGH-EFFICACY LIGHTING means an efficacy of not less than 70 lumens per watt for lamps and 55 lumens per watt for fixtures.
(g) Adding the definition of “LIGHT REFLECTANCE VALUE” to read:
LIGHT REFLECTANCE VALUE means the amount of visible light that reflects from a surface expressed as a percentage, where zero means a surface absorbs all light and 100 means a surface reflects all light.
(h) Adding the definition of “OCCUPIABLE SPACE” to read:
OCCUPIABLE SPACE means enclosed space intended for human activities, excluding those spaces intended primarily for other purposes, such as storage rooms and equipment rooms, that are only occupied occasionally and for short periods of time.
(i) Adding the definition of “RENEWABLE ENERGY” to read:
RENEWABLE ENERGY by reference to HRS § 269-91, renewable energy means energy generated or produced using the following sources:
(1) Wind;
(2) Sun;
(3) Falling water;
(4) Biogas, including landfill and sewage-based digester gas;
(5) Geothermal;
(6) Ocean water, currents and waves, including ocean thermal energy conversion;
(7) Biomass, including biomass crops, agricultural, and animal residues and waste and municipal solid waste and other solid waste;
(8) Biofuels; and
(9) Hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources.
(j) Adding the definition of “SOLAR REFLECTANCE (SR)” to read:
SOLAR REFLECTANCE (SR) is the surface capability to reflect solar radiation back to the hemisphere. It is a measure of the solar reflectance and emissivity of materials that can be used as an indicator of how hot they are likely to become when solar radiation is incident on their surface.
(k) Adding the definition of “SOLAR REFLECTANCE INDEX (SRI)” to read:
SOLAR REFLECTANCE INDEX (SRI) is a measure of the constructed surface’s ability to reflect solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. SRI Incorporates both solar reflectance and thermal emissivity in a single value. SRI measures the roof’s ability to reject solar heat, defined such that a standard black (reflectance 0.05, emittance 0.90) is 0 and a standard white (reflectance 0.80, emittance 0.90) is 100.
(14) Amending Section C401.2. Section C401.2 is amended to read:
C401.2 Application. Commercial buildings shall comply with Section C409 and at least one of the following:
(a) The requirements of ANSHRAE/IESNA 90.1.
(b) The requirements of Section C402 through C405, and C408. In addition, new commercial buildings shall comply with Section C406.
(c) The requirements of Section C402.5, C403.2, C403.3 through C403.3.2, C403.4 through C403.4.2.3, C403.5, C403.7, C403.8.1 through C403.8.4, C403.10.1 through C403.10.3, C403.11, C403.12, C404, C405, C407 and C408. The building energy cost shall be equal to or less than 85 percent of the standard reference design building.
(15) Amending Section C402.1.1. Section C402.1.1 is amended to read:
C402.1.1 Low-energy use buildings. The following low energy buildings, or portions thereof separated from occupiable spaces by building thermal envelope assemblies complying with this section, shall be exempt from the building thermal envelope provision of Section C402:
(a) Those with a peak design rate of energy usage less than 3.4 Btu/h-ft2 (10.7 W/m2) or 1.0 watt per square foot (10.7 W/m2) of floor area for space conditioning purposes.
(b) Unconditioned space that does not contain occupiable space.
(c) Greenhouses.
(16) Amending Section C402.2.2. Section C402.2.2 is amended to read:
C402.2.2 Above-grade wall. The minimum thermal resistance (R-value) of materials installed in the wall cavity between framing members and continuously on the wall shall be as specified in Table C402.1.3, based on framing type and construction materials used in the wall assembly.
Exception: Continuous insulation for above grade walls, and mass walls are not required when at least one of the following conditions is met:
1. Walls have a covering with a light reflectance value of equal to or greater than 0.64.
2. Walls have overhangs with a projection factor equal to or greater than 0.3. The projection factor is the horizontal distance from the surface of the wall to the farthest most point of the overhang divided by the vertical distance from the first floor level to the bottom-most point of the overhang.
3. Concrete, CMU and similar mass walls are 6 inches or greater in thickness and have an unpainted finish with or without a clear sealer.
(17) Amending Section C402.4.1.2. Section C402.4.1.2 is amended to read:
C402.4.1.2 Increased skylight area with daylight responsive controls. The skylight area shall be permitted to be not more than six percent of the roof area provided daylight responsive controls complying with Section C405.2.3.1 are installed in daylight zones under skylights.
Exception: Spaces where the designed general lighting power densities are less than 80 percent of the lighting power densities specified in Table C405.3.2(1) or C405.3.2(2).
(18) Amending Section C403.2.2. Section C403.2.2 is amended to read:
C403.2.2 Ventilation. Ventilation, either natural or mechanical, shall comply with the minimum standards of Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR), Title 11 Department of Health Chapter 39 Air Conditioning and Ventilating.
(19) Amending Section C404.5. Section C404.5 is amended to read:
C404.5 Heated water supply piping. Heated water supply piping shall be in accordance with Sections C404.5.1, C404.5.2 or C404.5.3, as amended.
(20) Amending Section C404.5. Section C404.5 is amended by adding Section C404.5.3 to read:
C404.5.3 Pipe insulation method. Hot water piping system shall be insulated in accordance with Table C403.11.3.
(21) Amending Section C405.2. Section C405.2 is amended by adding Exceptions 4 and 5 to read:
Exceptions:
4. Spaces that use 80 percent or less of the lighting power densities (designated watts per square foot), as specified in Table C405.3.2(1) and Table C405.3.2(2), are exempt from Sections C405.2.2 (Time switch controls) and C405.2.3 (Daylight-responsive controls).
5. Corridors, passageways, lobbies, and other circulation spaces within multi-family buildings that are required to remain lighted for egress purposes.
(22) Amending Section C406.3. Section C406.3 is amended to read:
C406.3 Reduced lighting power. The total connected interior lighting power (watts) shall be calculated in accordance with Section C405.3.1 and shall be less than 80 percent of the lighting power density allowance specified in the code, in accordance with Section C405.3.2.
(23) Amending Section C408.2.4.1. Section C408.2.4.1 is amended to read:
C408.2.4.1 Acceptance of reports. Buildings, or portions thereof, shall not be considered acceptable for a certificate of occupancy until the code official has received a letter of transmittal from the building owner acknowledging that the building owner or owner’s authorized agent has received the Preliminary Commissioning Report.
(24) Amending Section C408.3.1. Section C408.3.1 is amended to read:
C408.3.1 Functional testing. Prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the registered design professional shall provide evidence that the lighting control systems have been tested to ensure that control hardware and software are calibrated, adjusted, programmed and in proper working condition in accordance with the construction documents and manufacturer’s instructions. Functional testing must be in accordance with Sections C408.3.1.1 through C408.3.1.3 for the applicable control type.
(25) Adding Section C409. Section C409 is added to read:
C409 Electric vehicle infrastructure. All newly-created parking stalls for newly-constructed residential multi-unit and commercial buildings must comply with one of the electric vehicle readiness compliance pathways specified in Section C409.1 (Prescriptive) or Section C409.2 (Point-based). For purposes of Section C409.1, Section C409.2, and Tables C409.1 and C409.2, the following apply:
(a) COMMON AREA STALL means any parking stall that is not intended to be assigned, sold, leased, or attached contractually to a specific dwelling unit or commercial establishment;
(b) DEDICATED STALL means any parking stall that is intended to be assigned, sold, leased, or attached contractually to a specific dwelling unit or commercial establishment; and
(c) When computation of the number of required electric vehicle charger ready stalls results in a fractional number with a fraction of 0.5 or greater, the number of required electric vehicle charger ready stalls required will be the next highest whole number.
C409.1 Baseline percentage electric vehicle readiness compliance path. Newly-constructed parking stalls for newly-constructed residential multi-unit buildings that add eight or more new parking stalls must be electric vehicle charger ready for at least 25 percent of the newly-added parking stalls. Newly-constructed parking stalls for newly-constructed commercial buildings that add 12 or more new parking stalls must be electric vehicle charger ready for at least 25 percent of the newly-added parking stalls. Construction Plans must reflect these developments.
Exceptions:
1. For retail uses under ROH Chapter 21, the total number of newly-added parking stalls that must be electric vehicle charger ready is reduced by 20 percent, rounding up to the next whole number.
2. For affordable housing units offered for sale, the total number of newly-added parking stalls that must be electric vehicle charger ready is reduced by 20 percent, rounding up to the next whole number.
3. For affordable housing units offered for rent, none of the total number of newly-added parking stalls are required to be electric vehicle charger ready.
CHARGE METHODS ELECTRICAL RATING | |||
Charge Method | Normal Supply Voltage (Volts) | Maximum Current (Amps - Continuous) | Supply Power |
AC Level 2 (enclosed attached residential garages only) | 208 to 240V AC, 1- phase | Minimum 16A | 208/240V AC/20-100A (16- 80A continuous) |
AC Level 2 | 208 to 240V AC, 1- phase | Minimum 32A | 208/240V AC/40-100A (32- 80A continuous) |
C409.2 Points-based electric vehicle readiness compliance path. Newly-constructed parking stalls for newly-constructed residential multi-unit buildings that add eight or more parking stalls must be equipped to achieve no less than one point for every four parking stalls based on the EV charger capacity requirements and values listed in Table C409.2. Newly-constructed parking stalls for newly-constructed commercial buildings that add twelve or more parking stalls must be equipped to achieve no less than one point for every four parking stalls based on the capacity requirements and values listed in Table C409.2. Construction plans must demonstrate that the stalls are equipped to achieve no less than one point for every four parking stalls based on the capacity requirements and values listed in Table C406.8.2.
Retail uses under ROH Chapter 21 may only qualify for compliance points under Table C409.2 in the following two categories:
(a) Dedicated electric vehicle charger ready stalls; or
(b) Common Area Stall with electric vehicle supply equipment installed.
For purposes of compliance under this subsection, building developers may aggregate points across multiple projects and phases; provided that each individual project achieves no less than 10 percent compliance or adds a minimum of one electric vehicle charger ready stall per project, whichever is greater. All aggregation plans under this subsection must be identified and verified by a registered design professional and the building official at the time of permitting.
Exceptions:
1. For retail uses under ROH Chapter 21, the total number of points that would otherwise be required to comply with the points-based requirements under this subsection will be reduced by 20 percent.
2. For affordable housing units offered for sale, the total number of points that would otherwise be required to comply under this subsection will be reduced by 20 percent.
3. For affordable housing units offered for rent, no points under this subsection will be required.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE READINESS POINT-BASED COMPLIANCE VALUES | |||||
Compliance Points | |||||
Electric Vehicle Charger Capacity Level | Charging Rate (kW) at 208 Vac | Time to charge 50 kW battery (hrs) | Dedicated EV Charger Ready Stalls | Common Area EV Charger Ready Stalls | Common Area Stall w/EVSE Installed |
Level 2, Minimum 16A | 3.4 | 15 | 1 (in enclosed attached garage) | N/A | N/A |
Level 2, Minimum 32A | 6.7 | 7.5 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
Level 2, 64A to 80A | 13.3 | 3.8 | 1 | 7 | 14 |
DCFC 50 kW (480.277 Vac 3-phase) | 50.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 25 | 50 |
(26) Adding Appendix CB. Appendix CB is a voluntary provision and is added to read: