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A bill being considered by the Legislature right now would be a win-win for consumers and the planet, but most people have never heard of the proposed policy.
Senate Bill 691 would set what’s called “efficiency standards” for certain products sold in the state. Essentially, this would leverage the highly successful U.S. EPA Energy Star and WaterSense programs by requiring certain products sold in the state to meet those well-known efficiency levels. By doing this, no one needs to conduct a research project to figure out which products are more energy- or water-efficient.
The products on the shelves are already the more efficient product, so everyone is good to go. By adopting this bill, it’s estimated that by 2040, Hawaii would annually save $11 million on utility bills, 254 million gallons of water and 18 gigawatt hours of electricity. That sounds like a good deal to me.
Elena Arinaga
St. Louis Heights
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