It’s not easy being “green” — a reality that struck home as the City Council last week adopted Bill 4, which amends the city’s Building Energy Conservation Code to match 2020 updates in the Hawaii State Energy Code, all toward net-zero energy goals.

The crafting of energy policies requires balancing climate-change mitigations with affordable housing costs. For example: While Bill 4 increases solar and electric vehicle (EV) readiness for new construction, there are exceptions and lower requirements for affordable housing. To hold down costs, for instance, lower-income rentals won’t need to provide any EV chargers.