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Please pull permits for it if you have any inkling you will be selling it during its usable lifetime.
I just had a client whose house is in escrow that got dinged on the solar installation from 10 years ago because it wasn't permitted. The way it came up was an old existing permit for a retaining wall that was never canceled. Inspector had to come out and verify retaining wall wasn't built and ***POOF*** saw the solar on roof and said "there is no solar permit".
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I love solar, especially for hot water. You can cool your roof and heat your water at the same time. Almost half of your electric usage will go to heat water if you don't have solar. You really need to put a timer on the electric backup though. The problem is that we use hot water in the evening. The storage tank senses a drop in temperature and turns on the electric heater. When the morning comes and the sun rises you already have a tank of hot water that you bought. When I was using Helco for backup I set the timer to come on at 3pm and to go off a 7pm. I figured that if the sun didn't heat the water by 3 then I would need a boost and if it went off at 7 then it would be ready to catch some rays in the morning.
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When it comes to such codes, there are specific legal requirements that must be met to implement such codes.
Does this code observe off-grid renewable energy source house designs and exempt such homes from the code requirements?
Heads up on this one-
Even for a conventional home energy design, without credible research proofs of great need on a community welfare level...
This could be a takings case in the making if such showers are that expensive, the state could be held liable by the courts to pay the difference between the conventional water heater vs. solar if this one ends up in court and the code requirement repealed.
BTW… I’m more than ready to take the issue to the mat regarding plumbing and electrical owner builder denial issues. If anyone would like to help get that issue on the firing line - let’s get to it.
E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.
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quote:
Originally posted by Wao nahele kane
When it comes to such codes, there are specific legal requirements that must be met to implement such codes.
Does this code observe off-grid renewable energy source house designs and exempt such homes from the code requirements? ....
Yes it does address that issue and here's the rub from the rumors I have heard in the last two weeks. You get your paperwork to apply for the exemption (through a state authority). As I heard, no state employee is yet in that position to be reviewing the exemption requests (for the whole state). The (again rumor) is that it will be somewhere between 4-6 months to get your exemption back to you and you will need this exemption letter to submit your alternative plans to the Bldg Dept. They are saying they will not accept plans with no solar unless the exemption letter is attached.
So what one drafts person is doing is showing the "proposed solar" and by the end of the project (i.e. final inspection) will be showing solar omitted with the exemption letter. My take on it is with all the BS lately, that there is a more than good chance that Bldg will make you jump through hoops - maybe redrawn plans is the worst case scenario. Fines for changing plans. I don't really know yet. In my perfect world, you would be required to have the exemption by the end of the project since there is going to be a big backlog.
Some of the things that have been happening now are
so absurd that I cant believe them. (And this is not just IMHO, this is architects telling me that same thing!)
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Kapohocat,
I agree 100%. This "exemption" being in the form of written approval rather than simply exempted by virtue of plan conent is beyond stupid. It's one of those things that if not cleaned up quick will land in court when it screws up a big $ construction loan timeline.
E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.
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My concern is that thermosiphon solar heaters will be understood to be a viable and more affordable alternative (although requiring proper conceptual design from the start). The current design of systems that qualify for the Heco rebate are the complicated "active" systems with mechanical pumps and controls beyond the necessary valves and shut-offs.
Has the County mandated any design standard for the solar water heaters?
John Maloney
310.562.0362
johnmaloney3@me.com
Hawaii Architect AR8082
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Whats wrong with Thermosiphon, or dont the laws of physics apply here. when i apprenticed as a plumber there were still whole buildings with gravity flow boilers
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So if you are going to have an on demand gas water heater and one other gas appliance, you won't need to have the solar water heater?
