Building Energy Conservation Code

Honolulu’s Energy Code

The Building Energy Conservation Code establishes minimum energy conservation requirements for new residential and commercial buildings. Through the adoption of technological and efficiency improvements with each code cycle, efficiently designed buildings can help lower costs of living for residents while lowering the environmental impact of our buildings.

In 2023, the City updated its Energy Code through adoption of Ordinance 23-25 to the 2018 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with local amendments for energy savings designed for Oʻahu’s unique development context. Local amendments adopted in Ordinance 23-25 include:

  • Requirements for increased energy performance in exceptionally large homes to enable market advancement of leading design practices and technologies.

  • An optional commercial Stretch Code that will guide market leaders in achieving advanced design and performance of grid-interactive commercial buildings.

  • Requirements for increased lighting efficiency to keep pace with fast-evolving LED technology readily available on the market today.

  • Code simplifications to reduce cost and avoid unnecessary building expense, such as eliminating the requirement for floor insulation in residential buildings.

  • Preservation of previously established requirements for electric vehicle readiness and solar photovoltaic (PV) readiness.

Worker installing LED lights on the ceiling

Lighting retrofit at Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building. Credit: Johnson Controls.