Hawaii
Energy Policy Forum > Energy in the News: 2001
HECO, Army announce residential solar project
Ben DiPietro
Pacific Business News
August 30, 2001
A planned residential solar water heating
project at the Army's Helemano military housing complex
on Oahu's North
Shore and at the Waianae Recreation Center will save the
Army $250,000 in electricity costs, Hawaiian Electric Co.
says Thursday. The joint project between the Army and HECO
will install 650 rooftop solar heating systems. Work is
set to begin this fall, and is expected to be completed by
year's
end, HECO account manager Steve Luckett says.
The move to solar water heating will reduce annual emissions
by more than 2,200 tons, and save HECO a half-megawatt
in energy, enough to power 150 homes, Luckett says. Solar
water
systems use the sun to produce hot water, thereby eliminating
the largest portion of the average residential customer's
bill, the utility says. The rooftop systems cost between
$3,000 and $3,500 each, and have an average lifespan of
10 to 25 years. They are expected to pay for themselves
in seven
years, Luckett says.
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