The last state to join the Union, (did you know Hawaii wasn't a star on the flag until 1959?) is the first to mandate solar water heaters on all new construction, and sends a strong message to the land-locked rest of us to catch-up or miss the big wave. The law goes into effect in 2010, giving builders, buyers, and designers plenty of time to coordinate the fine details. It also gives distributors, and installers, and code officials a chance to start setting up the supply chain and begin honing their chops.

With an expected cost of around $5,000 per new home, the law will bump up the price tag for new construction. But, homeowners will start saving money on their energy bills before the paint has dried. Also, given the three to five year expected return on investment, residents will be able to sock away a tidy profit thanks to the legislation in no time.

As a bonus, the law doesn't cost the state anything other than a little paperwork. It does, however, spell the end of any existing rebates offered by the state for solar water heaters, those averaged around $2,500, which is bummer for existing homeowners. But, after a few years of supply and demand working its magic, prices on systems and installation should drop considerably.

Hawaii has an interesting energy problem. On the one hand the temperate climate relieves much of the pressure for heating. The locals, from what I've experienced, don't really dig on the air conditioning as much as folks in Texas, Florida, or California where temperatures are seasonally comparable. Once you get outside of the tourist destinations many of the homes are built with open air design allowing for natural heating and cooling. But, on the other hand, while demand may seem relatively less than the continental dwelling, Hawaii has to import 93% of its energy to for electricity, transportation.

I guess that's one of the downsides of living on an island. That and the volcanoes. You can check out more about Hawaii's progressive energy policy here.

So, it seems like a win for homeowners (reduced energy bills), a win for the State (reduced energy requirements), a win for the builder (a fair profit to be made on new technologies) a win for local trades (whole new industry now coming into bloom) and a win for the Earth (solar water heaters reduce energy needs by up to 35%).

I wonder what there would be to complain about?

Proving, again, there's at least one in every crowd, here's a quote at the end of an insightful article on the matter:

"Our country was founded on the principles of freedom and liberty," said Rep. Colleen Meyer, R-Laie-Kahaluu. "More and more, these dictates are coming down to the people saying, 'You have no choice anymore. You have to do what is politically correct.'"

Wow, I wonder how she feels about seat belts, speed limits, and stop signs?

So before I put on my Elvis records and start the pig roast, my question is, how do you come down on this issue? Is it high tide to set sail on the mandating of solar water heaters in the Sun Belt, or, as Rep. Meyer suggests, is this just another liberty squashing bug-a-boo from the feel-good, freedom-hating tree huggers?

And it would be like totally gnarly to hear from folks in the Aloha State about how they feel about this.