Senate aims to protect ‘right to dry’
Proposed law would overturn community and neighborhood rules against hanging laundry outside
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A bill pending in the state Senate seeks to protect homeowners' right to hang laundry on a line.
Sen. Les Ihara (D, Kahala-Palolo), who introduced the bill with the support of the Sierra Club, says this is the right time for such a bill, given the high costs of energy and concerns over global warming.
While many homeowners associations prohibit or restrict the use of clotheslines, mostly for aesthetic reasons, supporters of the bill say that line drying can save a household 10 percent of its energy costs.
Jeff Mikulina, director of Sierra Club Hawaii, calls it the "right to dry" bill.
The bill, which was scheduled for a conference committee meeting this morning, says association rules cannot be so restrictive as to make line drying difficult for a single-family home or townhome owner.
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A bill making its way through the state Legislature aims to protect homeowners' right to hang laundry on a line.
Many homeowners associations in master-planned communities have codes, covenants and rules that prohibit the use of clotheslines; Senate Bill 2933 seeks to overturn those restrictions.
'Right to Dry' bill
Senate Bill 2933 would guarantee the right to use clotheslines on single-family homes and townhomes.
Sponsor: Sen. Les Ihara (D-Kahala, Palolo)
Status: Scheduled for conference committee this morning.
Supporters: Sierra Club, Conservation Council for Hawaii, DBEDT
Opponents: Homeowners associations
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Jeff Mikulina, director of Sierra Club Hawaii, calls it the "right to dry" bill.
The measure seeks to reduce household energy demands by allowing owners of single-family homes and townhomes to use clotheslines. It was scheduled for a conference committee meeting this morning.
The Sierra Club testified that allowing homeowners to use the sun to dry their clothes could substantially decrease the use of fossil fuel electricity.
"It makes no sense today to restrict smart energy-saving behavior given what we now know about global climate change," said the Sierra Club in its testimony.
On Kauai, a family could save $450 a year from not using its electric dryer, the Sierra Club says.
The bill actually expands on a previous law passed in 2005 that allows owners to install a solar energy device on their homes or townhomes despite association rules that prevent it.
An Ewa Beach townhouse owner who wanted to install a solar water heater on the roof of his garage prompted that earlier bill after he got into a legal dispute with his owners' association.
The new bill would add clotheslines into the definition of a solar device.
The bill has the support of the Sierra Club, Conservation Council for Hawaii, and state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
"It's going back to the basics," said Sen. Les Ihara (D, Kahala-Palolo), who introduced the bill. "If people can start using clotheslines rather than dryers, they can reduce their energy demand by 10 percent."
Opposition to the bill, however, came from the Hawaii Association of Realtors as well as the Mililani Town Association, Villages of Kapolei Association and Princeville at Hanalei Community Association.
Their main reason? Aesthetics.
Most were not opposed to line drying, but wanted the ability to determine the placement of clotheslines so as not to be visible from a neighboring lot.
Calvin Maeda, general manager of the Mililani Town Association, says clotheslines are allowed, as long as they're not visible.
Some homeowners do have clotheslines in Mililani Town, he said, and they are accepted because they are screened off either by tall hedges or fencing.
"We get complaints from residents quite a bit, actually," said Maeda, who fields the calls. "They understand what the community is supposed to look like, and they don't want to be looking at somebody's underwear out of the kitchen window."
Maeda said the homeowners themselves should be able to determine the community's rules, and not the government.
Rohit Mehta, general manager of the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association, agreed.
He said there is currently no prohibition against clotheslines in the resort community of about 2,500 members. However, he feels the association should have reasonable control over where the clotheslines are located.
"In a resort community, many of the apartments are also rented and such lines adorned with underwear would not only hurt the beauty of the community and the enjoyment of residents, but also would adversely affect tourism," said Mehta in earlier testimony.
Sen. Ihara said amendments allowing homeowners associations to have rules regulating their clotheslines should address their concerns. They would be allowed under the bill as long as they're not unreasonably restrictive, he said.
"But they can't just say no to clotheslines," Ihara said.
DBEDT said in its testimony that if 20,000 clothes dryers were used 50 percent less, some 800,000 gallons of fuel per year could be spared -- a cost savings of at least $1.7 million.