Energy savings and sustainable living in the city
by Alyssa Okamura | April 30, 2025
Coming from small town Hilo to bustling Honolulu was a drastic change, especially when officially living “on-my-own” post-graduation. Sometimes city life can be overwhelming and “detached” from nature, but luckily the building I live in prioritizes energy efficiency, and I have started to incorporate other simple energy-saving habits and sustainable living practices into my life to save money and do my part for our ‘āina, even from my 450-square-foot apartment.
I grew up in a family that was an early adopter of renewable energy and sustainable living practices, from solar panels to composting. My parents would always remind us as children to turn off the lights when we left our bedrooms and to be mindful of our energy use, so those same habits have carried over to my own living now! The easiest ways I save energy in my apartment are by putting a timer on my A/C unit when I am sleeping, opening the windows for the fresh morning breeze and daylight when I work from home, using the window shades in the afternoon to keep my apartment cool, and airdrying instead of turning on the heated drying setting when I run my dishwasher. Additionally, while I love random appliances like mini “skin fridges” for my skincare products and nugget ice makers for cute, iced lattes, I decided to forego those non-essential items because they also eat up extra electricity, potentially doubling my electric bill.
Since cities are energy-intensive, in many of the recent apartment developments in Honolulu, like the re-vitalized Kaka‘ako area, they also prioritize energy efficiency, which helps make my rent more affordable and saves me money on my electric bill. For example, my building is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified, which is the highest level of certification for excellence in sustainable construction. This means that the building has significantly lower environmental impact, with high-efficiency HVAC systems, solar energy, rainwater harvesting, and the use of recycled or locally sourced materials. My building’s hallways are not air-conditioned which can get hot sometimes, but it significantly reduces our building’s energy usage. Additionally, we have a 58-panel solar hot water system that helps meet 40% of the domestic hot water load, and all apartments include Energy Star-rated stainless steel appliances, from our refrigerators to dishwashers and ovens. In our lobby, our chandeliers look to be made of reused plastic bottles, and in the surrounding area there are Biki bike stations and free electric vehicle (EV) chargers in our garages.
While my apartment is small, and I might not be able to have my own garden or gigantic compost bin, I also try my best to incorporate easy sustainable habits into my life to reduce my personal carbon footprint. My favorite part of living in Kaka‘ako is the ability to walk everywhere! This helps me save money on gas and parking, but also allows me to stay active. I walk to work in downtown Honolulu, and I enjoy walking to Chinatown on weekends to avoid the crazy parking and grab matcha or other delicious foods from the cafes and restaurants in the area. My favorite activity is also walking to the Kaka‘ako Farmers Market, where I can support local farmers and other vendors. Plus, at the farmers market, businesses like ʻŌMAʻO MAN, one of my favorite green smoothie trucks, allows you to bring your own reusable jar for your smoothie!
When I moved out of my parent’s house, I also chose to invest in more sustainable products like beeswax “Saran wrap,” reusable Silicon “ziplocs,” and non-toxic environmentally friendly products, like dish-soaps, multi-purpose cleaners, sponges, makeup products, and reef-safe sunscreens. And of course, I always have my water bottle and re-bags with me everywhere I go. These are small changes I’ve been trying in order to reduce my consumption of single-use plastics and toxic products, which in the long run can help our ‘āina.
While I continue to learn to make it on my own in the “big city,” I am always looking for new ways to be more conscious of my spending, like saving on my electric bills. As someone who was born and raised in Hawai‘i, it is also important to me to care for our beautiful islands, which continue to feel the worsening effects of climate change. Saving energy and implementing simple sustainable practices or product swaps into our daily lives are just some ways we all can do our part to save our Earth. Every small action can make a difference!
For more energy-saving tips, visit: hawaiianelectric.com/saveenergy.
Alyssa Okamura is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric.
