Southeast

South Carolina

South Carolina’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 16% from 1990-2022, and the industrial sector consumes the most energy by end-use. Manufacturing is a major part of the state’s GDP, producing chemicals, motor vehicles, electronics, machinery, and more. More than half of in-state electricity is generated by nuclear, as South Carolina is the third-largest producer of nuclear power in the country.

Governor

Henry McMaster (Republican)

House Party

Republican Supermajority

Senate Party

Republican Supermajority

Legislative session

1/14/25 - 5/8/25

Key Offices & Links

8

Policies Enacted or In Progress

across 4 policy areas

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59

Policy Opportunities

across 7 policy areas

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Southeast

14 states

This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Compare with other states

Progress by Policy Area

Enacted Enacted policies have been passed or established in a state by a governing body via legislation, executive orders, rules, regulations, and/or other program creation, and remain in effect.
In-progress In progress policies have been established in a state, but final regulations, rules, or plans are pending final approval. This also includes legislation and executive orders that require regulations to be put into effect.
Partially Enacted Partially enacted policies have been enacted in the state, but are missing one or more policy components. Dashboard policies cannot be considered partially enacted unless policy components are available.
Not Enacted Not enacted policies have not been passed or established in the state or are no longer in effect.

Glossary of Terms

The colored bars indicate the status for each policy on the Dashboard, viewed across seven policy areas.

Status	Policy	Policy Area	Policy Category	Year Enacted
Enacted	Residential Energy Codes Empty column The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2009 IECC. Establishing Policies South Carolina State Energy Code (2012)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2012
Enacted	Commercial Energy Codes Empty column The statewide energy code for commercial building construction is 2009 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2007. Establishing Policies South Carolina State Energy Code (2012)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2012
Not Enacted	Stretch Building Energy Codes Empty column Stretch building energy codes are an optional, more stringent building code established by the state that local jurisdictions can adopt to require that newly constructed buildings are more efficient than the baseline state codes.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes
Not Enacted	Appliance Standards Empty column Appliance standards set minimum energy and water conservation requirements for appliances and equipment.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
Not Enacted	Building Performance Standards Empty column Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
Not Enacted	Clean Heat Standards Empty column Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
In-Progress	Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) Empty column HB 3309 permits the Public Service Commission to set energy efficiency targets for utilities. Establishing Policies HB 3309 (2025)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency	2025
Not Enacted	Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Empty column Property assessed clean energy (PACE) allows residential and/or commercial property owners to finance efficiency upgrades with loans tied to the property.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency
Not Enacted	Weatherization Funding Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Weatherization Funding in South Carolina Policy Components not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted 0/4	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency
Not Enacted	All-Electric Buildings Empty column All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Electrification
Not Enacted	Thermal Energy Networks Empty column Thermal energy networks are neighborhood-scale energy projects that allow multiple buildings to be connected through a shared network of underground pipes to distribute heating and cooling, often using renewable energy sources like geothermal or waste heat. State policymakers can create an enabling regulatory structure, and may also commission pilots, allow cost recovery, or create mandates to help transition from natural gas.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Electrification

South Carolina

Key Offices & Links

8

59

Southeast

Progress by Policy Area

Climate Governance and Equity

Cross-Sector

Electricity

Buildings and Efficiency

Transportation

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management

Natural and Working Lands

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in South Carolina

Climate Policies in South Carolina