South Carolina Statehouse Blog

Recently, I sat down with Representative Nikki Haley to talk about a “green bill,” House Bill 4892. This bill is an attempt to turn South Carolina more green, in that it effectively supports the building and buying of homes that are environmentally friendly. Specifically, this bill states that;

1. Homeowners associations and/or local municipalities may not prohibit the installation of solar energy heating or cooling systems
2. Residential builders who construct a house that is certified as a high performance residence may receive a 1000 dollar non-refundable tax credit
3. To receive the certification of a high performance residence, the house must meet the qualifications set by National Build Green Program, EarthCraft, and/or the US Green Building Council‘s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.(LEED)

Rep. Haley explained that this will hopefully encourage builders to delve into energy efficient home building. The 1000 dollar tax credit to the builder can also be passed on to the homeowner if they wish. Rep. Haley said that she has already received emails from builders that are anxiously awaiting this bill’s passing and are excited to try out the new energy efficient technology.

Further benefits of the bill include the better choices for homebuyers and hopefully, natural resources in South Carolina will be used more sparingly. Rep Haley also mentioned that with new things like this, new opportunities are created, and hopefully it spurs some growth in technology and jobs.

This bill explicitly states that energy efficient materials, like solar panels, may not be prohibited by local municipalities and homeowners associations. This is because there are currently some who do in fact prohibit the use of such materials on houses. Their reasoning is that they do not like how solar panels look, as they believe it can be an eye-sore, or it simply does not conform to the look of the rest of the neighborhood.

When asked if this move toward more up-to-date green legislation is something we might see more of, Rep Haley happily explained “We’re starting to see a General Assembly that is going more green.” Therefore, we can clearly expect more “green bills” in the not-so-distant future in South Carolina.

Rep Haley says that she has literally seen no opposition to this bill, showing a vast support and reception of the move to support environmentally friendly homes. Furthermore, she said that whether you are green or not used to be a partisan issue; but, now “Everyone sees the need to go green and improve the lives of South Carolinians.” Certainly, this bill will encourage the building of environmentally friendly homes in South Carolina, showing its stride into the twenty-first century and the improvement of life in South Carolina.