May 2016

Pearl National Home Certification

Business Silver Member

Pearl National Home Certification is a Virginia-based startup launched in 2015. Pearl is dedicated to increasing the energy efficiency and comfort of existing homes and will transform the market by helping homeowners capture the value of their home energy upgrades for resale or refinance. Network contractors and real estate agents grow their businesses when they become Pearl Partners by providing their clients access to Pearl’s special services, such as exclusive rebates and lending products, and a “My Home Profile” account to track progress towards certification.

At the helm are Co-Founders Cynthia Adams, also founder and President of the VAEEC and formerly the Executive Director of the Local Energy Alliance Program; and Robin LeBaron, formerly Managing Director of the National Home Performance Council. Pearl is an official partner with the Department of Energy’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, running pilots in central and northern Virginia.

How Does Pearl Work?

Pearl’s certification service is used by contractors to verify and score a home’s energy assets for certification. When a home’s features earn it enough points, Pearl issues a BRONZE, SLIVER, GOLD, or Net Zero certificate and Home Energy Asset Inventory report. Real estate agents use Pearl’s services to help sellers market their energy efficient home and to help buyers maintain and improve their “new” home through an exclusive “My Home Profile” account. “My Home Profile” provides homeowners with a plan to achieve certification, as well as online resources for maintaining their home. Pearl’s software also functions like a virtual general contractor, helping homeowners find contractors to make improvements and tracking progress made over time.

Why Homeowners Sign Up with Pearl

Pearl offers homeowners:

• An initial estimate of the home’s certification level through a free My Home Profile account
• Information on rebates and loans to help pay for energy, health and other home improvements
• Access to a network of high-quality, specially trained Pearl-Approved Contractors
• Certification of a home’s energy efficient and health features
• Documentation and marketing services to help sell a certified home

Interested homeowners who want to sign up for Pearl can do so here: www.yourhomeprofile.com.

You can check out a sample certification report here.

How Contractors Benefit with Pearl

Pearl’s software provides quality contractors a marketing and certification system to enhance home performance and energy efficiency sales. Network contractor benefits include:

1. Client engagement from the first appointment on
2. Increased job size through certification services
3. Relationship marketing through Pearl’s email services
4. Homeowner referrals from Pearl Partners
5. Differentiation from low bid/low quality competitors

This list of benefits results in increased revenue for contractors: the average insulation sales person can generate over $100K in additional yearly sales with Pearl, and the average HVAC sales person double that number. To learn more about how contractors can grow their business with Pearl, visit www.pearlcertification.com/contractor.

How Real Estate Agents Benefit with Pearl

Realtors have been among Pearl’s earliest and strongest partners, given the mutual interest in helping home buyers create value, and sellers access it.

The National Association of Home Builders found that nine out of ten buyers would rather purchase a home with energy-efficient features, and would be willing to pay more for it. A recent study by the Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation found that Washington, D.C. homes that were certified energy efficient sold for a 3.6% price premium. It’s representative of what we’re seeing across markets in the U.S. where, on average, third party certified homes are selling for 4-5% higher. On a $500K home, this can be $25K in added value sellers are currently leaving on the table.

As a Pearl Partner, real estate agents get:

• Buyer’s closing gift of a Pearl “My Home Profile” account
• Monthly client emails with informative and timely maintenance tips
• Training on selling the energy efficient home
• Special certification report package and other marketing tools for selling the certified home
• Client referrals from our Pearl Network contractors

Real estate agents interested in learning more should visit pearlcertification.com/homevalue/