As a Public Benefit Corporation, Pearl Certification transforms the national housing market for good. 

We help homeowners by partnering with businesses and public entities to build a market that rewards energy efficiency.

How do we achieve this?

  • We partner with contractors and manufacturers to third-party certify high-performing, energy-efficient home systems, capturing the value these systems add to a home through investment-grade documentation that helps homeowners build equity and earn a premium at the time of resale or refinance.
  • We engage and educate real estate professionals who ensure these homes are properly marketed and valued.
  • Together, we empower homeowners to increase the efficiency, health, comfort, and value of their homes.
At a Glance

Pearl at a Glance

Mission

Pearl’s mission is to give homeowners the tools to improve their homes’ health, comfort, efficiency, resilience, and value. By tying energy-efficient home improvements to increased home value, Pearl incentivizes homeowners to make sustainable, energy-saving changes and scale decarbonization of the housing market, which is responsible for 20% of U.S. carbon emissions.

Vision

Pearl Certification is the global standard for high-performing homes.

Learn about our scoring system

Services

We provide third-party certification, homeowner information, business-building resources, the Pearl Solar Equity Calculator®, the free Green Door app, and more. 

Explore our services and products

Team

Our founders are subject matter experts who lead a top-notch crew of service-oriented professionals.

Meet our team Join our team

Partners

We partner with industry-leading companies, nonprofits, public entities and trade organizations. See the roster of Pearl Certification Partners.

Pearl Certification Partners

Location

You can find Pearl Certified homes from coast to coast and view by certification level. 

Explore the map
Recognition

Recognition

Pearl is the only market-based firm approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to administer the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program for existing homes. Pearl has also been accepted into the National Association of REALTORS’® prestigious REACH Technology Accelerator, and we hold a licensing agreement with the Appraisal Institute to populate its valuable report.

Certificate of Recognition by US EPA and US DOE

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy recognize the important contribution Pearl Certification has made to the home performance industry, including transforming the market for home performance products and services, partnering with appraisers, realtors and home improvement trades, using a rigorous QA/QC process in your HPwES program, and strategically leveraging the ENERGY STAR brand."

Beginnings
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Pearl’s Beginnings

Years before they founded Pearl, Cynthia Adams and Robin LeBaron headed up different nonprofit firms with a shared goal: lowering U.S. carbon emissions by lowering home energy use. Robin’s research and thought leadership found an equally passionate business partner in Cynthia, whose willingness to pilot and implement innovative approaches to scaling residential energy efficiency helped set the stage for Pearl’s vision.

A weekend retreat in Aspen following a utility conference gave rise to Pearl’s business plan. Cynthia and Robin embarked on a fundraising journey while continuing to build out the algorithms for the certification system itself and creating software. In May 2015, they left their jobs to devote themselves full time to bringing Pearl to life.

Their previous work gave them a head start on building out Pearl’s staff, as some of its earliest members were colleagues from other firms whose reputations and industry knowledge would prove critical to Pearl gaining market traction and network partners.

Latest News

Catch the latest news in energy-efficient home improvement

Jun 27 2024

Essential Summer Guide Maintaining a Home’s Air Quality

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Jun 06 2024

Sustainability is Finally Having its Moment in Real Estate: Diving into the 2024 REALTORS® Sustainability Report

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Jun 06 2024

Pearl Certification to Incorporate New National Definition of a Zero-Emissions Building in Its Certification Standards

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May 31 2024

Crafting Effective Marketing Messages for Homeowners

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Contact us

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