Pearl’s Accreditation Standards govern how businesses and industry professionals are recognized by Pearl.
Pearl’s Accreditation Standards establish the criteria through which an organization becomes recognized as meeting minimum requirements to:
Become a Qualified Source of certifiable data; and/or,
Being listed or recognized within or outside of Green Door.
Pearl’s contractor accreditation standards were established at Pearl’s formation and have been foundational in how Pearl certifies home features.
In 2022, Pearl became the first and only organization to have its quality management system reviewed and accepted by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of Pearl’s sponsorship of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.
Pearl Network contractor members must meet minimum standards in the following categories:
Pearl employs software and services to verify and enforce its accreditation standards. Pearl’s Certification App and process standards review and approve all work being certified. Pearl’s account management team get to know and understand the ownership and the staff of Pearl Network Contractors, including their conformance with Pearl’s requirements for business best practices and technical competency in sales, customer service, and installation.
Pearl Network Members must meet additional criteria when they participate in one of Pearl's programs, such as Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade, or Home Energy Score.
As part of Pearl’s continuous improvement process, Pearl conducted an internal audit on its standards (in general) and its contractor accreditation standards (in particular). That audit, conducted in Q3 and Q4 of 2022, identified five (5) priority areas, each of which had an:
Improvement Need
Implementation Solution
Implementation Approach
In Q1 of 2023, Pearl’s Standards Executive Committee directed Pearl's Standards Management Board to fortify Pearl's Contractor Accreditation Standards by following the recommendations of the audit.
In Q2 of 2024, Pearl’s Standards Executive Committee officially approved:
Pearl is currently monitoring upcoming changes to industry standards and requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Pearl's Contractor Accreditation Standards Development Committee will maintain and update Pearl's Accreditation Standards based on a number of factors, including:
guidance from the Department of Energy, the Treasury, and states are more solidified
expected upcoming changes to industry practices and standards are finalized (e.g., BPI-2400, quality installation of heat pump water heaters, quality installation of cold climate heat pumps)
Pearl’s New Construction Accreditation Standards apply to builders and developers that join the Pearl Network.
While the specific criteria differ from Pearl's Contractor Accreditation Standards, builders and developers must meet the same four quality elements:
Builders in the Pearl Network must:
Pearl strongly encourages builders to work with a Home Certification Organization (HCO) recognized by the ENERGY STAR Certified Home program and the Zero Energy Ready program.
For questions about the complementary role and different benefits provided by an HCO and Pearl Certification, contact [email protected].
Pearl’s Real Estate Accreditation Standards apply to brokerages and real estate teams that join the Pearl Network.
Want to learn more about Pearl’s Accreditation Standards? Contact us at [email protected].
Pearl Certification is transforming the housing market. We’re making a visible difference nationwide for homeowners and the businesses that serve them.
