CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Pearl, a ratings and standards company, announced today that it is making its national home performance registry free to all public energy programs, including state energy offices, municipalities, and utilities. This move aims to solve a longstanding problem: billions of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars invested in efficiency rebates, weatherization, electrification, and federal Home Energy Rebate programs often leave no lasting record. Once work is completed, evidence is buried in rebate files and program records, invisible to the housing market during resale, appraisal, or refinancing.
Starting immediately, every improvement can be independently verified and recorded in a home’s profile in Pearl’s national registry, reflected in its Pearl SCORE™. This creates a permanent record that stays with the home through every sale. Pearl has provided certification services to public programs since 2019, most recently to state energy offices under the Home Efficiency Rebates (HER) Program, which requires third-party certification to ensure publicly funded upgrades are completed and documented. Now, Pearl offers that certification at no cost for these and other public programs.
Homeowners in these programs also benefit from free access to Pearl’s homeowner tools, allowing them to track their home’s performance over time, document new improvements, and keep the record available for resale, refinancing, and appraisal. In recent months, Pearl shifted its revenue model from charging fees for home certification to charging for products that serve home transactions — for buyers, sellers, and their agents. Pearl had already dropped fees for homeowners and now extends the same terms to public programs.
“Our $50 trillion housing market has a blind spot,” said Cynthia Adams, CEO of Pearl. “Give someone a car’s VIN, and they can tell you its engine, its fuel type, and its mileage. Give them a home’s address, and they can tell you little more than its size and age. We built Pearl’s registry to give every home the kind of durable record cars have always had, and making it free for public programs puts it in the hands of the agencies and homeowners who stand to benefit most.”
Pearl builds on standards and data the industry already trusts. Its energy model uses the physics engine behind the U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score. Pearl collaborates with organizations including the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), the National Association of REALTORS, and the Appraisal Institute.
“It’s a deliberate strategy,” said Robin LeBaron, Co-founder and head of Standards and Research. “We’re building on trusted industry standards. That’s what makes a Pearl SCORE™ hold up with appraisers, lenders, and state programs. The building science isn’t ours alone. What’s new is how we put building science into tools every home in the country can use.”
This announcement has significant implications for the housing market and public energy programs. By making the registry free, Pearl ensures that energy upgrades are permanently documented, potentially increasing home values and informing buyers and appraisers. For public programs, it eliminates certification costs while maintaining accountability. Homeowners gain a verifiable record of improvements that can influence resale and refinancing decisions. The move could accelerate adoption of home performance ratings, bridging the gap between energy efficiency investments and market recognition.
