If you have questions about Pearl Certification, we’ve got answers. The Pearl Contractor Network exists to serve you and the success of your business. Let’s start by covering the basics.
Pearl Certification is a third-party certification program contractors can offer as a value-added service to their residential customers. The certification program highlights the benefits of working with a qualified contractor and captures the value of a contractor’s work once the installation is complete. Homeowners use the Pearl Certification to add to their home’s value over time and eventually as a selling point when listing their home.
Bottom line? Pearl helps a contractor stand out from the crowd and win more leads. In fact, about 80% of surveyed homeowners say that a contractor’s ability to offer Pearl Certification influences them to hire that contractor.
Pearl Network Contractors typically see 5% to 10% revenue increases by selling higher-margin goods and services and closing more sales. Customer reviews and targeted marketing can help bring in more homeowners looking to increase their home’s energy efficiency.
“We have seen a tremendous uptick in interest from homeowners when our sales team talks about Pearl Certification," said Sumit Bhatnagar, founder, president, and CEO of GreenBrilliance. "Being a part of the Pearl Network has increased both the number and strength of closures. When customers close a deal with us, they are confident they are getting what they want because of the Pearl Certification process.”
Pearl Certification provides objective validation of the quality work and service processes your company provides. Pearl Network Contractors differentiate their work from competitors by showing how their quality work relates to captured home equity. Only Pearl Network Contractors can offer Pearl Certification to their homeowner clients.
Pearl also brings added credibility to a contractor’s brand to build trust with prospective customers. Even for contractors that already have a significant brand presence in their marketplace, Pearl reinforces that brand by being in partnerships with ENERGY STAR, the National Association of REALTORS®, the Appraisal Institute, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Pearl is a huge market differentiator for us; something we can offer to demonstrate why our price point is higher and why it’s worth the extra investment to go with us over the other guys,” said Greg Wells, president at Williams Comfort Air in Indianapolis.
Pearl Certification provides third-party validation of Network Contractors’ work, clearly communicating the increased home equity supported by investment-grade documentation. By shifting the conversation from price to value, contractors close more sales because homeowners focus on the investment they are making in their home.
When it comes time for another home improvement project, homeowners can log in to Pearl’s Green Door online app to contact trusted Network Contractors.
"Each year we've worked with Pearl, our return on investment has gone up," said George Clark, vice president of WMBG Home Improvement in Wyoming. "Our average sale has gone up 15 to 20% each year, and close rates have gone up 3 to 4% each year. Pearl is a major part of that."
Pearl helps your business generate more leads by supporting your marketing team with:
Persuasive collateral to print
A checklist of digital channels to update
Sales training on how to leverage Pearl
An online, on-demand resource center
A dedicated Success Team committed to helping you take full advantage of your Pearl resources and to supporting your business
Pearl also collaborates locally with pertinent programs and with Pearl Partners, such as the Building Performance Institute (BPI), the National Comfort Institute (NCI), Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), SunPower, and other noncompeting organizations, to help generate leads.
As an active industry member, Pearl has teamed up with manufacturers, service providers, and industry associations to offer fee reductions and discounts.
Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) members are pre-qualified for the Pearl Network; they will receive a 50% discount on onboarding fees and 10% on their monthly network fees. Pearl Network Contractors who are not ACCA members will receive a 50% discount on first-year membership fees.
SunPower Dealers enjoy 50% off all Pearl onboarding fees and can use SunPower Dealer Funds (DPF) to pay for Pearl Network fees.
The Building Performance Institute offers Pearl Network contractors special discounts on its certificate programs.
The National Comfort Institute offers contractors in the Pearl Network 2% of their monthly network fees in NCI Training Bucks.
Visit our Partner Perks web page for information about even more benefits from Pearl’s Partners.
Through regular communication, Pearl Certification educates homeowners about how to make their homes higher-performing and why they should find a qualified Pearl Contractor on our Green Door online app to implement these projects for optimal results.
When homeowners prepare to sell their home, Pearl provides a real estate marketing package that promotes the home’s high-performing features and explains the value they add for the future homeowner.
A home with certified energy performance will earn top dollar from buyers. A 2021 study by the National Association of Home Builders found that 57% of home buyers were willing to pay an additional $5,000 or more to save $1,000 in utility costs.
Homeowners see an ROI on their energy-efficiency improvements, which is especially important when refinancing or selling a home. “Pearl helps justify the $10,000 or $20,000 that the homeowner is spending with our company to improve the efficiency of their home,” notes Alex Williams, cofounder of Ideal Energy in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Pearl’s third-party verification helps show a homeowner the true value behind everything we’re doing.”
When you provide a customer with a Pearl Certification, the customer can access the certificate and details of their home investment through Green Door, Pearl’s award-winning virtual home management portal for homeowners.
Homeowners can learn about other investments to advance their home’s performance, as well as how to increase their Pearl Certification status. They can use the tool to quickly connect with the contractor that issued the Pearl Certification, keeping you top of mind. If a homeowner is seeking services outside of your specialty, Green Door can connect the homeowner with other Pearl Contractors in their area.
The Pearl Solar Equity Calculator® uses hard data to help contractors quantify the value solar installations can add to a home. The calculator is the first in the industry to compute discounted cash flow using certified contractor data, NREL software to calculate solar production numbers, and an API to Freddie Mac’s 30-year mortgage rate.
In addition to serving as a valuable proposal tool, the Pearl Solar Equity Calculator also provides an appraiser-ready certification report that includes a discounted cash flow schedule to help ensure the home’s solar value is calculated correctly at the time of sale.
Certification begins with contractors inserting Pearl Certification in the presale conversation, informing homeowners that they can offer a third-party certification of their work.
Upon enrollment in our program, Pearl’s Success Team identifies the best approach to receive certifiable data based on your business processes and objectives. Some contractors opt for Pearl’s easy-to-use web portal, which can take less than five minutes per project to complete. But most of Pearl’s contractors opt for API integration or CRM-specific solutions like Salesforce and Service Titan that make data entry completely hassle-free.
Following the equipment installation, Pearl reviews your data to verify all the home’s energy-efficiency features. Homeowners receive documentation in the form of a certification and an appraisal addendum that allows the energy-efficiency work the contractor has completed to be considered for valuation when the home is sold or refinanced.
Once a contracting firm joins the Pearl Network, the onboarding process begins with assigning it a dedicated success team, including a relationship manager, operations manager, and a success advisor. The team helps integrate the contractor’s customer relationship management system into Pearl’s system for an automated certification process. Pearl provides marketing tools and sales training for introducing homeowners to Pearl Certification.
Pearl provides ongoing support to its Network Contractors by sharing best practices, providing conference and industry discounts, and awarding certifications for their high-quality work.
Pearl Certification’s assistance continues well into the future by aiding Network Contractors’ customers at the time of sale. Regardless if the Pearl Certification was issued four months ago or four years ago, Pearl can supply the respective real estate package to highlight the home’s high-performing features to make the value visible to prospective buyers.
Only the top 5% of contractors are accepted into the Pearl Network. To determine those top contractors, Pearl looks at a contractor’s website design, time in the business, customer reviews, customer complaint resolution practices, the appropriate licenses and credentials for the fields they work in, and the applicable credentials and documented processes for their trade and installation work that meets all the recommended manufacturer standards.
Please visit our Qualifications web page for a more detailed explanation of network criteria. Begin the screening process by calling 1.844.PEARLØØ or completing the below form and a member of the Pearl Certification team will contact you soon.
The screening process duration can fluctuate depending on how quickly the necessary information is provided to Pearl Certification. But in general, acceptance into the Pearl Network takes anywhere from a few days to a month.
Currently, Pearl Certification accepts contractors operating within the continental United States into its elite Pearl Network.
Please call 1.844.PEARLØØ or complete the below form and a member of the Pearl Certification team will respond shortly.
The key to closing more sales, differentiating your company, validating your high standards, and capturing new revenue begins with joining the Pearl Contractor Network.
Call 1.844.PEARLØØ or complete the form to get answers to your questions and to learn how Pearl Certification can further your success.
Pearl Certification is transforming the housing market. We’re making a visible difference nationwide for homeowners and the businesses that serve them.
