“Pearl Platinum is a feather in our cap. Homeowners are looking for that kind of marketing potential. They’ll showcase their home to their neighbors to say, look at what you can do to your house, too.”
Gary Boyer is the Director of Builder Services at EDGE Energy, an expert home performance contracting company focused on energy-efficiency, weatherization, heating and cooling, and geothermal installs.
EDGE works in new construction and with existing homes and conducts energy audits, new construction certification ratings, HVAC improvements, solar installs, and consults on new construction and deep energy retrofits. EDGE recently established a solar division as a certified SunPower Elite Dealer in the northeast. “If you want something done at your house, we can probably do it for you, from sorting out comfort issues to making it a high-performance home,” said Gary Boyer. EDGE joined the Pearl Contractor Network in 2018 and has already been a part of something special: It helped a DC homeowner become the first non-new construction home to achieve Pearl Platinum status. You can read more about that project here. EDGE is expanding into new territories and, in a short time, has also witnessed the value of the Pearl Network in states with limited home performance certification programs. “I have a few clients in Virginia and I’ve explained Pearl and what certification means, and they’re like, yes, I’ve done this or that, my house is different than my neighbor’s house and it should be certified. Pearl adds value to these homeowners,” said Gary. EDGE has been ramping up its business to business outreach, targeting networks like Realtors or groups of people who are focusing on purchasing and upgrading a house for rent or sale.
“We’ve shown sample Pearl Certification Reports, and it’s raised eyebrows, in a good way. We’ve gotten some serious interest this way,” explained Gary. Pearl certification is also proving to be the “extra kick” some homeowners need to take the next step with EDGE to improve the comfort or efficiency of their home. Gary and EDGE are now working with a client in Virginia who just bought a house with the intention of improving it and selling it in the spring. “They’re planning to do solar, high-end HVAC equipment, and redo the building envelope. I’m pretty sure this will be the next Pearl Platinum house,” Gary said.
