Background

In 2018, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of Energy (MoDNR) established the Missouri Home Energy Certification (MHEC) to encourage Missourians to reduce energy usage by making energy efficiency improvements to their homes. The MHEC is designed to promote energy-efficient homes by showcasing efficiency-related investments and clearly communicating that value to potential homebuyers. MoDNR partnered with Renew Missouri, a local nonprofit, to help spread the word about the MHECs, which populate the state's Green Building Registry. MoDNR recognized Pearl as an official scoring tool, and Pearl and Renew partnered to expand access to residential energy-efficiency improvements in Missouri.

Renew Missouri Homes

Pearl Certification and Renew Missouri, a local nonprofit, launched the Renew Missouri Homes program in October 2022 as a statewide program to make energy efficiency more accessible and to prepare the state to deliver Inflation Reduction Act rebates to Missouri homeowners. The program leverages MoDNR's MHEC, the state Green Building Registry, and Renew Missouri's deep understanding of the local energy-efficiency sector and Pearl’s unique approach to market transformation that ties energy-efficiency features to home value to drive consumer demand for high-performing homes.

The goals of the program are to educate homeowners on the value of home certification, connect them with high-quality contractors to make the improvements that result in energy savings, learn what rebates or other incentives are available to them to help offset the costs, and find real estate agents to help them sell their high-performing home when they are ready. Eligible homeowners receive both a MHEC and a Pearl Certification as part of their participation in the program. The Pearl Certification Report highlights other home energy labels and certifications that a home may have, such as a Home Energy Score or HERS Score, to help to increase their visibility and value.

Current State

Today, Pearl Certification and Renew Missouri’s activities include certifying work that is completed by qualified contractors, ongoing partnerships and engagement with local utilities, energy efficiency program administrators, nonprofits, contractors, and real estate professionals. Additionally, Pearl Certification is actively involved in educational and outreach efforts through partnerships with RESNET and EEtility, helping to raise awareness of the benefits of energy-efficient home improvements among Missouri residents. Pearl is actively exploring ways to expand access to Home Energy Score as part of the Renew Missouri Homes program.

"The Renew Missouri Homes program is a vital extension of the great work the DNR Division of Energy is doing throughout the state. This program provides an easy-to-use framework for Missourians to create more comfortable, efficient, and sustainable homes that benefit the entire state.”

Andy Popp Manager, Missouri State Energy Program

Impact

The collaboration between the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Pearl Certification and Renew Missouri demonstrates the power of public private partnerships to meet an important public need. The Missouri Home Energy Certification is a critical tool for educating Missouri homeowners on the value of making energy efficient improvements on their homes.

The Renew Missouri Homes program is promoting the MHEC through Pearl's contractor network, homeowner engagement, leveraging national partnerships and engaging with local partners who can expand access to residential energy efficiency in Missouri.

Pearl Certification has certified 4,000+ Missouri homes, engaged 3 contractors, and trained real estate agents and appraisers in St. Louis on how to effectively market and value the MHEC and Pearl Certification for the homeowners they work with. Pearl anticipates delivering 100 Missouri Home Energy Certifications by the end of 2023, and are preparing to scale that number into the thousands in 2024 and beyond as Missouri rolls out out the $75M in residential rebates allocated to the state through the Inflation Reduction Act. Marketing and earned media efforts led by Pearl and Renew Missouri have also notified over 100,000 homeowners of the free resources available to them through the program.

About the Partnership

Renew Missouri | renewmo.org

Renew Missouri, a local nonprofit, was founded in 2006 to advance renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state of Missouri.

Missouri DNR - Division of Energy | dnr.mo.gov/energy

The division assists, educates and encourages Missourians to advance the efficient use of diverse energy resources to drive economic growth, provide for a healthier environment and achieve greater energy security for future generations.

Pearl Certification | pearlcertification.com/p3

Pearl is bringing our private sector learnings to support state's abilities to administer IRA rebates to homeowners, as a third party certification services provider who can meet the IRA HOMES statutory requirement for third party certification.

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