What Pearl Certification does

Pearl Certification (legal entity PLS INC.) is a Virginia-domiciled Public Benefit Corporation founded in 2015 that operates the national standard for residential home performance rating in the United States. Its core product, Pearl SCORE, is a 1-1,000 rating system that evaluates single-family homes across five pillars: Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, and Energy. The company has scored every single-family home in America, building a registry covering 86-97 million properties, and has certified more than 200,000 homes across 49 states and Washington, D.C. The Pearl Home Performance Report meets the IRA Inflation Reduction Act HOMES program third-party certification requirement, and Pearl is the sole national sponsor of the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.

Pearl distributes through a dual consumer/professional motion. The consumer Pearl App (iOS, Android, web) allows homeowners to claim a property, document performance features such as heat pumps, solar panels, and insulation, and request Pearl Home Performance Reports. The Pearl Pro App serves real estate agents who need to look up performance data, claim homes for clients, and order Pearl Listing Packages. Pearl also engages public-sector programs (state energy offices, utilities) directly to provide third-party certification under the IRA HOMES rebate framework, and the National Home Performance Registry is offered free to public energy programs. Add-on products include Pearl Solar Certification, the Electrified Home Badge, the redesigned Certification Report and Marketing Package, a Virtual Certification System for Agents, and the Pearl Recognized Professional credential.

Pearl generates revenue through a mix of one-time certification and report fees (Pearl Listing Packages are valued at $99, with member pricing for Green Designees and Pearl Recognized Professionals), recurring subscription revenue from professional membership and digital tools, and professional services / multi-year contracts with public-sector programs. The company has raised approximately $41.8 million in disclosed venture funding across rounds from 2017 through 2024, with investors including Clean Energy Ventures, Second Century Ventures, Ferguson Ventures, Clean Energy Venture Group, Felton Group LLC, and Keller Enterprises. Pearl acquired Radiant Labs in December 2024 to expand technical capabilities and won Inman's 2025 Best of Proptech Award in Sustainability & Climate Resilience.

Name

Pearl Certification

Legal name

PLS INC.

Website

https://pearlscore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pearl Certification operates the national standard for U.S. residential home performance rating, scoring all 86-97 million single-family homes across Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, and Energy, and certifying 200,000+ homes for homeowners, real estate professionals, and public-sector programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pearl Home Performance Report / Certification: Revenue from certifying homes and providing performance reports. Pearl Listing Packages and certification reports are available through the Pearl app for professionals. Pricing includes $99 value for first certification for Green Designees and member pricing for Pearl Recognized Professionals.
2. Pearl App Subscriptions / Services: Digital products including websites, apps, online calculators, and widgets that provide home performance assessment and improvement recommendations.
3. Public Sector Program Partnerships: Pearl provides third-party certification and homeowner engagement tools to state agencies, utilities, and public programs, potentially including service fees for program integration and compliance verification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pearl Certification operates a national home performance rating and certification platform built on the Pearl SCORE™ system, a 1-1,000 rating that scores every single-family home in the U.S. across five pillars (Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, Energy). The company delivers this through consumer and professional mobile apps, third-party certification reports that meet IRA HOMES program requirements, and a national registry that documents energy-efficient upgrades for use in real estate transactions.

Product overview

Pearl Certification offers a unified platform for home performance rating and certification. The core product is Pearl SCORE™, a 1-1,000 rating system that scores homes across five pillars: Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, and Energy. This is supported by the Pearl Home Performance Registry covering all 86-97 million U.S. single-family homes. The company provides two complementary apps: the consumer Pearl App for homeowners to claim and manage their home's performance record, and the Pearl App for Professionals for real estate agents to access and share performance data. Add-on products include the Pearl SCORE™ Report for detailed property profiles, the Pearl Home Performance Report for IRA compliance, the Pearl Listing Package for real estate marketing, Solar Certification for solar-equipped homes, and the Pearl Recognized Professional credential for trained agents. Pearl also offers the Home Seller's Toolkit and Pearl Home Improvement Plan as supplementary homeowner tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pearl SCORE: A 1-1,000 rating that measures home performance across five dimensions: Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, and Energy.
• Pearl App
• Pearl Pro App
• Pearl Home Performance Report
• Pearl Solar Certification
• Pearl Recognized Professional Network

Products and services

• Pearl SCORE™ A 1-1,000 rating system that evaluates home performance across five pillars (Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, Energy); has scored every single-family home in America, creating the first comprehensive home performance database in U.S. history.
• Pearl App Consumer mobile and web application (iOS and Android) allowing homeowners to claim their home profile, view Pearl SCORE data, document performance features, and request Pearl Home Performance Reports.
• Pearl App for Professionals (Pearl Pro App) Web-based professional tool for real estate agents to look up Pearl SCORE data, claim homes for clients, register as agent of record, and order Pearl products such as Listing Packages and SCORE Reports.
• Pearl Home Performance Registry A national registry scoring and documenting home performance for all 86-97 million U.S. single-family homes, making upgrade data visible in the real estate market and available for public program verification.
• Pearl SCORE™ Report A comprehensive performance profile for a home organizing comfort, safety, energy, resilience, and operating costs into a single view, available for single-family listings across the U.S.
• Pearl Home Performance Report / Certification Third-party certification documentation capturing the quality-of-life benefits and equity value of energy efficiency and solar upgrades made to a home, meeting IRA HOMES program requirements.
• Pearl Listing Package Marketing package for real estate professionals containing everything needed to communicate a home's performance to buyers, including materials to differentiate listings at the point of sale.
• Solar Certification Certification for homes with solar panels documenting solar and renewable energy systems to ensure fair market value at resale.
• Pearl Recognized Professional Network A credentialing program for real estate professionals earned through training on how Pearl SCORE works, with member pricing on Pearl SCORE Reports, Listing Packages, and other products.
• Electrified Home Badge A badge for homes that are fully electrified, recognizing properties that have transitioned away from fossil fuel-based systems.
• Virtual Certification System Virtual certification system enabling real estate agents to complete home certifications remotely without requiring in-person inspections.
• Pearl Home Improvement Plan A plan generated for homeowners to prioritize future upgrades that will improve their Pearl Score and lower operating costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pearl Certified homes sell for 5% more than comparable homes on average (independent appraiser studies)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Department of EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearl partners with DOE on home performance standards and serves as the only national sponsor of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. DOE and Pearl work together on zero-emissions building definitions and labeling programs.
• ENERGY STARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearl is a partner of the ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade program and integrates ENERGY STAR certifications into its scoring framework. The partnership helps certify homes with performance features.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Green Resource CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearl partners with NAR's Green Resource Council to provide elite REALTORS with energy efficiency and sustainability resources. Green Designees can become Pearl Real Estate Network members and receive exclusive discounts on certifications.
• Appraisal InstitutecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to help appraisers recognize and value high-performing home features. Pearl works with the Appraisal Institute to ensure energy-efficient features are accurately reflected in home valuations.
• Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to integrate Pearl home performance data into real estate standards and MLS systems, enabling standardized data transfer of home performance information.
• NASEO (National Association of State Energy Officials)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with state energy officials to promote home performance certification and energy efficiency programs at the state level.
• RESNETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to raise awareness about high-performing homes and integrate RESNET standards with Pearl certification systems.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network): National standard-setting body for home energy rating (HERS Index) and certified energy raters. Closest direct competitor to Pearl on third-party home performance verification, with established adoption among builders and appraisers.
• Earth Advantage: Non-profit certifying high-performance homes, primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Operates a third-party certification program (Earth Advantage Certified) directly competing with Pearl for builder and homeowner certification.
• Home Innovation Research Labs (NGBS Green Certified): Operator of the National Green Building Standard (NGBS) Green Certified program for residential green certification. Provides a competing third-party label widely adopted by production home builders.
• Built Green: Green building certification program serving the Pacific Northwest and Colorado. Issues third-party green home certifications that compete directly with Pearl's voluntary certification offerings.

Broad incumbents

• ENERGY STAR (Residential New Construction / Home Upgrade): U.S. EPA/DOE program certifying energy-efficient homes and appliances. Pearl is an ENERGY STAR partner, but ENERGY STAR is the larger incumbent label consumers and builders recognize.
• Appraisal Institute: National professional association of real estate appraisers with whom Pearl partners to incorporate performance data into valuations. Indirect peer through standards/education rather than direct certification competition.
• Zillow: Largest consumer real estate data platform in the U.S. Comparable through MLS integration and property data scale; Pearl's RESO partnership positions it as a potential complement or, at scale, an embedded competitor on listing data.
• Zonda / BDX (Homebuilding data and ratings): Large residential construction market data provider (formerly Hanley Wood/Meyers). Overlaps with Pearl in builder/contractor-facing home performance data and potential MLS listing enhancement offerings.

Emerging players

• EnergySage: Online solar marketplace offering solar certifications and equipment provider ratings. Overlaps with Pearl's Solar Certification and electrification stack, particularly among homeowners evaluating upgrades.
• Swan Software Solutions: Provider of property data and disclosure platforms to MLS systems, enabling green/performance fields in listings. Comparable as an infrastructure/data intermediary serving the same MLS integration workflow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pearlcert
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Pearl-score
• Facebookfacebook.com/pearlcertification
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pearlcertification
• Instagraminstagram.com/pearlhomescore

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pearl Certification