Pearl Certification has added a free, publicly available Inflation Reduction Act Rebates Calculator to its cache of tools that help homeowners across the country save thousands of dollars on energy-efficient home upgrades through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
While the IRA offers homeowners powerful incentives to invest in solar energy, heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and other energy-efficient options, those incentives vary based on location and household income and come with numerous rules about what can and cannot be combined within the household. That can leave homeowners uncertain about the ultimate cost of their home investments, which in turn stymies planning.
Pearl’s new IRA Rebates Calculator cuts through the confusion. Homeowners just plug in their address, household income and size to get estimates of the tax credits and point-of-sale rebates available to them at the appliance and program level. Each incentive comes with comprehensive details on homeowner eligibility and product qualification, anticipated availability dates, which savings can be combined and caps on total savings, plus education on how each upgrade can impact a home’s performance.
“Launching the new IRA Rebates Calculator was critical to Pearl’s dual mission of helping homeowners get the maximum return on their home investments and decarbonizing U.S. housing stock by incentivizing energy-efficient home improvements,” said Rachel Davis, VP of Pearl Certification’s homeowner division. “This calculator, along with Pearl’s free home improvement app, Green Door, can help homeowners see those returns more quickly by identifying ways to cut upfront costs.”
Pearl’s calculator was built with the most up-to-date information on the IRA, including the most recent round of guidelines from the Dept. of Energy. While IRA-funded rebates are expected to be rolled out by states in the coming year, tax credits of up to 30% of project cost are already available.
“Our calculator looks at both existing tax credits and future rebates as outlined by the IRA and the DOE,” said Davis. “Home performance is very much a marathon, and we want homeowners to be able to prioritize and plan based on their short- and long-term goals. As states roll out their IRA rebates programs — most likely in 2024 — we’ll be updating the calculator to reflect any changes at a state-by-state level.”
Once homeowners find their savings estimate, they can login or sign up for a free account with Green Door, Pearl’s app that helps homeowners improve, manage, and market their homes. There they can generate customized Pearl Home Investment Plans based on their goals and their homes’ existing assets, connect with local, vetted contractors and earn Pearl Points toward a high-tier Pearl Certification for their home by making energy-efficient upgrades.
Independent appraiser studies have found that, on average, Pearl Certified homes sell at a 5% premium compared to uncertified homes. Its Certification Reports drive demand for energy improvements by making them visible at time of sale, allowing home sellers to capture the value of their investments and buyers to find the homes they want.
In June 2023, Pearl upgraded Green Door by adding maintenance-tracking features previously available only on the web-based version. Now, the mobile app can sync with the calendar on the user’s phone and send an alert when a furnace filter needs to be changed, batteries need to be switched out, or for any maintenance item specified by the manufacturer or homeowner.
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