What Does Silver Mean and How Does a Home Earn a Silver Certification?
Pearl Silver: what it signals—and how a home earns it
To achieve a Silver Medallion, a home must have a SCORE of 500 points or more, and have confirmed high-performing features that support basic energy and comfort performance, including adequate attic insulation and above-average efficiency heating and cooling systems. A Silver home is significantly better than an average home.
Silver homes have important features that protect a family’s safety, comfort, and pocketbook.
Exact Silver gates
To earn a Silver Medallion, a home must have a Pearl SCORE of 500 points or more and meet all of the following gate requirements:
- Attic insulation: R-30 or higher.
- The home's primary heating or cooling system must meet minimum efficiency requirements based on where the home is located.
- In the North*, a home's primary heating and cooling systems must be either:
- A furnace or boiler ≥ 95% AFUE (meets ENERGY STAR threshold for AFUE)
- AND
- A furnace or boiler ≥ 95% AFUE (meets ENERGY STAR threshold for AFUE)
- In the North*, a home's primary heating and cooling systems must be either:
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- A central air conditioner ≥ 13.4 SEER2 (meets Federal Minimum Requirements for SEER2)
- OR
- A heat pump ≥ 7.8 HSPF2 and ≥ 15.2 SEER2 (meets ENERGY STAR thresholds for HSPF2 and SEER2).
- A central air conditioner ≥ 13.4 SEER2 (meets Federal Minimum Requirements for SEER2)
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- In the South**, a home's primary heating and cooling systems must be either:
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- A furnace or boiler ≥ 90% AFUE
- AND
- A central air conditioner ≥ 15.2 SEER2 (meets ENERGY STAR Requirements for SEER2)
- A furnace or boiler ≥ 90% AFUE
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- OR
- A heat pump ≥ 7.8 HSPF2 and ≥ 15.2 SEER2 (meets ENERGY STAR thresholds for HSPF2 and SEER2).
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- Testing: None required for Silver.
Versioning & updates
Pearl periodically updates its scoring to reflect codes, technology, and building-science best practices. Always consult the current gates before submitting.
*The following states are considered U.S. North: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
**The following states are considered U.S. South: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.