Pearl Home Certification Report : simplebooklet.com

CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 Special Performance Features of This Home Information below based on Michigan data from the National Renewable Energy Lab Attic Insulation Top 38 of MI homes This home s attic is well insulated which means lower utility bills and greater comfort particularly in rooms located directly under the attic Good attic insulation also protects against excessive heat loss in winter that can cause roof damage from snow melt Wall Insulation Top 32 of MI homes Homes with above average wall insulation are more energy efficient and they are also quieter The additional insulation acts as a sound as well as a temperature barrier Conditioned basement Top 16 of MI homes with a conditioned basement Foundation insulation is a significant benefit for keeping heating costs down Up to 50 of heat loss comes from an uninsulated and conditioned basement in an otherwise wellsealed and insulated home This home s basement is however very well insulated Attic Hatch Very Well insulated This home s attic hatch has been insulated Attic hatches are often the weakest link in a home s attic insulation and can disproportionately impact a home s heat loss and heat gain If an uninsulated attic hatch represents only 1 of an attic s surface area it can decrease the attic s overall R value by 27 Rim Joist Insulation Very Well Insulated The rim joist is the outside perimeter of the floor system and can often be overlooked when insulating and air sealing a home Quality homes are insulated along the rim joist like this one Air Sealing Top 3 of MI homes This home s air tightness has been tested using special diagnostic equipment The home s air tightness meets many modern energy codes and as a result will be more comfortable and less drafty A well sealed home will also help manage humidity prevent dust and limit entry points for insects Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page 2

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 Special Performance Features of This Home Windows High efficiency rating Double pane argon filled low E windows like the ones in this home are better insulated and better at stopping heat transfer than regular single or double pane windows Low E windows have a special coating that protects fabrics from the fading effects of UV light while keeping the home warmer in winter and cooler in summer Forced Air Ducts In conditioned space This home s ductwork is inside conditioned space a big benefit for the lifetime of its systems Installing ductwork in unconditioned space is bad building practice as it not only wastes energy but also makes an expensive heating and cooling equipment work harder to cool the home causing it to fail sooner Gas Furnace Energy Efficient This home s heating equipment is very efficient It saves the homeowner money during cold winter months while providing comfort The furnace also has a safer venting system preventing dangerous combustion gases from entering into living spaces Water Heater High Efficiency Water heating accounts for about 18 of a home s energy use This home has a very efficient water heater offering significant savings The water heater also has a safer venting system preventing dangerous combustion gases from entering into living spaces Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page 3

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 About Pearl Certification Pearl Certification is a national firm that provides third party certification of high performing homes homes with performance assets that make them healthy safe comfortable energy and water efficient Pearl s certification system enables home buyers to see and understand the value of a home s highperforming assets when the home is sold Research from across the U S shows that third party home performance certifications like Pearl s add an average of 4 to the sale price of high performing homes compared to similar homes lacking these assets Pearl is the only private certification firm to sponsor the U S Department of Energy s prestigious Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program Pearl is a National Association of Realtors NAR REach Accelerator company The Science Behind Pearl Certification Pearl s certification system is based on building science It was developed in consultation with national experts on energy efficiency and home performance and with technical assistance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL This system is approved for use in the Department of Energy s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program Pearl s certification system takes into account how well an asset like insulation or a cooling system was installed It also takes into account tools that allow a homeowner to view understand and improve their home s performance For more information on Pearl s Certification please email us at cs pearlcertification com or visit our website at www pearlcertification com PEARL S PARTNERS Pearl works in partnership with the U S Department of Energy and many of the nation s leading real estate appraisal contracting and building science organizations Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page 4

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 OVERVIEW OF PEARL CERTIFICATION SYSTEM Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 Pearl certifies a home s performance assets such as insulation heating and cooling lighting appliances smart home devices and solar energy Building Shell The building shell consists of the roof and attic exterior walls windows doors and basement or crawlspace These assets provide an air moisture and thermal barrier that separates the inside from the outside Attic Wall Rim Joist Floors Foundation Windows Doors Air Sealing Roofs Heating and Cooling A home s heating and cooling systems include furnaces air conditioners and heat pumps This equipment heats and cools air water or steam The ducts or pipes that circulate the air water or steam through the home are also a part of the heating and cooling system Cooling Heating Heat Pump Distribution System Baseload A home s baseload includes devices that run year round not just in the heating or cooling season Water heaters refrigerators dishwashers clothes washers lighting and other features contribute to a home s baseload Ventilation Water Heating Clothes Dryer System Dish Washer Clothes Washer Refrigerators Lighting Pool Pumps Home Management A home s management assets include smart devices that control heating and cooling systems lighting and other technologies dashboards that provide information about energy use and plans for improving the home s performance assets Controls Planning Solar Batteries and Electric Vehicle Readiness Solar panels batteries and electric vehicle charging Pearl certifies if a home is pre wired for these high performing assets or has them installed Our system captures critical information needed for appraisers Pearl points are not awarded for these assets Solar Photovoltaic Solar Inverter Electric Vehicle Ready Home Batteries Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page 5

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 HOME ASSET DETAILS Platinum Level This Home Average Home Home Management 244 177 150 This home will have a My Home Profile account This account gives the owner a tool to understand manage maintain and improve the home s performance The My Home Profile account access is expected in 2019 Interested in learning more Please visit yourhomeprofile com Homeowners wanting to make smart home improvements choose to work with a Pearl Network Contractor who can that can add value to their property use Pearl s certification create a Home Investment Plan with more specific advice on for guidance Descriptions of upgrades relevant to this home what home performance assets should be considered for can be found in its My Home Profile as well as general upgrade or replacement information on expense and complexity Suggested improvements lower energy or water costs and increase comfort and indoor air quality Homeowners may also For more information on Pearl s certification email at cs pearlcertification com or visit our website www pearlcertification com Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page 13

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 Appendix A Appraisal Institute s Green and Energy Efficiency Appraisal Addendum Instructions to homeowner or listing agent High performance features can add significant value to a home Recent studies have indicated that improvements such as air sealing and insulation high efficiency heating and cooling systems and other green and energy efficient features can add 3 9 onto a home s value if verified by a third party A home may be appraised for different reasons Mortgage refinance To discontinue mortgage insurance if the home s value has increased enough the homeowner may have sufficient equity in the home to no longer need insurance Immediately prior to selling a home to assist in pricing the home As part of the home sale process to meet the buyer s lending requirements Pearl Certification has an AI REPORTS License Agreement with the Appraisal Institute The following appendix can be provided to an appraiser to assist him or her in valuing the home As stated in the Addendum The objective of this Addendum is to standardize the communication of the high performing features of residential properties Identifying the features not found on the 1004 form provides a basis for comparable selection and analysis of the features Builders contractors homeowners and third party verifiers are encouraged to complete this Addendum and present to appraisers agents lenders and homeowners The Appraisal Institute makes no representations warranties or guarantees as to and assumes no responsibility for the data analysis or work product provided by the individual appraiser s or any other individual in the specific contents of the AI Reports Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 Appendix B Glossary of Terms AFUE It s important to choose an energy efficient ENERGY STAR rated heating system with a high annual fuel utilization efficiency AFUE rating The higher the AFUE the more efficient your new heater will be The AFUE rating is determined by taking the amount of fuel the furnace will use in a year and comparing that to the amount of heat generated by the furnace An older furnace that has a 70 rating uses 70 of its fuel to make heat A newer gas fired furnaces are required to have a minimum AFUE rating of 80 An ENERGY STAR rated furnace will have an AFUE of 90 or higher ACH50 This term is a measurement of a home s leakiness and it refers to Air Changes per Hour ACH ACH means the number of times a home exchanges its volume of indoor air with the outside Contractors use a blower door test for leakiness and do so at a negative pressure of 50 pascals hence energy auditors record the value as ACH50 If an average home has a 15 ACH50 it means the home will exchange its entire volume of air 15 times an hour with the outside Very efficient and well sealed homes can be as low as 1 ACH50 AC This term is short hand for air conditioner which is a piece of equipment that can generate cool air to make your home comfortable in warmer months Heat pumps a central AC mini spits and window units are kinds of air conditioners Blower Door Test Professional contractors use a blower test to determine a home s leakiness or conversely its air tightness To perform the test requires a large fan that pulls air from the house to create negative pressure and a special instrument called a manometer that reads the number of air exchanges your home has under industry standard conditions for testing CAZ Test The term CAZ stands for Combustion Appliance Zone and it is a series of tests contractors perform on gas fueled equipment furnace stove or water heater for your safety They will test the appliances for gas leaks spillage draft and carbon monoxide backdrafting when the home is under what s known as worst case conditions e g with the dryer bathroom and oven exhaust fans running If one or more of the appliances fail the test your contractor will recommend how to solve for the apparent health and safety issue CFL Compact fluorescent lightbulbs CFLs are more energy efficient than older incandescent lightbulbs they do not add additional heat to a room and they last longer too Conditioned Space Rooms in your home which are insulated and heated or cooled by equipment are known as conditioned space Conditioned space can include an attic or basement as well as other common living spaces like bedrooms bathrooms and your kitchen Cooling Load This term refers to what percentage of the total use or load does a particular cooling unit and its associated duct system provide to the home For example if the home has a central air conditioner that provides cool air to the main portion of the home and a window unit that provides cool air to an addition the cooling load would be a certain percentage split between them Duct Sealing CFM Ducts are the tubes which connect your heating and cooling equipment to the floor or ceiling registers which allow the conditioned air into a room Unfortunately most homes have leaky ducts which waste a significant amount of energy and can cause comfort mold and mildew issues Ducts should be sealed where they are connected or joined together and they are tested based on the amount of leakage out of the ducts or air infiltrating coming into the ducts The duct sealing cfm is a measurement of the efficiency of your ductwork Ductless System Some heating and cooling equipment does not require ducts such as radiant floor or radiator heat and window air conditioning units They are known as ductless systems Efficiency Factor The efficiency factor of a water heater sometimes referred to as the energy factor describes a water heater s overall energy efficiency based on the amount of hot water it produces per unit of fuel consumed during a typical day The water heater s efficiency factor is measured by its energy factor The higher the number the more efficient the water heater is Electric water heaters with an EF of 93 or greater and gas water heaters with an EF of 62 or greater will be 10 more efficient than thestandard 40 gallon water heater Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page B 1

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 Energy Management System Energy Management Systems have been around for commercial properties for some time but new technologies have made them applicable and affordable for homeowners to use as well Energy management is really a process whereby you monitor and control the home s energy usage with an eye towards conserving it Typically a Home Energy Management System will include some hardware device as well as software to analyze the data the device picks up from the home s equipment These systems differ from simpler monitoring devices in that with them the homeowner can also control features of their home such as thermostat temperature and lighting remotely through a website or phone app They can also provide a report of the home s overall energy performance by analyzing the data they monitor Energy Monitoring System In contrast to an energy management system and energy monitoring system includes devices which help a homeowner see and track energy usage for individual devices or for heating and cooling systems They measure energy use but do not manage it EPA Bypass Checklist This term refers to a checklist created for ENERGY STAR homes that looks at a list of building details where thermal bypass or the movement of heat around or through insulation occurs due to gaps between the air barrier an insulation If an insulation is installed according this checklist and can be documented you are assured to receive the full benefit of that insulation s efficiency ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR is federal program overseen by the federal government s Environmental Protection Agency It was designed to encourage greater energy efficiency and bill savings for homeowners through a certified labeling system on appliances and new homes This program has saved billions of dollars for property owners since its launch in more than 20 years ago Filtration This term refers to the filters which are fitted to a home s heating and cooling equipment A filter s basic function is to protect the longevity of the equipment by protecting it from dust and other airborne particles Some filters are also designed to improve the indoor air for occupants as well removing pet dander pollen and other impurities from the air passing through the home s ventilation system Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 installed Furnaces central air conditioners and heat pumps are all examples of forced air systems Heating Load This term refers to what percentage of the total use or load does a particular heating unit and its associated duct system provide to the home For example if the home has a furnace that provides heat to the first level and a heat pump that provides heat to the second level the heating load would be a certain percentage split between them HEPA Filter To be classified as a High Efficiency Particulate Air HEPA filter a filter must meet the Department of Energy standard of removing a minimum of 99 7 of pollen and other particles from the air HEPA filters can be especially effective in mitigating allergies and asthma triggered by indoor air pollutants HSPF This terms stands for Heat Seasonal Performance Factor and it is used to measure a heat pump s efficiency It measures the total heating output as compared to the total amount of energy used during the same period to create that heat The higher the HSPF the more efficient the unit An ENERGY STAR unit must have an HSPF of an 8 or higher Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Similar to the ENERGY STAR program for new homes and appliances Home Performance with ENERGY STAR is a federal program designed to help homeowners of existing homes save money on their utility bills Administered by the national Department of Energy DOE it is run by DOE approved sponsors who pre qualify contractors for participation perform independent quality assurance inspections and issue a certificate of completion at the conclusion of qualifying projects Hydronic System You are probably familiar with hot water radiators often found in older buildings these are examples of a hydronic heating system Some newer homes incorporate these systems which can be glycol water or electric into the slab foundation or under tile floors LED A Light Emitting Diode or LED is a special semiconductor device which emits light when electricity is passed through it LEDs have a fuller light spectrum than CFLs can turn on immediately and their costs have come down dramatically in the past three years LEDs are very energy efficient and depending on the manufacturer and application they can last for decades Forced Air System Any home that relies on ducts and vents to move heated or cooled air around has a forced air system Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page B 2

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CERTIFIED 7956 Autumn Woods Dr SE Ada MI 49301 8727 MERV The Minimum Efficiency Rating Value or MERV of an air filter tells you how effective that filter is at removing indoor air pollutants from a home s ventilation system MERV filters can be almost as effective as a HEPA filter and they can be installed in more applications MERV Typical controlled contaminant 1 4 Pollen dust mites cockroach debris sanding dust spray paint dust textile fibers carpet fibers 5 8 Mold spores dust mite debris cat and dog dander dusting aids 9 12 Legionella Humidifier dust Lead dust Milled flour Auto emission particulates Nebulizer droplets 13 16 Bacteria droplet nuclei sneeze cooking oil most smoke and insecticide dust most face powder most paint pigments Mini Split Mini splits are a kind of heat pump or air conditioner and they are often used in remodels or retrofits where adding ducts is impractical or impossible Mini splits are small and can be zoned for individual rooms Multistage Compressor A multistage compressor provides many benefits over a single stage compressor in an air conditioning unit With a single stage compressor the system is either on or off and when it is on it is functioning at 100 of its capacity A multistage compressor is on more often but functions at around 80 of its capacity which actually save energy and money in the long run It also means less temperature spikes and greater comfort for the home s occupants Non Programmable Thermostat A thermostat is used to sense the temperature of the room and will turn on and off the heating or cooling equipment to reach the desired temperature setting Although they are the least costly thermostat non programmable thermostats are imprecise compared to programmable or wi fi thermostats and they provide the homeowner with only one option for controlling over their temperature setting to manually change it Photovoltaics This terms applies to solar power generation and solar panels A photovoltaic converts solar energy from the sun into a stream of electrons that provides power for buildings and devices Certified on February 06 2020 Pearl Gold Certificate Pearl Score 864 Programmable Thermostat A thermostat is used to sense the temperature of the room and based on how it is programmed it will turn on and off the heating or cooling equipment to reach the desired temperature setting Programmable thermostats can have many settings set points ones for weekday and weekends ones for when the house is unoccupied due travel and even daily settings timed according to when you re asleep awake away at work etc Programmable thermostats can save homeowners money by not running heating and cooling equipment at times or temperatures when not needed R Value R value indicates how well an insulative material resists heat flow and the higher the R value the better it insulates RESNET Installation Grade This grading system applies to insulation installs and it lowers the operative R value for insulation installs which are poorly done Missing areas compressed insulation and voids all lower the performance of insulation and lower the grading of it as well Rim Joist This component of your home is critical to air leakage and it is the perimeter joist often referred to as the sill plate when it lies between the foundation and the walls It is one of the first places a contractor will go to apply insulating foam to reduce air leakage Smart Thermostat This device functions like a regular thermostat in that it controls the home s heating and cooling equipment However it is also learning thermostat the software learns the preferences of the occupants based upon adjustments occupants make over time and it automatically adjusts the temperature for comfort and energy bills savings In addition they can be controlled remotely by phone apps and other desktop software SEER This terms stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and it measures the efficiency of a central air conditioner The higher the SEER number the more efficiently the unit will operate all season long It is similar to the HSPF but applies to cooling An ENERGY STAR heat pump or air conditioner must have a SEER of 14 or higher U Factor U factor is a rating of how well the window insulates Generally the numbers range from 25 1 0 The lower the value the better it insulates Pearl Home Certification Report pearlcertification com registry Page B 3

Pearl Home Certification Report

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