591–600 of 809 posts
I saw a comment about demand response below. You don't opt your residential hvac into demand response unless you want to freeze. Juice is not worth the squeeze.
Existing established companies offer centrally ducted heat pumps. You can purchase them direct, and are even sold by your big box home improvement stores. (search for "ducted heat pump) They are generally contractor only as homeowners generally can't DIY the 240v electrical and lineset hookup. What exactly is being improved upon by your startup?
A few major improvements - (1) Purchasing experience, we'll connect you with a local contractor, arrange financing and help with rebates. (2) HEPA filtration, fresh air intake and humidity control fully integrated into the system, actuated off PM2.5 and CO2 sensors in the thermostat. (3) A smart thermostat that is optimized for operation with a variable speed heat pump, and reduces your monthly bills. (4) Help for th…
I have family that works as HVAC techs for both residential and commercial. I also used to work at the shop but did other stuff primarily. Here's my question though: it states as a direct to consumer sales route. However the pricing includes installation. I don't know of any contractors that would be willing to do a customer supplied part installation for something like a heat pump. I also know that if they did do it…
I understand the confusion around the install. The process for homeowners won't be fend for yourself and twist a contractor's arm to do an install, Electric Air will have local contractors that we connect you with.
The place I used to work had inventory on hand and so they could do your service now. Most people dont fix something that isn't broken. Meaning, if their existing system works, they won't replace it just because. So what this also means is that speed and time of delivery is very important. If your heat or cooling has broken and it's necessary, and you want to replace it, you're going to want to do it asap. So it needs to be on hand for contractors to have ready to go. Furnaces don't break in the summer when they're not being used.
If you have contractor deals, you're going to have to provide some incentive for them to use these things. Because contractors are inclined to charge the most amount of money for the thing that's easiest for them to install.
I am biased because I worked at a shop whose selling point was "we'll do it now when everyone else will book you two weeks out" and when you're talking about things like water, heat, and to an extent sewage, the value of time increases significantly.
UV lights as an extra disinfectant inside the furnace around the filter would look heckin' smart
You'd need programmable vents for that.
Really makes you question the authority that YCombinator carries in the startup space.
I gotta say, most of the Launch HNs I witness do not seem to be addressing meaningful, valuable gaps in the market, except perhaps in the spreadsheet view...
The value prop on this is unbelievable. I've been trying to get an affordable whole home heat pump system for over a year now. You've explained the problem space, the solution, and why your background is relevant, extremely well. Kudos. I put a preorder in. Minor nit: the grey on white on your preorder page is practically unreadable for my eyes.
> a delightfully uniform temperature in each room. You'd need programmable vents for that.