CleanStart Perspectives with XeroHome

CleanStart Perspectives with XeroHome

Join us as we chat with Mudit Saxena, co-founder & CEO of XeroHome, a startup that makes it easy for homeowners to decarbonize their homes.

Our guest, Mudit Saxena, is the co-founder and CEO of XeroHome, a startup that helps homeowners and utilities transition to a low carbon future by prioritizing cost-effective, clean energy upgrades. XeroHome™ is a web platform that uses predictive modeling and data science to deliver customized home energy insights at scale.

CleanStart Perspectives are short online conversations to connect the greater Sacramento clean tech entrepreneurship community and share insights, experiences, and outlooks. Join us as we welcome our featured guests to share their perspective on what entrepreneurs and innovators can do to thrive and grow.

Register and we’ll send you the Zoom login information prior to the meeting time.

CleanStart Perspectives are recorded through Zoom.

New Horizons in the Relationship Between Ratepayers and the Utility

New Horizons in the Relationship Between Ratepayers and the Utility

If you were ever curious about the new ways utilities may be relating to their customers now and in the future, a great way to get a quick introduction is to watch the video of this outstanding discussion on the topic we did on December 3.  It was probably the most informative MeetUp we have had, and one of the most popular with 46 people attending.  If you missed it, you can view the recording on our YouTube Channel and below.

We had three outstanding speakers.  Dr. Karen Herter started things off by reviewing her experiments on getting amazing demand reductions using clever communications technology and instantaneous information on the changing prices of electricity.  She had done one experiment piggybacking a signal on  the FM broadcast of local Capital Radio.  Another used a small in-home receiver.  But that was a minor part of what she found out.  She had customers use a number of interactive thermostats and pre-cooling settings to see what those customers considered the best combination of features and ease of use.  With the best system there were astonishing cost savings and demand reduction, far more than Time of Day rates had achieved.  She is on loan to the CEC to help them devise the best strategies for applying her work.  The key she indicated was getting a much better database of rates and communication protocols with standardization so that more vendors of energy-saving equipment can rely on that information to control their devices.

Tanya Barham of the Community Energy Lab in Oregon talked about her experience, borne out of various companies she had worked for previously, in finding simple systems to apply AI control to reduce energy use and costs in schools, churches and municipal buildings.  She sees this expanding to become part of the strategy for decarbonizing buildings.  She agreed that the kind of database work Dr. Herter was doing was absolutely essential to provide wider applications of user-based demand reductions.  In her work, she was seeing a two-month payback on investments made in simple software systems and sensors to manage building energy use.  

Ryan Braas of SMUD introduced us to the SMUD Energy Store, an initiative that is showing great results in getting energy-saving devices in the hands of users through an online store.  SMUD is continuing to expand its offerings on the Store site, but one of the most popular features, Ryan said, was the “Instant Rebate”.  While utilities across the country offer rebates to customers purchasing various energy-saving devices, often a great deal of paperwork and wait time is needed to actually get the money—fill out a form, mail it in with a copy of the receipt for the device and a copy of a recent bill to verify one is a customer of the utility, wait for the request to be entered into the system at the utility and 30-60 day later a check arrives in the mail.  With the Energy Store, the rebate is taken immediately and deducted from the price of the device.  The user is already verified as a customer and the proof of purchase is inherent as a part of the process.  So bingo no wait, no extra paperwork.  This is a great example of a utility establishing an entirely new relationship with its customers, one the customers end up valuing highly.  If you are SMUD customer and haven’t visited the Energy Store you should.  Go the the Smud.org site and find it.

The three presentations were followed by a lively Q&A, and more importantly, the audience used the Chat Room function to ask questions and get answers there as well.  This is really becoming a very useful way to inform our cleantech community.  If you haven’t attended one of these monthly sessions, you really should.  We clearly are getting people far from our home territory participating, and that is making it all the better.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EYBlueTech Valley, Revrnt, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz

Momentum, College of Engineering & Computer Science at Sacramento State

CEC’s EPIC forum goes virtual

CEC’s EPIC forum goes virtual

 

The annual EPIC forum is one of the best places to hear about what the California Energy Commission is doing with its $130 million in Electric Program Investment Charge funding. Historically everyone would converge on Sacramento for a convention bringing together a diverse set of industry leaders to share best practices, learn about emerging technology, and connect about future projects and partnerships.

You can read about how 2019 and 2018 went and see how much they impacted the future.

Now it has gone online.  You can register here. They are focusing on having several break-out discussion sessions to capture that networking feeling. Join in on September 2-3 for the first virtual CEC EPIC Forum to explore strategies to achieve zero net carbon in the built environment.

The lightning talks look exciting with several of our regional companies participating. Attendees will explore exciting industry advancements, learn what challenges exist in scaling them, and opportunities California and businesses can pursue to accelerate building decarbonization across all communities. As you register you can learn more about the agenda.

California’s goal to reach carbon neutrality in the energy sector by 2045 is a challenge that brings a unique opportunity to reimagine everything. This year the EPIC forum looks at carbon neutrality in new and existing building development. Using advanced technologies, new practices in architecture and construction, enhanced load flexibility, and incorporating innovative policy and financing models, California’s innovators are developing the blueprint to create super-efficient, all-electric buildings powered primarily by onsite renewable energy and capable of supporting the larger electric grid.

The EPIC Virtual Forum features, panels, breakouts, networking, and virtual exhibits.  If that excites you and you want to join the future, register here.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, Moss Adams, River City Bank, GreenbergTraurig

BlueTech Valley, PowerSoft.biz, Revrnt, Synbyo, Califronia Mobility Center

CleanStart ToDos with Jerremy Spillman is the Co-founder and CRO at Hank.re

CleanStart ToDos with Jerremy Spillman is the Co-founder and CRO at Hank.re

Our guest Jerremy Spillman is the Co-founder and CRO at Hank, an end-to-end, AI virtual building engineer that’s forever changing how buildings are managed! Recently, the company has experienced a surge in sales from office building owners who want their systems to circulate more fresh air into workspaces because of COVID-19. CleanStart To Do’s are a short online conversation about what you can add to your To Do list while observing the COVID-19 orders to self-isolate. Join us as we interview our featured guests and ask them for their recommendations on how entrepreneurs and innovators can not only cope, but thrive, during this unprecedented time.

Check Out More:

The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

Both California and New York have declared they want people to buy only EVs starting in 2035 and more states are considering joining the push.  But that leaves the existing 276 million gasoline and diesel vehicles still on the road in the US (31 million in California)...

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD voted to approve their 2030 plan. Make sure you read the Full Plan and Connect with SMUD. Here is the full board meeting Presentation ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses,...

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

What is one of the leading threats to the spread of solar PV installations in the US?  The lack of a good way to deal with old or broken panels from existing installations.  Fifty thousand tons of these are piling up in warehouses in the absence of a better solution. ...

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EY, Stoel Rives,

Greenberg Traurig LLP, BlueTech Valley,

Buchalter, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz

College of Engineering & Computer Science

at Sacramento State

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Four Companies Demonstrate Advances in First Virtual Spotlight Pitchfest

Four Companies Demonstrate Advances in First Virtual Spotlight Pitchfest

On July 23, we had 74 participants in the virtual version of our quarterly pitchfest and they gave our four presenters a great reception.  These companies were ones we have been following for some time and have heard from them several times in the past.  They are among those that are or soon will be investment-ready.  

The overall summary is that these companies have made remarkable progress in the past year.  Three have been funded with CEC grants which have powered their progress, and one is largely self-funded.  All have gotten significant market traction.  Three were based on energy storage technologies, consistent with current investor interest in the topic.  

RePurpose Energy probably made the most gains. RePurpose is based on re-using discarded EV batteries for commercial-scale installations.   In the past year, Ryan Barr and the team have pulled-in over $3 million in funding, have a five-fold larger (1.5 MWh) storage demo moving along, and have targeted grocery stores and municipalities as their primary beachhead markets. Very noticeable was the upgrade in their pitch.  They had a simplified and very compelling one, a good example for others.

Simpl Global targets mostly residential markets with a plug-and-play product that “makes adding storage to PV simple”.  They are based on new lithium-ion batteries (in this case, lithium-iron-phosphate or LFP batteries that are much safer than others).  Their cost-saving approach is to eliminate a lot of the complications of adding storage through clever designs and novel power electronics.  They provide small boxes in 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kWh sizes that are installed in the empty space behind PV panels.  They integrate with all commercial inverters, and especially with microinverters from Enphase that have also become very popular.  CEO Farid Dibachi said they were still on course to ship their first products in August, once UL certification has been received.  Based on experience with a prior product, they expect to ship thousands of units per month.  They will have an assembly line locally doing finish assembly of components manufactured elsewhere.  They also are open to licensing their patented technology to others that would take over manufacturing entirely.   They also have added a simple electricity cost monitoring system that gives users readouts in dollars and cents rather than kilowatt-hours to make attention to savings easier in the current situation where electricity costs vary by hour.

Terzo Power manufactures a hybrid electric hydraulic drive system called HydraPulse that has gotten substantial industry interest.  Mike Terzo and his El Dorado Hills-based team have been systematically hitting all their milestones in proving their products.  After receiving $4 million in grants from the CEC and $5 million in private investment, Terzo is now poised for breakout growth.  Making hydraulic systems more energy efficient has been largely overlooked by others, so Terzo stands out.  And its results are pretty remarkable.  In a test they did on a 200-ton hydraulic press, they were able to achieve a whopping 80-96% reduction in power use, along with an 87% weight (1,829 pounds) reduction, an 86% size reduction, a 93% component count reduction, and a 41% reduction in equipment cost.  No wonder hydraulic equipment manufacturers are interested.  

Stasis Group has a “thermal battery” which stores “cold” in a phase-change material (PCM) that can reduce the use of rooftop air conditioning units on commercial buildings during peak periods, avoiding steep demand charges on the power bill.  The “cold storing battery” is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger where the tube is filled with the PDM.  It is installed in a building’s HVAC ductwork downstream from the air conditioner.  In off-peak periods, the AC runs to freeze the PCM and then the PCM releases the “cold” when the air conditioner powers down during peak periods.  Providing power at a peak use time is the most expensive thing a utility does.  And that cost is passed directly to the user more so now than ever.  The cost penalty comes through both a peak demand charge (set as the highest power draw a user makes) as well as in the kWh charge after the recent switch to time-of-use rates.  In pilot tests, Rob Morton and Nick Brown reported that peak power use in the 4-6 pm period was reduced 60%, which translates into big cost savings.  Air conditioner run-time during the 4-6 pm time was reduced 70%.  Both make a substantial reduction in the power bill.  The “battery” can be retrofit in existing buildings as well in new construction, resulting in huge market potential.  Stasis has been funded by two rounds of grants from the CEC CalSEED program, and Stasis is in the running for a third-round through the CalTestBed voucher program.  That voucher program allows a company to get its system independently tested and the performance verified by labs in California.  Stasis is also seeking additional pilot installation projects that they will install at no cost to the user to prove out the product further.

These presentations were all from companies that have been in the trenches for more than 5 years.  The demonstrate what can be done with a clear vision and persistence.  But there is also a lesson that overnight success is rare.  The best message is how crucial the startup funding through the CEC has become to getting solid teams over the difficult period of proof-of-concept and market confirmation before investors show serious interest in a company.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EY, Stoel Rives, Greenberg Traurig LLP

BlueTech Valley, Buchalter, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz

College of Engineering & Computer Science at Sacramento State