Question 1

If I live somewhere that doesn’t have an installer, how will my boiler get installed?

Accepted Answer

Hi Meg - thanks for asking! I'll start with this: installing RenewaBoiler is not complicated, and can be done by anybody that can install a traditional gas or oil boiler (along with an electrician). So, if a customer wants our product but we don't yet have an installer in their area, we will find one. Ideally this will be via recommendation -- from the customer, or an installer in our existing network, or local advocacy groups that work on heat pumps. But sometimes we may have to just do a Go...

Question 2

1) What are the current, major engineering hurdles to overcome?What will it take to get from hand building beta products to producing the first 50-100 units? 2) What will it take to get from hand building beta products to producing the first 50-100 units? 3) Maybe it's too soo...

Accepted Answer

Thanks for the great questions Brian! 1) The biggest tasks remaining are to a) source/develop an onboard inverter to drive the compressor, b) implement a solution to ensure refrigerant coming back to the compressor is always several degrees above its boiling point, and c) develop a production-quality electronics board. 2) "Beta" products will be substantially production-like, so (nearly) all the parts, etc. will be identical. The biggest difference for actual production will be having a repea...

Question 3

1. What are the current GTM strategies to get in front of SFH owners? 2. Is this or could this ever be used for buildings that are > 4 units? 3. Are there any competitors beyond expensive heat pump conversions and gas boilers?

Accepted Answer

Hi Tameron - thanks for the questions! 1) To start, we are going to market with a B2C strategy focused on early adopters. We've been having success with Google Ads and SEO (targeting e.g. "heat pump for radiators"). As we get closer to product release, we will do more digital marketing towards green/climate-focused consumers, and also traditional media advertising in select markets. 2) Potentially. Multiple RenewaBoilers operated in parallel can serve mid-rise multifamily buildings up to ~10k...

Question 4

Hi Joseph, I definitely see the need for this product! I have a few questions for you: 1. How has progress been on the outstanding engineering questions -- onboard inverter, refrigerant temperature, and electronics board? 2. Will you still do beta installations this/next year ...

Accepted Answer

Hi Rebecca - thanks for your questions! Here are answers: 1) Since the first transfer from this campaign cleared about a month ago, I have been actively working on the new prototype version, including the onboard inverter & electronics and mechanical design updates regarding temperatures. I don't have any results to share yet; I expect it will be at least another month (perhaps two). 2) We certainly intend to, and given the funding we've raised so far I think it should be possible. 3) Suc...

Question 5

What's the BTU equivalent? For example, my combi domestic hot water / baseboard heating boiler is 175,000 BTUs. What's the energy efficiency curve look like at temperatures below 0F? Is there a temperature where this heat pump turns off?

Accepted Answer

Hi Todd - great question. Nearly every boiler currently installed in the field has far more capacity than the home needs. And usually by a factor of 2-3x! So when we consider a heat pump to install we can go much smaller. The heat pumps we intend to sell range from 32-96,000 BTU/hr. I don't know details of your particular home, but in general a 175,000 BTU/hr boiler would be about right for a modern home of ~10k sq ft or an old home of ~6k sq ft. But I see them all the time installed in much ...

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