New York City and others like it are filled with old buildings that are for the most part fine, except they’re not all that comfortable to live in. Built in an era when massive boilers were cutting edge technology, the buildings are usually too hot or too cold, but seldom just right.
A string of companies are trying to rectify that using clever horseshoe-shaped heat pumps. Superficially, they’re similar to window air conditioners, except they don’t block the view and they can heat as well as cool.
Gradient makes one of those heat pumps, but now it’s adding a twist: in multifamily buildings, it can link every one of its window units together. The startup shared exclusive details about the new Nexus software and service with TechCrunch.
“Multifamily buildings are an ignored sector,” Vince Romanin, chief technology officer at Gradient, told TechCrunch. “It’s a place where we can do better for the user.”
The startup is mostly targeting old buildings that need HVAC upgrades. Gradient has worked with the New York City Housing Authority to install its heat pumps in public housing, and it ran a pilot in Tracy, California, in a newer two-story affordable housing complex. It’s also talking with colleges and universities, many of which have dorms that weren’t built with hot autumn weather in mind.
Old buildings often have one electric meter, which can tempt residents into overusing their heating or air conditioning. Nexus gives some control back to building managers. They can set guardrails to prevent people from overusing the heat or AC — either intentionally or otherwise — while still allowing them to be comfortable. In one instance, a building manager set the heating limit at 78˚ F, and the next d …