The Cool Down

Installing solar panels is one of the best decisions you can make — but truth be told, the solar industry has more than a few bad actors and plenty of shady customer experiences. TCD's co-founder Anna Robertson chatted with Andrew Sendy, the founder of SolarReviews, to learn how the company gives customers a built-in level of trust as the "Reddit of solar reviews." "The solar industry is a weird industry in that it attracts both the best and the worst," Sendy said.? ? So for over a decade,?SolarReviews?has been creating the largest collection of unbiased, verified reviews from real people about solar companies. It also connects homeowners with trusted solar installers in their area. "There are a lot of companies we don't [recommend] because they're scumbags." ??? Here's the full story: https://lnkd.in/epENGnMP #solar #climatesolutions #innovation ?? P.S. We're excited to welcome SolarReviews as part of our growing Marketplace program (think of it like the customer acquisition engine?of the?clean economy) because we believe in the service the SolarReviews team is creating. DM us if you're ready to learn more.

?? "We're now at the point where it's no longer science fiction, but science fact." That's Nikhil Goel, COO of Archer, who I sat down with recently to talk about when we'll start seeing electric air taxis whisking people from airports in cities across America. The answer: over the next year. Their four-person taxi, "Midnight," is currently doing test flights in California daily -- it travels up to 150 mph and is 100 times quieter than a helicopter -- without the pollution. At launch the price he told me the price would be similar to an UberBlack, with the goal of getting closer to an UberX cost. "What's really exciting is this is no longer The Jetsons ... it's no longer flying cars or Back to the Future," Goel told me. "These are going to be very quickly in a place where we can fly them in cities with passengers." Are you excited about eVTOLs? Let me know in the comments ?? And read more of my interview with Nikhil on The Cool Down: https://lnkd.in/gWbmrRmR #livideo #evtol #electrictaxi #EV #Electric #climate #aviation #helicopter

↗? As a recent essay in the The Wall Street Journal put it: "The Clean Energy Revolution is Unstoppable." And here's a practical, anecdotal example from a recent look through offerings in Costco Wholesale's catalogue reaching mainstream America: ? Jackery 5000 Plus Whole Home Backup Kit: "When there's a blackout, have confidence your household will stay online." ?? Electric vehicle chargers for your home on sale, including the Battery Tender? by Deltran plus a feature on #EVs and Costco's "EV Marketplace" program to help people make informed decisions about buying an EV ?? A feature on solar lighting as "an effective and environmentally friendly way of illuminating your yard." ?? A feature called "Less waste, more tasty meals: Delicious uses for leftover seafood." ?? Ads for Greenworks portable power tools and two different home composters. ?? A feature on #HVAC systems including a recommendation to explore electric pumps from Lennox: "Electric heat pumps significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to natural gas boilers, and could also save you money on your regular utility bills." Consumers and corporations have a big part to play in how fast the cooler, cleaner future arrives -- it's on the way. (And side note: I am a big Costco shopper and fan, but I / The Cool Down have no official partnership (sadly). WSJ story here: https://lnkd.in/gnVC2wmJ #cleanenergy #cleanfuture #clean #climate #climatesolutions #foodwaste #heatpumps

?? Cool tech alert: Meet the Pebble Flow, the fully #electric RV that's re-imagining your next roadtrip. We chatted with Pebble's Stefan Solyom and he gave us a tour inside the ultra-modern setup — which includes an #induction stove, rooftop #solar, and a 45-kWh battery. See for yourself ??

?? ? Amazing opp from our Marketplace partner Zero Homes! Free heat pump water heaters (yes you read that right). For all our Denver-based readers, this is the sign you've been waiting for. Heat pump water heaters are 2-3x more efficient than traditional units — meaning upgrading could save you up to $550 every year [https://lnkd.in/eW4RUCvw]. Zero Homes is offering you one for free — gotta love those local Denver incentives — so snag yours by March 12.

How do you get more and more households to adopt solar tech? Remove the high upfront cost and offer solar leases instead. Recently we covered Palmetto's new leasing program that comes with pricing peace of mind: "We are guaranteeing that the customer is going to?save money?when they lease with us," Palmetto's Nathan Healy told The Cool Down. Healy also reported that the company's new leasing program is exploding in popularity — with an average of 300 households in 30 states signing up every day. Get the full story here ??

?? Dozens of quote walk-throughs, 4-hour waiting windows, wildly different estimates — home improvement projects like installing a heat pump or induction stove can come with a lot of headaches and unseen expenses. Zero Homes aims to iron out those wrinkles by offering users a "remote quote" right from their phone. "Our goal is to have the first time someone comes over to your home to be a functional visit and they're replacing the appliance at that point," Grant Gunnison, CEO of Zero Homes, told The Cool Down. Here's how the whole process works: ?? Users complete a home "audit" in the app, spending ~30 min scanning their house with their phone so that proprietary software can create a 3D model of their appliances, electrical panel, and even the exterior of the house. ?? Then users sit down with their virtual adviser to chat about the goals and challenges of their electrification upgrades. ?? From there, users receive their free, full design quote from the Zero Homes team via email that's unique to their setup. ? When users are ready to dive into a project, ZH facilitates the whole process — from installation to final inspection — to make it as seamless as possible. If that sounds like a lot moving parts for one company, it is. But the team's specialty is "complexity coordination," as Grant told us. ### ??? Residents in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Minnesota can access Zero Homes' first-of-its-kind software and complete experience. "My hope is that by the end of this year, we're probably able to serve folks in more than a dozen states," Grant said. ### ?? Get the full story here: https://lnkd.in/eCawfrWy #electrification #climatesolutions #innovation

Great convo with TCD co-founder Anna Robertson and Jordan Schenck at Flashfood on how to find optimism, agency, and hope in the current moment. ?? Love to see it!

?? What if your business model is too good to be true? "That's the problem for us," said Cliff Bernstein, chief marketing officer at Arbor. If someone sees an ad highlighting how they can save hundreds of dollars on their electricity bill, it might seem like a scam.?In reality, Arbor is simply one of the first companies that has?successfully figured out how to navigate the fine print of the electricity market?(read: super complex) and find customers a better rate not just upfront but over time. And with?energy prices rising?thanks to inflation and other factors, any way to reduce usage and?save money?is increasingly important for consumers. Here's how it works: - renters & homeowners in states with a "deregulated" energy market upload a photo of a recent energy bill - Arbor dives into the weeds to find the cheapest energy?*supplier* all while keeping the user's utility?*provider* the same - there are no interruptions in service and many customers save?nearly $600 every year ?? When the team pinpoints a better price, the customer?saves money?through the new energy supplier and Arbor gets paid a referral fee from that supplier. ?? Get the full interview with Arbor's CEO Andrew Meyer and CMO Cliff Bernstein here: https://lnkd.in/eQQmXuGi #energysavings #climatesolutions #innovation

????? As NBA All-Star weekend gets underway, The Cool Down is proud to partner with NBA Cares and Rewiring America to make it easier for fans to save money and live healthier, more comfortable lives by going #electric. Millions of American are making home upgrades like switching to an induction stove, installing a heat pump, or choosing an electric vehicle because of the financial and health benefits: ?? Lower energy bills ?? Better air quality in your home and community ?? Time savings (induction boils twice as fast as gas) ?? A more comfortable home Our guide will be featured this weekend at an IRL event hosted by Rewiring America and on the jumbotron to help give fans more information: https://lnkd.in/grk7HNQn A big thanks to our great partners at the National Basketball Association (NBA) (Annie Horn & Madison Kane), our friends at RA (Sarah Lazarovic!), and of course Dave Finocchio and Ryan Alberti for bringing this all to life. ?? #electrification #electrify #heatpump #sports #sustainability #electric