Spotlight: Thalo Labs

Turning Cities from Polluters Into Climate Solutions

The urban landscape is hiding a surprising climate culprit in plain sight: buildings. In major cities like New York, up to 70% of greenhouse gas emissions come from heating and cooling buildings, not cars as you might imagine. Thalo Labs , founded by Brendan Hermalyn , is tackling this overlooked source of climate change with an end-to-end system that measures emissions in real-time, pinpoints ways to boost efficiency, and can even remove anything remaining with small, modular direct air capture units that enable targeted carbon capture right onsite.

Measuring the True Impact of Buildings

The building sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, with 28% coming from heating, cooling, and power. "Buildings today are like cars from the 1970s: inefficient, in need of constant maintenance, and significant polluters," explains Brendan. Most building operators have no idea how much energy they're wasting or emissions they're producing. Thalo Labs is changing that with their advanced sensor systems and real-time data analysis.?

In one Midtown skyscraper, Thalo's system uncovered a leak equivalent to 38,000 metric tons of CO2 per year—as much as many large buildings emit annually. Just as modern cars have evolved to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, Thalo Labs is helping building operators, particularly Fortune 500 companies managing extensive real estate portfolios, optimize their systems and identify where strategic improvements can be made. However, efficiency is just the start. By solving what Brendan calls 'the data layer problem,' building owners can modernize their assets for peak performance.

Turning Buildings into Climate Solutions

While efficiency gains can significantly reduce bills and emissions for building operators, Thalo Labs envisions a future where we have a class of high-performance buildings that have gone beyond operational efficiency and are doing more than just conserving energy and reducing polluting emissions; they actively improve the environment inside and out.

Thalo Labs integrates indoor direct air capture with their sensor systems, proactively removing CO2 from indoor air where levels are more concentrated. This approach improves the working environment and helps buildings progress toward Net-Zero or even Net Negative goals. For older buildings where full retrofits are expensive or impractical due to space constraints, Thalo's system offers a realistic solution. By removing emissions directly onsite, it helps building operators meet sustainability goals within their financial and physical limitations, avoiding costly renovations or reliance on carbon markets.

As cities implement stricter emissions regulations, Thalo's approach is gaining traction. Their technology not only helps buildings meet new standards but can also help streamline reporting and compliance. The company shares that it has captured and prevented a total of 80,000 tons of carbon dioxide to date using its direct air capture systems, quietly becoming one of the largest carbon removal operations in urban environments.

Brendan Explains Why Measuring Building Emissions is Crucial

Brendan Shares Thalo's Vision for Getting Buildings to Net Zero