Sealed acquires sensor startup InfiSense to fuel energy-saving services • toptecheasy.com

Sealed built a business around predicting energy use and getting homeowners to ditch fossil fuels. So, of course, the company’s first acquisition is a startup that tracks energy on a granular level.

Sealed did not disclose the terms of the deal, but said in a pronunciation that boasting InfiSense of Burlington, Vermont, it would help “reduce home energy waste.”

Headquartered in Manhattan, Sealed finances and oversees electrification upgrades, such as replacing oil or gas heaters with electric heat pumps and insulation. Removing fossil fuels from homes can lower energy bills, reduce household emissions and improve your health. You may have seen this topic in the news recently because possible stove regulations are now the latest flashpoint in one culture war over clean energy.

Until then, InfiSense’s sensors and software monitor air quality in addition to building energy use, and Sealed plans to share this type of air quality data with customers at a later date.

Sealed is unique in pre-covering installation and weather influences. Instead, it charges a flat fee based on how much energy the machine learning algorithms predict homeowners will save over time. If Sealed underestimates a home’s energy use, it cuts costs — hence the need to tighten those predictions.

The “lifeblood of our company is our ability to predict people’s energy use over time, and that depends on good access to data,” said co-founder and CEO Lauren Salz in a conversation with toptecheasy.com. Currently, Sealed’s algorithms rely on monthly energy data from utilities, but bUsing InfiSense gives it “access to a deeper level of customer data,” Salz said.

Sealed plans to install InfiSense’s sensors in some customers’ homes, but Salz said they won’t need it. The data Sealed collects will support its predictions and allow curious customers to take a closer look at their energy use and air quality.