Over the past few years, technology in the sustainability space has accomplished everything from capturing carbon right from the air to taking to the skies in an electric plane.
In Massachusetts, one company is taking efficiency straight home — to your water heater, to be exact.
Cala Systems, based in Wilmington, has engineered a smart water heater capable of using electricity prices, solar production, and grid forecasts to decide when to heat water, according to CBS News.
"Water heaters are a battery for heat, and they're in everyone's home," Cala Systems founder Michael Rigney told the publication. "And that's incredibly powerful if we get it right."
Unlike standard electric heaters that generate heat directly, Cala water heaters use refrigerant coils to move heat from the air. The team noted that the process is much more efficient — three to five times more than traditional models.
The company also factors in home solar systems and the electric grid to activate the water heater when energy is cheapest and cleanest.
"Our algorithms take in this information as well as electricity prices, home solar production, to determine when it is most efficient to heat the water," explained Cala software engineer Phil Connaughton. "It is applied math in motion."
This added feature amplifies savings for homeowners with solar panels, which can cut energy costs to almost zero once installed. For those interested in solar panels, TCD's Solar Explorer can help you get started.
Cala Systems is among a growing innovation drive in the state that the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center calls the "Climate Tech Corridor."
Thanks to the region's potent combination of research institutions, manufacturing, and natural resources, companies can secure investment and talent to accelerate climate technology's progress on a global scale.
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Oven 🍲 Massachusetts' 10-year plan to expand the energy economy aims to support over 1,300 companies like Cala Systems.
MassCEC senior director Leslie Nash sees the plan not only as a roadmap for innovation but also as an initiative to create jobs and attract investment that benefits every corner of the state.
"Our job is to accelerate the clean energy and climate economy here for economic growth," they said, per CBS News.
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