For those who want solar panels, the question is usually: “How much?” For heat pumps, this is “How big is it?” Answering these questions usually requires a contractor to step onto your property.
However, over the past decade, solar installers have pruned this time-consuming process in large quantities. Some, like Teslacompletely eliminated it. The secret is software – when it is combined with a range of data sources, the installer can accurately model how many panels a house needs.
Like many other solar installers palm There is its own internal tool to evaluate potential projects based on the software it acquires It bought Mapdwellsolar mapping starts.
However, as the residential solar market slows growth, the company has begun to address other electrification projects, including backup batteries and heat pumps. Software for developing products in houses that are not accessible to satellite images for these products is very tricky.
So Palmetto started collecting data to develop Virtual View In every residential building in the United States. Michael Bratsafolis, president of energy intelligence at Palmetto, told TechCrunch that the company “basically simulates digital twins in the entire U.S. residential building inventory.”
The company’s tools rely on public and private data. Where there is no exact information, its AI uses clues to infer what might be lurking on the wall. For example, a house built in the 1950s might have used 2×4 wood on the exterior walls, limiting the amount of insulation that can be installed inside.
“This technology can break down a house into 60 types and different characteristics and attributes,” Bratsafolis said.
To validate the model, Palmetto could turn to data that has been collected or is being rented from a company on a home where solar panels are rented.
“This allows us to anonymize and use real information and data about the house to compare the performance of the model and further help train the model,” he said.
Palmetto also decided Open the tool To external developers, Bratsafolis’s move was inspired by his time at Twilio.
“I came from a developer motion, a microservices approach that provides API artifacts to enhance the capabilities of partners and developers,” he said.
The developer gets 500 calls for free every month and has 5 cents per call thereafter. For larger customers, Bratsafolis said the company is willing to negotiate special pricing.
Bratsifolis said he hopes developers can build tools to speed up the electrification of U.S. construction inventory, and Palmetto will get some early clues about where the market is moving forward: “You don’t necessarily have to know what this use case might be. With API products, you’ll get incredible insights into demand and markets.”
