Embue, the first smart building platform for multifamily portfolios, today announced that it has been awarded a $335,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) InnovateMass Program to introduce peak load management solutions to a previously underserved sector: affordable multifamily housing.
Through the integration of cloud-based AI algorithms and Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology, along with a user experience specifically designed for staff and residents who may not be digital natives, this technology allows affordable housing communities to generate revenue from the grid. Additionally, it enhances electric reliability for all consumers, addressing the challenges posed by the growing variability in supply due to the rapid expansion of renewable generation.
The new peak load management solution will be installed as a simple software upgrade at three existing Embue customer sites. Those customers already use Embue’s smart building platform to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency by 25 percent or more and let their staff become 30 times more efficient on key tasks. Now, these multifamily affordable housing communities will get paid to stabilize the grid.
Partners in securing this award include Eversource, who will incorporate Embue’s peak load management solution in its ConnectedSolutions program, and three existing customers – 2Life Communities, Maloney Properties and Schochet – who will each deploy the Embue solution at one of their sites. Embue also received encouragement and support from Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), The Planning Office of Urban Affairs of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Rethinking Power Management.
Supporting comments can be viewed here.
“The goal of MassCEC’s InnovateMass Program is to help innovative companies like Embue bridge funding gaps and commercialize their climate solutions,” said Madison Zeliff, technology-to-market program manager at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. “MassCEC provides this funding because it’s imperative that we accelerate the deployment of technologies that will reduce carbon emissions, save residents money, and create more resilient homes. Thanks to this grant, affordable housing communities will be able to use Embue’s smart building platform to improve energy efficiency and generate revenue from the grid.”
“This generous support from MassCEC will enable Embue to develop technology that will benefit low income households in Massachusetts and beyond, and will deliver an important new approach for reducing the overall costs of energy,” said Robert Cooper, president and CEO of Embue. “Existing solutions either target thermostats in a single residence or large commercial building loads primarily in a manual mode. This project will optimize the operation of hundreds of thermostats and central heating and cooling equipment together in a single building and will be a major step towards a zero emissions economy.”
