> I would love to hear your ideas, experiences, and feedback on any and all of the above!
1. Why would direct sale be regarded as a plus? I *need* a certified contractor to do the install for the warranty anyway, so instead of buying heat pump install I now have to buy heat pump and search for contractor separately?
Even if this is somehow totally DIY-able device, I still need a contractor to do yearly service anyway. At the same time you would be targeting a population of DIYers with fully integrated product. Those are not really compatible. Whoever is doing product-market fit at your company should really reconsider their bubble.
2. Regarding thermostat, WTF. Per room thermostats are only useful if you can control individual circuits. I have never seen a residential ductwork with circuit control. You tune diffusers and forget. Now, even if you could control per circuit energy flow (which is usually a property of floor heating), in any modern house you would be looking at something like 2 degree difference between zero and max rooms at something like -15C outside. Look at offerings from e.g. Danfoss.
3. Claimed temperature gradients are weird. Are we talking about air source pumps? Modern R32 pumps barely handle -25C outside at MAYBE 1.0 CoP, but manage to heat DHW up to 50-60.
4. Brand. As far as I can understand you are considering building your own units? Do you have proven track record of intimate understanding of metallurgy and design behind modern scroll compressors? Your track record of working at Tesla does not inspire confidence. And even if it did, why would I buy your compressor instead of buying a product from trusted Daikin/Panasonic/Nibe? Not only I know that they make good (performant and reliable) products, but I can trust them more to exist when I need spare parts.
5. > While we don't have any physical prototypes at the moment, we have the industrial design and also largely understand how this will be built. The core technology risk is quite low.
Well... You do not have neither proven prototype nor proven process. And yet you already take preorders. This definitely does not inspire confidence that you intend to ship the best product possible. Sorry if that sounds harsh. Show me your pump achieving at least 1.0 CoP at -25 outside, at least +30 supply at minimum 70% of nominal power.
6. Your value proposition seems to be better integration between heating unit, thermostats and HRV. What are your plans to support wider ecosystem? This sounds like a major lock-in requirement for the whole HVAC system.
1. Why would direct sale be regarded as a plus? I *need* a certified contractor to do the install for the warranty anyway, so instead of buying heat pump install I now have to buy heat pump and search for contractor separately? Even if this is somehow totally DIY-able device, I still need a contractor to do yearly service anyway. At the same time you would be targeting a population of DIYers with fully integrated product. Those are not really compatible. Whoever is doing product-market fit at your company should really reconsider their bubble.
2. Regarding thermostat, WTF. Per room thermostats are only useful if you can control individual circuits. I have never seen a residential ductwork with circuit control. You tune diffusers and forget. Now, even if you could control per circuit energy flow (which is usually a property of floor heating), in any modern house you would be looking at something like 2 degree difference between zero and max rooms at something like -15C outside. Look at offerings from e.g. Danfoss.
3. Claimed temperature gradients are weird. Are we talking about air source pumps? Modern R32 pumps barely handle -25C outside at MAYBE 1.0 CoP, but manage to heat DHW up to 50-60.
4. Brand. As far as I can understand you are considering building your own units? Do you have proven track record of intimate understanding of metallurgy and design behind modern scroll compressors? Your track record of working at Tesla does not inspire confidence. And even if it did, why would I buy your compressor instead of buying a product from trusted Daikin/Panasonic/Nibe? Not only I know that they make good (performant and reliable) products, but I can trust them more to exist when I need spare parts.
5. > While we don't have any physical prototypes at the moment, we have the industrial design and also largely understand how this will be built. The core technology risk is quite low.
Well... You do not have neither proven prototype nor proven process. And yet you already take preorders. This definitely does not inspire confidence that you intend to ship the best product possible. Sorry if that sounds harsh. Show me your pump achieving at least 1.0 CoP at -25 outside, at least +30 supply at minimum 70% of nominal power.
6. Your value proposition seems to be better integration between heating unit, thermostats and HRV. What are your plans to support wider ecosystem? This sounds like a major lock-in requirement for the whole HVAC system.