If you’ve ever been close to our shop in Warrendale, chances are you passed or have passed the Tesla dealership off of Route 19.
The sleek and modern building is pretty cool. However, it’s not the building that is really interesting. It’s the vehicles inside the building. Although we’re not really electric car guys/gals, some of Tesla’s mechanical capabilities and luxurious features are downright impressive.
So what does Tesla have to do with HVAC?
Well…Elon Musk might be entering the HVAC industry. In our opinion, contractors, distributors, and even manufacturers should be excited about that. To say the co-founder and CEO of Tesla Inc. is a superior entrepreneur would be a vast understatement. In addition to Tesla, he co-founded the electronic payment firm PayPal and founded the spacecraft company SpaceX.
The disruption Elon Musk has caused in the auto industry and in human space exploration is truly a sight to behold. Whether you like Musk or not, the guy is doing some pretty cool things.
How It Started
The talk about Musk getting into the HVAC space started in March when he was discussing Tesla’s new Model Y SUV on Twitter. He confirmed that his company could make use of their current heat pump technology to develop a smart HVAC system for home use.
Fast forward to September and Musk still had HVAC on his mind — and, of course, let the world know via Twitter.
“We will make super-efficient home HVAC and HEPA filters one day,” read the tweet from his official Twitter account.
Then he spoke again about HVAC at the company’s 2020 Annual Shareholders Meeting and Battery Day event. During the question and answer period, a member of the audience asked Musk about his intentions for thermal management systems for homes.
“Oh, you mean home HVAC,” Musk said. “That’s a pet project that I’d love to get going on — maybe we’ll start working on that next year. I just think you could really make a way better home HVAC system that’s really quiet and super energy efficient, has a way better filter for particles, and it works very reliably.”
He added, “We have actually already done a massive amount of the work necessary for a really kick-ass home HVAC.”
Musk proposed stacking the units depending on the size of the house and how much capacity is needed. His final thoughts on the matter crossed between ideas and brainstorming as he said, “You just have a very compelling, super-efficient HVAC that could also communicate with the car. It will know when you are coming home. The pack can communicate with the car and just really dial it into when you actually need cooling and heating. It would be great.”
We think it is fair to say someone like Elon Musk does not spend a lot of time and energy talking about a project that will not come to fruition. So the HVAC industry should be planning for Musk to be in the HVAC space. We believe that is good news for the entire industry. Manufacturers such as Mitsubishi Electric and American Standard are already producing cutting edge units that have smart capabilities and are vastly more efficient than ever before. Adding a Tesla product into the fold will only push the envelope even further into what is possible.
However, what Musk doesn’t quite grasp is HVAC is not like a car or a television, where people start to think about getting a new one just because they have had the previous one for a while. Most people are not wondering what new technologies have changed since their air conditioner was installed.
(We do, of course, and you should too! Schedule a free consultation and we’d be happy to geek out over the latest and greatest in HVAC tech.)
Can Elon Musk change the current dogma? Perhaps. Nest certainly did. When the Nest thermostat was launched in 2011, the mainstream public did not have thermostats on the top of their minds. But Tony Fadell, who had most recently helped design the iPod (remember those?), designed a cutting-edge thermostat that started showing up in the Apple Store, Best Buy, and a bunch of other places. Sure, many brands of thermostats are commonplace in Best Buy now — but they were not back then.
Hopefully, Musk can do that for the home HVAC system. Not have it show up in more retail stores … we do not need more DIY installations. No, but rather, introduce all the incredible technology that is now available in an air conditioner or furnace and continue to push other manufacturers to continue to create better products. Which, by the way, is a tall task.
Will he produce a better product? Nobody knows. However, if it means more homeowners are going to be thinking about their HVAC system before it breaks, it is a win for the industry and a win for customers all over the world.
About Spurk HVAC
Spurk HVAC was formed in 2018 and is located in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. We proudly serve Cranberry Twp., Wexford, Gibsonia, Mars, and the surrounding areas. We are an American Standard Customer Care Dealer and a Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor.
We service all makes and models. Please contact us if you are seeking heating repair, heating system replacement, air conditioner repair, air conditioning maintenance, air conditioning replacement, or any other heating & cooling services. Whether you are looking for residential or commercial HVAC services, we look forward to any and all opportunities to become your preferred HVAC contractor.
