Tobaccowala had just sold her last startup, Gixo, to OpenFit and was looking for a new challenge. 'I saw the kids and thought, 'Let me see if there's something there on the sustainability and climate side,'' she told TechCrunch. 'There had to be something more than like turning our lights off.' 'When we talked to consumers, we heard the same thing over and over again: They get that email that says, 'Hey, you spend more money than your neighbors,'' she said. 'They were sort of stuck with what to do about it.' HomeBoost's assessment process begins by mailing customers a BoostBox, a small kit that includes an infrared camera, a blacklight and a link to an app that takes customers through the process. As people walk around their homes, the infrared camera shows them where cold (or hot) air is seeping into their homes; the blacklight tells people which lights could be upgraded. In many parts of the country, utilities offer a similar service. Utilities, which are incentivized to reduce...
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