EDITORIAL: Have you heard about Quilt?

The Quilt team includes alumni from Google, Apple, Nest, and Tesla, with their product aiming to provide sustainable HVAC solutions connected to your smartphone. (Photo: Quilt)

Sometimes companies come along that seek to disrupt the status quo, change the way business is done and provide a customer experience that makes people appreciate the simplicity of its products. I think of Apple, and specifically the iPhone: the product is a global success making Apple among the most admired and valuable companies ever.

Google owns the search business. It made the user experience easy, and now when you want to find something, you Google it. Tesla introduced its electric vehicles and looks after the selling and aftercare, cutting out the middleman and working directly with its customers – a streamlined process.

Well, I’m not going to say this next company is going to be anywhere near the category of these industry giants, but in mid-May a new “smart home-climate solution company” out of California held its official launch via livestream.

Called Quilt, the company creates what it calls “home climate systems designed to move humanity off fossil fuels.” Driven by the decarbonization movement, the Quilt team includes people from Google, Apple, Nest, and Tesla, and their aim is to install stylish heat pumps outside and fashionable ductless air handlers inside homes, all controlled by smart thermostats connected to your mobile phone.

And like the titans of industry, their vision is to control the whole ecosystem, from planning to installing, monitoring and aftercare, they’ll look after it all.

In mid-April Quilt received a US$33 million round of funding, financed by environmentally minded venture capital companies as well as Drew Scott of Property Brothers fame.

It’s very early days for this new outfit. They are starting out in the San Francisco area, to be followed by Los Angeles, and then new markets across the U.S. But its wait list could expand into Canada.

Quilt’s end-user services span planning, installing, monitoring and aftercare. (Photo: Quilt)

More than a product manufacturer or reseller, Quilt is offering full customer service. On its website it makes the four-step process sound very user friendly:

1. Reserve your system with a fully refundable down payment.

2. Consult with an advisor who will determine system needs and even search for rebates.

3. Meet the installation team and get the units installed.

4. One point of contact, any questions or concerns are just one click or call away.

Other details on the website include pricing. Remember, this is in the U.S., but they state the system is fully installed for US$6,499 per room (before any rebates or incentives they find on your behalf).

So, what’s the big deal? Well, it seems like the home heating/cooling market could be facing some disruption, so it’s probably a good idea to be aware of what’s out there and how it could affect where you do business.

Is this a threat today? No. And who knows if this business model will ever work. I just think that if you’re not working on making your customer experience as seamless and transparent as possible, just know there is a company out there trying its best — with the latest technology available — to build a platform that is.

Property Brother, Drew Scott, believes. Only time will tell if it ever pays off.