Embue Awarded $335,000 Grant from MassCEC’s InnovateMass Program to Deploy Groundbreaking Energy Cost Reduction Solution for Affordable Housing
Peak Load Management Solution to Reduce Load on the Grid, Create Revenue for Affordable Communities on the Hottest and Coldest Days of the Year
Worcester, Mass. – August 7, 2024 – 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.
Comments of support 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.”
About InnovateMass
The InnovateMass program provides up to $350,000 in grant funding and technical support to applicant teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with a strong potential for commercialization. Successful applicants will propose projects that address important energy challenges within our four focus areas, help to grow the state’s clean energy economy, and contribute to Massachusetts’ continued clean energy leadership.
About Embue
Embue is the first and only smart building platform for multifamily portfolios that provides whole building intelligence, automation and control to give owners and managers visibility and control of every apartment, common space and piece of equipment in the building. Embue provides end-to-end insight and control of the entire property, monitoring for resident discomfort and harmful conditions, like water leaks and high humidity, and makes the property more efficient to manage through a dashboard that provides control, automation and insight property-wide. With Embue, apartment buildings can become 25%+ more energy and carbon efficient and staff 30X more efficient on key tasks. Embue is installed or under contract in nearly 8,000 units at major national portfolios, with a rapidly growing footprint in 10 states and is headquartered in Worcester, Mass.