Decarbonizing Water Heating with Intelligent Water Heaters: Insights from Michael Rigney of Cala Systems

Hardware to Save a Planet

Residential water heating accounts for 3% of all US greenhouse gas emissions and 19% of home energy use, which means it uses a large chunk of a home's energy while adding emissions to our environment. An intelligent heat pump-based water heater is a step in the right direction on both fronts.

In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan talks with Michael Rigney, CEO and co-founder of Cala Systems, about their innovative heat pump water heater. They delve into the environmental impact of residential water heating and the need for sustainable solutions. They also discuss the challenges of finding a job at the intersection of hard tech and climate and how the current climate tech wave has opened up more opportunities in this field.

Michael is the CEO and co-founder of Cala Systems; a company focused on developing intelligent heat pump water heaters that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and optimize energy use in residential settings. With over 20 years of leadership experience in climate and energy startups, Rigney has a strong background in building products and thermal sciences.

Episode Resource

• Michael Rigney on LinkedIn
• Cala Systems Website
• 1,500,000 Kettles YouTube
• Feel Good Warmth with Cala - The World’s First Intelligent Heat Pump Water Heater
• Dylan Garrett on LinkedIn
• Synapse Website
• Hardware to Save a Planet Apple Podcasts
• Hardware to Save a Planet Spotify

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Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• A Sustainable Approach to Direct Air Capture with Noah McQueen, Head of Research & Co-Founder of Heirloom
• Innovative Waste Recycling: AI and Robotics with Areeb Malik, Co-founder of Glacier
• Developing an Environmentally-Friendly and Fish-Saving Hydropower Turbine with Abe Schneider, Co-founder and CTO of Natel Energy

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