In 2022, California aimed for 6 million heat pumps by 2030 but has only installed about 2.3 million so far. The goal is ambitious, requiring an average of 2,000 daily installations over the next five years.

Mary-Ann Rau, co-founder and CEO of Merino Energy, seeks to change this by simplifying the installation process. Her company’s Merino Mono costs $3,800, including a one-hour installation that requires only two wall holes for air flow.

The Mono is Wi-Fi connected, can sense room occupancy, and coordinates with other units in the house for efficient heating or cooling. Rau hopes this simplicity will accelerate adoption of green technology.

“If we can reduce the amount of time and complexity of installing a heat pump, then we can scale adoption,” she said. The company is currently working on low-income developments like the Civic Center Apartments in Richmond, California.

Moving all components indoors makes installation simpler but sacrifices some efficiency. However, for urban apartments and dense areas, the streamlined design may be more practical. Merino plans to expand to states like Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.