Everybody in the Pool

E124: Disaster Recovery Gets a Tech Upgrade with Tessi

Three million homes are damaged by natural disasters in the US every year — and with a billion-dollar storm hitting roughly every ten days, that number is only growing. But the system for repairing affected homes is stuck in the past, with mountains of paperwork, fragmented funding, and rampant fraud leaving vulnerable homeowners stranded.This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly sits down with Susan Hunt Stevens, the founder and CEO of Tessi, a platform working to fix what she calls the “broken post-disaster home repair system.” Tessi brings homeowners, vetted contractors, insurers, government programs, and other funders onto a single platform that uses AI-driven damage assessments to quickly evaluate a home in the wake of a disaster.We talk about:How Tessi uses AI and aerial imagery to generate damage assessments within 24 hoursHow the surge in natural disasters has made homeowners increasingly vulnerable to contractor fraudWhy only 4% of homeowners affected by flooding and hurricanes are actually covered by insuranceHow homeowners can use disaster repair as an opportunity to implement climate-adaptive upgradesTessi’s role in a complicated ecosystem where any repair might be funded by a patchwork of insurance, personal savings, home equity loans, government aid, and even GoFundMeHow Tessi is partnering with volunteer disaster relief organizations to serve socially vulnerable homeowners who fall outside the paid systemTessi’s goal of serving 1 million homes within 5 yearsLinks:Tessi: https://tessi.ai/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E123: Why Adaptation Is Unavoidable (And Investable)

The impacts of climate change are hitting the world everywhere, all at once — making climate adaptation more urgent than ever before.This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re flipping the script on climate adaption; no longer viewing it as a funding gap, but as an investment opportunity that could bring lots of types of finance to the table for returns and impact. Niall Murphy, co-founder and managing partner of Morphosis, sits down with Molly to discuss how the world can scale solutions for an already-changing climate, and why the private sector needs to get involved in the new “adaptation economy.”We talk about:What living beyond 1.5 degrees means for adaptationHow 90% of adaptation funding is currently public money, and why that can’t scale to meet the demandThe case for viewing climate impacts as emerging markets and investment opportunitiesWhy insurers’ panic is actually the tipping point we’ve been waiting forReal examples of commercially viable adaptation solutions, from solar-filtering polymers to micro-scale desalinationThe policy gaps that are holding back deploymentHow Morphosis aggregates capital to deploy solutions where they're needed mostLinks:Morphosis: https://www.morphosis.solutions/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E122: Better cooking (and grids) with Copper

This week on Everybody in the Pool, another sexy gadget that doubles as a grid asset! We take a field trip to the Berkeley headquarters of Copper, which is reimagining the humble stove as a powerful tool for decarbonization. Their flagship product, Charlie, is a 30-inch induction range with a built-in battery that allows for plug-and-play installation, precise cooking, and the potential to support grid stability.We talk about: How a battery in a stove can reduce the need for electrical infrastructure upgradesThe magic of induction cooking - safety, precision, and efficiencyIncentive programs making electrification more accessibleThe potential for appliances to become grid interactive assetsCopper’s vision for scaling electrification across housingBonus: their in-house chef loves it, too.Links:Copper: https://www.copper.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E121: Making heat pumps sexy with Quilt

Heat pumps are having a moment. Last year, the U.S. passed China to become the world's number one market for heat pumps—and they're not slowing down. But while heat pumps are efficient and effective on paper, they haven't always been objects of desire. Until now.This week, Molly talks to Paul Lambert, CEO and co-founder of Quilt, about building a heat pump company that's equal parts climate solution and consumer product. Paul explains how his team is reimagining the mini-split heat pump—not just as an HVAC system, but as a piece of technology you're proud to have on your wall.We dive into:How heat pumps work: Why an AC is basically "a half-broken heat pump" that only runs in one directionThe two types of heat pumps: Ducted systems vs. ductless mini-splits, and why room-by-room control is a game-changerDesign as climate strategy: How Quilt spent half their initial capital on a domain name and invested heavily in industrial design to create pull, not just policy pushThe installer advantage: Why partnering with contractors (instead of doing it all in-house) unlocked national scaleSmart grid integration: How Quilt's internet-connected system enables demand response without sacrificing comfort—curtailing load in empty rooms while keeping occupied spaces perfectThe data center opportunity: How replacing electric resistance heating with heat pumps near data centers can free up 75% of the energy load—without building new generation capacityWhy incentives help but aren't required: 60% of America is primarily cooling-driven, and heat pumps are just better air conditionersPricing reality: Quilt is competitive with high-end Japanese mini-splits, not luxury-priced like early Nest thermostats or TeslasThe personal mission: How Paul's Alberta roots in the fossil fuel industry and his commitment to his kids' future drove him to climate techKey insight: Space heating and cooling represent half of all home energy use and 70% of fossil fuel consumption in homes—making HVAC the single biggest lever for decarbonizing buildings.Links:Quilt: https://quilt.comFind a Quilt installer: https://quilt.com (click "Find an Installer")All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E120: Panama Bartholomy and taking pollution out of buildings

Buildings account for a third of America's greenhouse gas emissions, yet until recently, we've been flatlined on progress. That's changing—fast. This week, Molly talks to Panama Bartholomy, founder of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, about how an unlikely alliance of utilities, manufacturers, installers, and nonprofits is transforming the way we heat, cool, and power our homes.Panama explains how finding 80% common ground among competitors created unstoppable momentum—and how the U.S. just became the global leader in heat pump sales for the fourth year running.We dive into:The coalition model: How businesses, government, and nonprofits work together through "shuttle diplomacy"Why buildings matter: They represent ~33% of U.S. emissions and are the largest source of air pollution in California's worst air basinsThe heat pump revolution: How the U.S. went from third place to global leader in just five years—heat pumps now outsell furnacesThe gas infrastructure trap: Why we're spending $50 billion annually on aging pipes while gas bills rise twice as fast as electric ratesNeighborhood-scale solutions: How utilities are offering $35,000 checks to electrify entire neighborhoods instead of replacing gas pipelines"Stove Gate" as a paradigm shift: How controversy over gas stove safety created "sticky facts" that changed public perceptionWhat "pollution" means: Why language matters—moving from "decarbonization" to a term everyone understandsThe path forward: Why installers are the real heroes, and what political will looks like in actionKey stat: Space heating and water heating represent 90% of building emissions—and heat pumps can do both jobs 2-4x more efficiently than gas?Links:Building Decarbonization Coalition: https://www.buildingdecarb.org/BDC's 2025 Wrapped Report: https://buildingdecarb.org/2025-wrapped-decarb-editionAll episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/Visit our sponsor, Climatize, and get $50 in investment credits when you create a profile! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.