Ex Apple engineer creates heat pumps that look set to halve costs in response to ridiculous $40,000 quote

A former Apple engineer has founded a new startup after being left ‘shocked’ by the prices of heat pumps, and coming up with a smart solution.

In recent years, there’s been a big move towards becoming more energy efficient, with some folks even fitting their own DIY solar balconies. 

And it’s easy to see why; not only is being more energy efficient better for the environment, but it can also save you money on your bills. 

One simple way to cut costs and make your home a little greener is to invest in a heat pump, and startup Merino Energy is hoping to make it more affordable. 

The former Apple engineer’s company creates heat pumps that are much quicker to install

Around five years ago, Apple engineer Mary Ann Rau decided to ditch fossil fuels and use electricity to power her home. 

Like many others, she got herself some solar panels and even switched her gas-powered car for an EV. 

However, when she looked into switching from her old HVAC to a more modern and efficient heat pump, she was left reeling by the price. 

“When it came to heat pumps, I was shocked when I got a quote for $40,000 to install heat pumps in my own house,” she recently told Fast Company. 

While most of us would either swallow the cost or opt against getting a heat pump fitted, Rau decided to see if she could tackle the problem herself. 

She set up Merino Energy alongside co-founder Brad Hall, and the company now creates heat pumps that take an hour or less to install and cost just $3,800 per unit. 

In real terms, this means someone wanting to kit out their whole house with a heat pump would be paying around half of a typical installation. 

And those who want to fit a single unit in just one room would be looking at around a third of the average cost.

It can be integrated with smart home tech

As well as being cheaper and easier to install, Merino Energy’s heat pumps look a lot sleeker than others you might have seen on the market, which should be no surprise given Rau used to work on AirPod design at Apple.

“It’s designed to blend into your home, like a modern artefact,” she said. 

It’s also designed to work along with smart home tech, like Google Home and Apple HomeKit, as well as wearables, such as the Oura Ring.

 “There are clinical studies that show that you can improve sleep quality and sleep efficiency by reducing temperature by several degrees when you’re in REM,” Rau told the publication.

“So if you choose to integrate your Oura Ring with our product, then you will get the benefit of automatic temperature control based off of your sleep cycle.”