4 ms·

Show HN: My Startup Is Taking on Tesla in Home Energy Storage

3 points by traviswingo 11y ago

Amir6 11y ago
Good Luck! A couple of suggestions: -I would like to see more pricing statistics on how much you can save by using these devices and how long it takes for such device to pay for itself. -Even how you can make money by selling electricity to grid (your neighbors) at peak hours and make money if your house hold does not use all the energy stored.
brudgers 11y ago
The mention of Tesla might register with an investor {maybe postively, maybe not}, but taking on Tesla isn't an imaginary problem for me as I imagine myself as an imaginary end user. At best, mentioning Tesla gives me the imaginary problem of having to evaluate and compare and choose between ElectricIQ and Tesla product lines. The optimization on pitching to investors is also present in: We help homeowners effectively, efficiently and intelligently save money with renewable energy. I mean, at the level I make a purchase decision, I make it beacuse I identify as me not as a member of the abstract class Homeowners. Going further, I'm not making a purchase to help save money. I'm making it to actually save money. Or maybe I'm buying it to express my values relative to some aspect of the electrical grid...since it works with the solar panels I already have. And since I already have solar panels, odds are I had some contractor install them and that's probably who (or someone like them) I will call to have the system modified if I'm cautious around electrical current. So maybe solar system installers and electricians are an alternative point of sale over consumers, in which case the pitch is "PowerIQ helps you profit from helping your customers save money." My gut is that for the mass market construction industry, the brand of battery is going to be about as relevant as the brand of circuit breaker box or solar panel. Batteries are going to be mostly commodity with a few exceptions for aspirational brands. Good luck.

3 points by traviswingo 11y ago

Amir6 11y ago

Good Luck! A couple of suggestions: -I would like to see more pricing statistics on how much you can save by using these devices and how long it takes for such device to pay for itself. -Even how you can make money by selling electricity to grid (your neighbors) at peak hours and make money if your house hold does not use all the energy stored.

brudgers 11y ago

The mention of Tesla might register with an investor {maybe postively, maybe not}, but taking on Tesla isn't an imaginary problem for me as I imagine myself as an imaginary end user. At best, mentioning Tesla gives me the imaginary problem of having to evaluate and compare and choose between ElectricIQ and Tesla product lines. The optimization on pitching to investors is also present in: We help homeowners effectively, efficiently and intelligently save money with renewable energy. I mean, at the level I make a purchase decision, I make it beacuse I identify as me not as a member of the abstract class Homeowners. Going further, I'm not making a purchase to help save money. I'm making it to actually save money. Or maybe I'm buying it to express my values relative to some aspect of the electrical grid...since it works with the solar panels I already have. And since I already have solar panels, odds are I had some contractor install them and that's probably who (or someone like them) I will call to have the system modified if I'm cautious around electrical current. So maybe solar system installers and electricians are an alternative point of sale over consumers, in which case the pitch is "PowerIQ helps you profit from helping your customers save money." My gut is that for the mass market construction industry, the brand of battery is going to be about as relevant as the brand of circuit breaker box or solar panel. Batteries are going to be mostly commodity with a few exceptions for aspirational brands. Good luck.