# Decarbonizing Heating and Housing Spaces: A Conversation with Jane Melia, Co-Founder and CEO of Harvest

- Show: [Hardware to Save a Planet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet)
- Published: 2023-08-03
- Length: 45m
- Episode: 32
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found
- Listen: https://podcasts.fame.so/e/vnwrvp68-jane-melia-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces

## Summary

Dr. Jane Melia, Co-Founder and CEO of Harvest Thermal, explains how their system decarbonizes home heating by combining a heat pump with a thermal battery to shift energy use to times of high solar availability. She details the 'Harvest Pod' control unit, which manages the heat pump, tank, and distribution to optimize for cost and emissions, achieving up to 90% carbon reduction compared to gas. Melia discusses the company's journey from a personal prototype in 2018 to commercial deployment, highlighting partnerships with contractors and BlocPower, and the importance of load shifting for grid stability.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=3) Introduction: Jane Melia and Harvest Thermal
- [2:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=124) The Problem with Standard Heat Pumps and the Duck Curve
- [5:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=308) Melia's Journey and the Origin of Harvest Thermal
- [9:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=557) How the Harvest System Works: Heat Pump and Thermal Battery
- [16:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=998) Retrofitting Homes and Full System Swap-Outs
- [22:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=1348) Incentives, IRA, and Grid Services
- [29:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=1776) The Harvest Pod: Hardware and Control Logic
- [37:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found#t=2224) Autonomous Operation, AI, and Future Expansion

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Harvest Thermal (company)
- Soul Focus (company)
- Enna Vault (company)
- Solar Junction (company)
- BlocPower (company)
- Earth Grid (company)
- Harvest Pod (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Andrei Klochko: Reversible Heat Pumps, Decarbonization, and Earth vs Mars | Hard Tech Podcast #6](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-06-14-andrei-klochko-reversible-heat-pumps-decarbonization-and-earth-vs-mars-hard-tech) (Hard Tech Podcast)
- [138. How Thermal Batteries Will Scale Sustainable Energy ☀️🔋](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-09-05-138-how-thermal-batteries-will-scale-sustainable-energy) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Reinvesting in our cities with renewable energy with Donnel Baird of BlocPower (2022)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-22-reinvesting-in-our-cities-with-renewable-energy-with-donnel-baird-of-blocpower-2) (How I Built This)
- [Solving the conundrum of industrial heat](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-12-08-solving-the-conundrum-of-industrial-heat) (Catalyst)
- [HIBT Lab! BlocPower: Donnel Baird](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-07-hibt-lab-blocpower-donnel-baird) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-03-decarbonizing-heating-and-housing-spaces-a-conversation-with-jane-melia-co-found. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Hardware to Save a Planet.