Technology

XeroHome™ first acquires data about homes from several publicly available data sources, such as property assessment data, building permits, and 3D GIS data. We then assemble and interpret this data, supplementing it with reasoned assumptions to automatically develop detailed energy models using U.S. DOE’s definitive EnergyPlus™ simulation engine as our foundation.

• We require no inputs based on site observations to build energy models and the entire process is designed to be fully automated. Thousands of individual home energy models can be developed at the scale of a city or large region.

• Analysis from these models provides homeowners, customized recommendation for which energy upgrades work best for their own homes. We recognize the high level of uncertainty that exists in these recommendation, by referring to these as initial or “white level” recommendations. At this level, speed and scalability are given priority over accuracy of individual model inputs.

• Through XeroHome’s web app, a homeowner can access their home’s “white-level” energy upgrade recommendations, using just their home address.

Users can then incrementally increase accuracy and reduce the uncertainty in their home’s recommendations.

• Through its interactive web-based user interface, XeroHome provides homeowners and professional energy auditors a means to enter actual site observations.

• These inputs replace most of the assumed inputs in the home’s energy model, and as a result, uncertainty around the initial “white level” analysis decreases.

• Using principles of gamification, homeowners are given the objective to improve their home’s data through a progressive colored badge system. The colors indicate increasing level of accuracy – going from an initial “white badge”, to “green badge”, to ultimately a “blue badge” analysis. To achieve a “blue badge” would require detailed data on multiple inputs, that will likely require a professional energy audit in most homes.