Quilt’s Software Update Revolutionizes Heat Pumps, Boosting Capacities by 20%

In an industry where technological advancements are slowly but surely being recognized, the potential of software is being maximized in some sectors more than others.

From consumer electronics to automobiles, consumers have come to expect that updates to existing products can enhance their overall functionality. However, outside these two domains, over-the-air updates are yet to become common practice.

This trend might be set to change, with a surprising product leading the charge: heat pumps. Last week, heat pump startup Quilt announced the deployment of an over-the-air update for heat pumps already installed in customers’ homes. This wasn’t just a routine fix; the new software and firmware significantly boosted the units’ heating and cooling capacities by more than 20%.

“From the outset, we intended to design systems capable of continuous improvement through over-the-air updates,” stated Quilt CEO Paul Lambert. “This pattern has gained significant traction in electric vehicles, but no one had yet applied it to HVAC.”

Lambert further added, “We believe we’ve created software-defined HVAC.”

In the realm of heat pumps, and indeed HVAC systems as a whole, updates are typically only carried out when there’s a problem. However, many on Quilt’s team hail from companies like Nest, Google, Apple, and Tesla, where frequent updates are standard practice. Isaac McQuillen, the engineer who spearheaded the capacity increase project, was most recently with Lucid Motors, managing heating and cooling for both passengers and batteries.

The team at Quilt received feedback suggesting that a higher maximum operating capacity would be beneficial for some customers, particularly those with larger living spaces or open floor plans. Upon investigation, they discovered that their heat pumps had more potential than previously thought.

Quilt had incorporated more advanced and high-quality sensors in its heat pumps than is common in residential HVAC systems, including additional pressure sensors and higher accuracy temperature and current sensors. This data was crucial to the project.

Once they realized they could increase the units’ capacities, they tested the new parameters on internal units to validate both performance and reliability. Quilt’s updates included both software and firmware that runs on the main processor and microcontrollers scattered throughout the indoor and outdoor units.

Initially, the outdoor portion of a Quilt heat pump provided up to 19,700 BTUs of cooling per hour and 20,500 BTUs of heating per hour. Post-update, cooling and heating figures have risen to 24,000 BTUs per hour and 25,200 BTUs per hour, respectively.

While the new ratings do not affect the units’ efficiency, they do enable them to better withstand extreme temperatures.

The benefits of over-the-air updating come at a cost. It was only possible due to the use of higher quality sensors, closer data monitoring, and network equipment for update reception. This added slightly to the total bill of materials, according to Quilt’s CEO. However, the company believes that the advantages far outweigh the costs.

“There’s an initial cost associated with the sensors, but we believe there’s so much value to be gained from that extra data that it was worth integrating them,” said McQuillen.

The challenge, as Lambert put it, “is knowing how to build all the integration around it with the software and all the systems working together.”

Additionally, Quilt can now cater to a broader customer base without having to design and market an entirely new model, making for a win-win situation.