Mission Possible: Climate Tech with Lauren Salz, Sealed

Welcome to ‘Mission Possible: Climate Tech’ with Xan Winterton, a Q&A focused on the Climate Technology Industry.

This Q&A Series will be led by our Managing Director & Head of Climate Tech, Xan Winterton. Xan will be speaking with the movers and shakers across the climate technology sector, the folks that are galvanizing change to make our planet greener, cleaner and dare I say it serener!

This week we have been in touch with Lauren Salz, Co-Founder & CEO at Sealed.

Sealed is a climate tech company on a mission to stop home energy waste by enabling contractors to install more home weatherization and electrification projects and grow their businesses.

What was the mission of Sealed when you co-founded it? 

20 percent of  US GHG emissions come from the home. We started Sealed to stop home energy waste and electrify all homes. Today, with the new IRA incentive programs beginning to take shape, there’s a historic opportunity to use those programs to accelerate progress toward our mission. Our ten years of working in the direct-to-consumer space gave us a unique opportunity to empower contractors. Through Sealed Pro, we make it easy for contractors and the homeowners they work with to access thousands of dollars in rebates and cross the “last mile” in home energy improvements and electrification. 

If you could give advice to your former self, 10 years ago, when you co-founded Sealed, what would it be?  

Nothing is ever as bad as it seems, and nothing is ever as good as it seems. Keep an even keel, push through the hard times, and don’t get too giddy during the good times.  

What do you think has prompted such a shift from a candidate perspective into wanting to join climate tech focused businesses like Sealed over the last 5 years?   

Solving the climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges of our generation and one of the biggest opportunities. People are looking for mission-driven work and ways they can make a difference. They want a way to use their talents for good, and the climate crisis is urgent. I think many people take inspiration from the transformation we’ve seen in renewables and batteries over the past few decades and want to be part of similar transformations across other critical areas that impact climate. It may never feel like the right time to make a career switch but climate tech needs all ages and levels of seniority in its workforce and there are a lot of wonderful resources and organizations out there supporting people making the switch.  

What have been some momentous technology developments or offerings that Sealed has brought to market?  

When we founded Sealed, we could never have imagined the IRA bringing so much attention and funding to solutions like heat pumps and energy efficiency. To meet this moment, we created a new offering for contractors called Sealed Pro. It’s the easy button for contractors to access rebates. Contractors use our software to figure out what rebates a homeowner is qualified for, how big those rebates are based on the energy savings, and do all of the backend paperwork to submit to the program. We also pay within 10 business days. All of this sits on top of data we’ve gathered from 10 years of working directly with homeowners on their electrification and energy efficiency projects. This lets us predict the energy savings from the projects our contractor partners are doing. 

Sealed is solving a key issue in efforts towards decarbonization; removing that barrier to entry for contractors to install climate forward technology – in spite of this, what keeps you up at night when looking at the bigger challenges we face in achieving our goal of a greener future?  

We need to change the kitchen table conversation. Historically, we know when customers need to make an upgrade they are frequently looking for the cheapest and quickest options. When contractors use rebates, the efficient systems become cheaper and easier to sell. Our goal is to help enable contractors to take advantage of these programs.  

There is a lot of work to be done. American housing is a significant portion of emissions and the majority of the housing stock is older and in need of updates. 

Growth plans for Sealed over next 5 years? (Products, headcount, geographies)  

As billions of approved dollars in IRA rebates begin to flow this year, Sealed Pro is ready to expand and unlock benefits for contractors across the United States. Our plan is to support contractors across the country, maximize the effectiveness of IRA home energy programs, and give contractors the tools to grow the home weatherization and electrification market. There is an existing market of billions in rebates spent every year by utility programs and government agencies. We are already working with some of these programs and will be expanding in that direction as well.  

Our #1 goal is to make it easy for contractors to navigate the complexities of energy rebate programs so the approved funds can be utilized and homeowners can help transition to a cleaner future. 

Outside of work – what do you do to take your mind off of things?  

Being a mother to three young children keeps me quite busy outside of work.  When I’m not with my family or working, I am working on getting back into Olympic-style weightlifting.