THE HVAC STARTUP ECOSYSTEM 

 The World Needs more HVAC innovators

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Number of HVAC startups recorded

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Value of HVAC startup investment

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Projected 2033 global HVAC market size

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Country with the most startups

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The largest HVAC startup sector

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The most well-funded HVAC startup

Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are the invisible engines of our built environment, and one of the biggest drivers of global emissions, accounting for over 15% of the world’s total. As demand for comfort soars in a warming world, our current HVAC technologies are outdated, inefficient, and woefully under-innovated. That’s why a new generation of start-ups is stepping up, reimagining everything from thermodynamics and controls to installation and integration. Below is a growing list of these bold innovators, each working to revolutionise the way we heat, cool, ventilate, and decarbonise buildings around the globe. However we are rapidly cooling ourselves to a much warmer world with emissions and energy consumption anticipated to explode over the coming years, so we need more start-ups solving these problems to make HVAC systems more energy efficient, healthier, and to reduce the size of the mechanical systems that buildings require. They have been divided into 14 broad categories of innovation.

Core System Innovations
Fundamental redesigns of HVAC systems, including novel architectures and radically more efficient core systems.
Dehumidification Technologies
Specialised systems or components that remove moisture from air with higher efficiency or lower energy use.
Geothermal System Innovations
Technologies that are making the use of the earth's stable temperature for heating and cooling via ground-source systems more accessible and more economical.
HVAC-as-a-Service & Retrofit Financing
Innovative business models that provide HVAC through subscriptions, leasing, or bundled retrofit financing, or that provide custom manufactured systems to meet specific needs.
Indoor Air Quality
Solutions that enhance air purity, ventilation, and filtration to improve health, safety, and productivity, or to reduce the amount of fresh air required to reduce HVAC energy consumption.
Insulation & Building Envelope
Materials and methods to reduce thermal transfer through walls, windows, and roofs, enhancing HVAC efficiency.
Materials & Coatings
Advanced materials or surface coatings designed to improve heat transfer, durability, or resistance to corrosion in HVAC components.
Non-vapour Compression systems
Cooling methods that do not utilise traditional vapor-compression (e.g., magnetocaloric, solid-state, or thermoelectric) to eliminate the need for refrigerants.
Passive & Evaporative Cooling
Techniques that provide cooling through natural processes like airflow, shading, and water evaporation without, or with less mechanical systems.
Residential HVAC Systems
New approaches specifically targeting residential heating and cooling needs, often with a focus on cost, simplicity, ease of installation, or best utilisation of all sources of thermal energy in the home.
Sensors & Controls
Smart technologies that monitor conditions and use to enable HVAC system performance to be optimised in real-time.
Software-Driven Optimisation
AI, machine learning, or cloud-based platforms that improve system scheduling, fault detection, and predictive maintenance.
Specific Component Innovations
Breakthroughs in individual HVAC components (e.g., compressors, fans, motors) that enhance system efficiency or longevity.
Thermal Storage
Systems that store heating or cooling for later use (e.g., phase-change materials, chilled water tanks, ice banks) to reduce peak demand.
 
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  • Fundamental redesigns of HVAC systems, including novel architectures and radically more efficient core systems.

  • Specialised systems or components that remove moisture from air with higher efficiency or lower energy use.

  • Technologies that are making the use of the earth's stable temperature for heating and cooling via ground-source systems more accessible and more economical.

  • Innovative business models that provide HVAC through subscriptions, leasing, or bundled retrofit financing, or that provide custom manufactured systems to meet specific needs.

  • Solutions that enhance air purity, ventilation, and filtration to improve health, safety, and productivity, or to reduce the amount of fresh air required to reduce HVAC energy consumption.

  • Materials and methods to reduce thermal transfer through walls, windows, and roofs, enhancing HVAC efficiency.

  • Item description

  • Cooling methods that do not utilise traditional vapor-compression (e.g., magnetocaloric, solid-state, or thermoelectric) to eliminate the need for refrigerants.

  • Techniques that provide cooling through natural processes like airflow, shading, and water evaporation without, or with less mechanical systems.

  • New approaches specifically targeting residential heating and cooling needs, often with a focus on cost, simplicity, ease of installation, or best utilisation of all sources of thermal energy in the home.

  • Smart technologies that monitor conditions and use to enable HVAC system performance to be optimised in real-time.

  • AI, machine learning, or cloud-based platforms that improve system scheduling, fault detection, and predictive maintenance.

  • Breakthroughs in individual HVAC components (e.g., compressors, fans, motors) that enhance system efficiency or longevity.

  • Systems that store heating or cooling for later use (e.g., phase-change materials, chilled water tanks, ice banks) to reduce peak demand.