847: The Startup Disrupting HVAC Like Tesla Disrupted Cars | Stephen Lake of Jetson

Heat pumps are the EVs of HVAC—so why aren’t we all using them?

Stephen Lake, a highly successful engineer turned climate-tech entrepreneur, is here to explain why heating and cooling is the most overlooked piece of the decarbonization puzzle.

After selling his last company to Google, Stephen founded Jetson to tackle one of the biggest—and slowest-moving—sectors of home energy: HVAC. From cold-weather performance to noise, he busts the myths about heat pumps and outlines why they haven’t hit mass adoption in North America.

Spoiler: it’s not the tech. It’s everything else—price, friction, contractors, complexity.

Expect a crash course in sector disruption, including Jetson’s decision to build everything in-house and cut install costs by half through full-stack operations. If Tesla built HVAC, it’d look like this.

🔹 What makes heat pumps 300% efficient (and why it’s not magic)

🔹 The hidden friction points that stall heat pump adoption

🔹 Why cold-climate performance is no longer a dealbreaker

🔹 Lessons from scaling a vertically integrated climate tech startup

If you’ve ever wondered why heat pumps haven’t gone mainstream—or whether it should be part of your electrification journey—this is a conversation you can’t miss.

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