S5E9: Air Conditioning As-A-Service with Dave Mackerness.

As-a-service business models align the priorities of the vendor and the customer, while also having the potential to drive sustainability and the circular economy. 

Today’s guest is Dave Mackerness, Customer Success Lead at Kaer, a firm based in Singapore that sells air conditioning as-a-service throughout Asia.

We talk to Dave about how Kaer has shifted to the as-a-service rubric and in so doing has baked sustainability and circularity into their business model while driving their profits higher at the same time!

Dave talks about the history of the firm and the different models they have adopted over the decades, and how they decided to put all the data they have gathered to a different use after drawing inspiration from the world of SaaS.

Dave discusses what this looks like in real terms, explaining how Kaer installs air cooling systems in the buildings of their clients and sells them cool air, rather than the systems themselves.

This approach has allowed Kaer to use data to build more efficient systems, saving them money to invest in technology that further optimizes their infrastructure. It also shifts the burden of sustainability onto Kaer’s shoulders rather than those of the client. This drives higher profit while saving a huge amount of energy too.

We also talk to Dave about incorporating data science and machine learning into their cooling systems and the benefits this presents as well as concerns it raises.

Another big takeaway is about the possibilities the as-a-service business model presents to companies becoming more disruptive.

Tune in for this fascinating conversation about circularity and the world of as-a-service today!