Seed Funding: Clemson University Startup CarbonCents Targets Building Energy Use Monitoring

CarbonCents Inc., a Clemson University sustainability startup, has received approval from the SC Launch Inc. board for a $250,000 convertible note.

CarbonCents develops cloud-based software that allows customers to measure and analyze a building’s power, temperature, water usage, indoor air quality, and occupancy in a utility data system. This data is then used to create an energy usage index that helps organizations plan and achieve their sustainability goals. SC Launch Inc. is the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA). 

CarbonCents was founded by CEO Tim Howard, facility solutions manager at the Clemson University Watt Family Innovation Center, and Snowil Lopes, director for technology and research at the Clemson University Energy Visualization and Analytics Center (CEVAC).

CarbonCents' goal is to commercialize a CEVAC platform they developed in collaboration with Drs. David White, research associate for Analytics and GIS at the Clemson University Watt Family Innovation Center, and Carl Ehrett, research data scientist at the Clemson University Watt Family Innovation Center.

In a prepared statement about the funding, Howard said: “What we had in mind when starting CarbonCents was to help entities reduce their carbon footprint and, in turn, reduce their costs. Our state-of-the-art innovation provides those insights organizations need while helping them create healthier working environments. We thank the SCRA and SC Launch Inc. teams for supporting our mission.”

Building Management Systems: Market Forecast, Business Milestones

Demand for building management systems appears appears to be surging. Spending on building management systems is expected to reach $19.25 billion in 2023, up from $6.65 billion in 2016. That's a 16.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period, according to MarketsAndMarkets. Increasing demand for energy-efficient and eco-friendly buildings -- integrated with IoT (Internet of Things) remote monitoring technologies -- has been driving the growth, the research said.

Among the 2023 milestones to note so far:

• Delta demonstrated an ecosystem of IoT-based Smart Green Solutions capable of “enhancing energy conservation, productivity, security and indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings and cities,” the company said. The platform can transform HVAC, LED lighting and other building platforms into intelligent, eco-friendly and human-centric infrastructure, Delta asserted.
• Schneider Electric increasingly promotes such software platforms EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Connected Room Solutions, and EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert to “help simplify and speed-up access to data that is essential to manage energy use, help reduce carbon emissions, and enhance building value.
• Siemens Smart Infrastructure in March 2023 launched Connect Box, an “IoT solution designed to manage small to medium-sized buildings.
• Will Solutions and BrainBox AI partnered in Quebec and Ontario, Canada to promote artificial intelligence (AI) for HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) across sustainable communities.