The building sector, which accounts for 40% of all U.S. energy use and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, wastes $150 billion annually due to inefficient design, operation, and maintenance of buildings. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings are responsible for 76% of the nation’s electricity consumption. Moreover, the energy consumption of buildings is projected to increase by 1.3% per year until 2040, adding to the environmental and economic challenges. Therefore, improving the energy efficiency of buildings is a critical and timely opportunity to reduce GHG emissions and enhance the quality of life for building occupants.
However, in today’s world, commercial building owners and managers find it challenging to address the need to reduce carbon emissions while also dealing with rising energy costs, declining revenue, and evolving regulatory standards. They must balance operational costs with environmental standards, which creates a complex decision-making landscape. In this context, Joulea envisions a future where buildings operate at peak efficiency, eliminating the $150 billion wasted annually.
The Founder’s Vision: From Aerospace to Real Estate
Founded by Ramtin Motahar, Joulea’s story began with an innovative idea sparked by his experience in commercial real estate development and his education in aerospace engineering. After observing inefficiencies in building operations, Ramtin drew inspiration from the aerospace industry’s integrated product management method, where a holistic, interdisciplinary approach optimizes performance and efficiency. He envisioned applying the same cyclicality and comprehensive thinking to the world of real estate, aiming to impact energy usage and efficiency in buildings significantly.
“I saw silos in the real estate industry,” Ramtin shares. “Design, construction, and operations were disconnected, resulting in higher energy costs and increased carbon emissions. By applying principles from aerospace—where collaboration and lifecycle management are key—we could revolutionize how buildings use energy.”
Joulea’s Revolutionary Approach: Where Innovation Meets Sustainability
At the core of Joulea’s offering is its unparalleled ability to analyze building performance using cutting-edge AI, autonomous drone-inspection technology, and the expertise of building energy professionals. This allows Joulea to create a digital energy twin of buildings, which helps to assess building energy performance and identify inefficiencies that result in high energy costs and carbon emissions. Joulea not only constantly monitors current building operations but also provides detailed, accurate forecasts for future operational changes and capital improvements, enabling building owners and facility managers to prioritize investments in retrofits and operational changes confidently.
Joulea’s holistic approach to building energy audits makes it a smarter, more efficient alternative to traditional energy audits, which often face challenges such as high costs, time consumption, and the need for repeated evaluations. Additionally, the comprehensiveness of Joulea’s services and its continuous assessment of the energy model provide a more dynamic and automated solution for operations management compared to traditional practices, ensuring real-time insights and constant optimization.
Joulea’s mission is to empower building owners to maximize profitability and minimize their carbon footprint by providing the most accurate energy assessment platform powered by AI, drone technology, and building energy experts. At Joulea, innovation meets sustainability.
“Our goal is to make buildings as efficient as possible,” Ramtin explains. “By giving building owners access to real-time data and predictive models, we’re enabling them to take proactive steps toward reducing their environmental impact. It’s not just about saving money—it’s about preparing for the future.”
Innovation at Joulea: A Fusion of Technology and Expertise
For Joulea, innovation means combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise to create impactful solutions that can transform energy consumption in the building industry.
Joulea’s innovation was accelerated by the formation of an interdisciplinary team. Unlike a multidisciplinary team that operates in parallel, focusing on their own areas of expertise, an interdisciplinary team integrates knowledge and methods from different disciplines, working collaboratively to create cohesive solutions. Joulea comprises four broad teams: building science, robotics, machine learning, and software engineering. These work closely together and draw from each other’s best practices, such as the agile practices of software engineering and the systematic testing protocols of robotics. This unique combination of skills enabled the company to drive innovation effectively.In addition, collaborating closely with customers and addressing the gaps discovered in their needs further fueled this growth. Through its initial pilot partner program, Joulea worked with ten ENERGY STAR-certified commercial buildings owned and operated by institutional owners and REITs, uncovering energy inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities. This collaboration led to identifying a total savings of over $2,500,000 and over 25,000,000 kWh – equivalent to powering more than 2,200 homes each year – that adds up to an annual combined savings of over 35% at the time of study. Importantly, these savings were seen in top-performing ENERGY STAR buildings, which are in the 75th percentile for energy efficiency. In comparison, most commercial buildings in the U.S. are much older, not ENERGY STAR certified, and have far more room for improvement. This program demonstrated that Joulea’s solutions are not only cutting-edge but also highly relevant to the needs of their clients.
Joulea’s innovative solutions not only set new benchmarks but also align with and support the energy initiatives of Atlanta and the broader national building ecosystem. As one of the nation’s leaders in clean energy innovation and adoption, Atlanta has ambitious goals to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. The city has also launched several initiatives to promote energy efficiency in buildings, such as the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program, and Atlanta’s Commercial Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance. These programs provide incentives, financing, and transparency for building owners to improve their energy performance and reduce their environmental impact.
Joulea’s platform complements these efforts by enabling building owners to access accurate, comprehensive, and continuous building operation analytics that identify the best opportunities for energy savings and carbon reduction. Joulea’s solutions can also help building owners comply with the Commercial Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance, which requires them to benchmark and report annual energy use.
“Joulea’s work has the potential to change the industry with its accurate, efficient, and comprehensive inspection method,” shares James Seffrin, Vice President at Jersey Infrared Consultants.
Plans for Every Building: Tailored Solutions for Maximum Impact
Joulea offers a suite of products designed to meet the needs of various building owners, from those managing a single office building to asset managers overseeing large portfolios. The company’s offerings include:
- Envelope Explorer:
Joulea’s Envelope Explorer uses autonomous drone inspection and AI diagnosis systems to identify air leakage and insulation issues in building envelopes. Providing a thorough thermal analysis, an accurate energy savings forecast, and an interactive 3D model to track changes helps building owners uncover hidden defects and make proactive decisions on envelope repairs. - opX Planner:
opX Planner offers continuous assessment, real-time monitoring, and AI-driven, expert-verified recommendations to optimize building operations and achieve peak performance. It continuously analyzes energy usage patterns to provide actionable insights and accurate energy savings forecasts to improve efficiency and reduce costs. - capX Planner:
capX Planner assists in planning and prioritizing capital investments for energy efficiency upgrades. Providing data-driven recommendations, real-time simulations, and detailed forecasts ensures building owners get the highest return on their retrofit investments.
“We pride ourselves on being able to provide not just one solution but a comprehensive roadmap for energy efficiency,” says Ramtin. “Whether an owner manages one building or a hundred, our platform is scalable and customizable to fit their needs.”
Join Joulea in the Energy Revolution
In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a reduction of approximately 45% in carbon dioxide emissions from 2010 levels by 2030 is essential to achieve net zero around 2050. The built environment, which accounts for more than 40% of global CO2 emissions, offers a tremendous opportunity. By eliminating emissions from this sector by 2040, we can meet the climate target of 1.5°C. In addition, enhancing energy efficiency in buildings reduces costs and improves the comfort and health of occupants.
However, despite available incentives and policies, there remains a significant lack of progress and awareness in the building industry. Many building owners lack the necessary data, tools, and guidance to identify and implement optimal energy efficiency measures.
Joulea is calling for immediate action—every step toward energy efficiency matters. The future of building management promises transformative change, offering significant contributions to sustainability and cost savings. Joulea’s ability to accurately forecast building performance empowers building owners with the clarity and precision they need to make informed, impactful decisions. In a world where energy efficiency is no longer a luxury but a necessity, Joulea is at the forefront, reshaping the commercial real estate industry and setting new standards for sustainability and profitability.
Join Joulea in making a meaningful impact today.
