31 You control where air is cooled or heated with a touch to a phone app or tabletop IoT device. The first product design was lauded by and featured in an architectural magazine. But no one else understood innately what it did. People mistook the device as a sculpture not to be touched. They also wanted a temperature display. So, we adapted. Thirty-five percent of your electric bill comes from your residential central air conditioning system. In a commercial building, this number climbs to more than 44–50 percent of the total electrical consumption. We are confident we will reduce this range by 20 percent or more. It’s about energy conservation. Less energy generated lowers electric bills and our carbon footprint. The product line is also expanding to comprise super insulators for home and commercial use, and we are investi- gating the use of interior paint as a temperature sensor for thermostats and security purposes. A not-for-profit I co-founded is StartUPs United Foundation, which aspires to foster a community of entrepreneurs who explore best practices and develop solutions for entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneurship is a marathon. Persistence fuels you to cross the finish line. Today, Culper Technologies con- sists of 5 employees—and a lot of contract work—but by the end of the year, the plan is to have around 8 to 10 employees. Our first product will save energy in the home by creating a residential, distributed control system based on demand zones so the home conditions (heats or cools) where and when it’s needed. Why cool the entire home if you are the only one in the house? Peter Llaguno holds up his initial desktop thermostat prototype design.
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