Someone finally created a heat pump that looks good in your home

A recent company founded by three former Google employees wants to disrupt the somewhat staid mini-split industry. Quilt is the recent “home air conditioning system” – a ductless HVAC system that uses heat pump-powered mini-splits to heat and cold your home.

Two things have set Quilt apart from the start: it’s clever AND pretty. The system has built-in millimeter-wave radar sensors to precisely detect occupancy, so you can choose to heat and cold only rooms where there are people. They work with a smartphone app and a stylish touchscreen remote called Dial, and the system uses predictive algorithms to heat and cold your home as efficiently as possible.

Each Quilt unit is a ductless mini-split, but instead of vast white boxes on the wall, Quilt designed smaller, sleeker units with the option of white oak or white front panel that can be customized to match your home’s decor.

At just 38 inches wide, just under 8 inches high and just over 8 inches deep, the Quilt indoor unit is much smaller than conventional mini dividers and can fit above a window to keep it out of the room. The units also feature built-in accent lighting with color-changing illumination and adjustable brightness.

The outdoor unit, which can power up to two indoor units, has been designed to be smaller and more state-of-the-art looking, with a matte black finish. CEO and co-founder Paul Lambert says the electric units meet or exceed industry standards for energy efficiency, including Energy Star Most Proficient 2024, SEER2 25 and CEE Tier 2. Although the numbers are preliminary as the system is still awaiting certification (you can see more details on Quilt website). Lambert, along with co-founders Bill Kee and Matthew Knoll, they were responsible for the development of Gmail, Google Analytics and robotics at Google, respectively. Lambert says Nest co-founder Matt Rogers was an early investor in Quilt.

The Quilt system uses Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth to communicate between devices and remote controls, and each knob can also control the entire system, much like a thermostat in a central HVAC system. The shield has built-in temperature, motion and proximity detection. You can also utilize the Quilt app (iOS or Android), where you can set schedules and program the system according to your preferences – for example, the temperature at which you want to keep empty rooms.

Lambert says Dials have Thread radios on board and can be upgraded with Matter, although the company doesn’t provide either at launch. There is no integration yet with clever home platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home or Amazon Alexa. “We want to see where the demand is,” says Lambert. “But we expect to have a public API and support for Matter.”

Unlike conventional ducted HVAC systems, ductless systems require one unit for each room (or two, depending on size). While this is more capable – because they don’t have ducts to distribute the heated or cooled air throughout the house, where it can lose up to 30 percent of efficiency – it can be a challenge to install and is much more costly.

The quilt costs $6,499 per room, which includes installation. While there are some rebates and incentives for upgrading your home’s HVAC system to an capable electrical solution, it will add up very quickly. For a three-bedroom home, let’s say you want to install it in six rooms (each bedroom, kitchen, living room and dining room – Quilt doesn’t recommend them for bathrooms) – it could cost close to $40,000. Quilt says it will offer all available discounts and assist with incentives at checkout.

In a sense, Quilt plans to take over the entire process from point of sale to installation. The system will be available exclusively in the Bay Area at launch, with first installations scheduled for overdue summer 2024. Los Angeles will join later this year, and Lambert says it plans to expand based on booking volume. So if you are interested, you should register Quilt.com – $100 deposit required.