Newfangled Retrofitting: BlocPower's Donnel Baird

Aug 23, 2017 10:00 AM ET
Donnel Baird

Audio File

Compared with new buildings, older buildings tend to eat up a lot more energy and produce and trap a lot more pollution. Whether it's an old church, a broken-down community center, an under-funded school building, or public housing, too often these older buildings don't get retrofitted due to fiscal constraints. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Donnel Baird, the founder and CEO of BlocPower, a startup that uses technology to retrofit buildings in financially underserved communities. Not only does this work result in long-term energy savings and more humane conditions, BlocPower offers these benefits at a much lower cost than was previously available. Baird explains BlocPower's business model, tells us what inspired him to start the company, and talks about the challenges that the current political environment brings.