The HomeBoost app will show you where you can save on your operating costs

A few years ago, Selina Tobaccowala’s daughter started leaving notes in the back of the house, telling everyone to “turn off the lights” and so on.

Ugwai had recently sold his last store, Gixo, to OpenFit and was looking for a new challenge. “I saw the kids and I thought, ‘Let’s see if there’s anything about sustainability and climate,'” he told TechCrunch. “There had to be more than turning off our lights.”

Without a background in climate science or hardware engineering, he wasn’t sure where to start. So Tobaccowala turned to something he knew well: surveys.

“Because of my passion for surveying, I’ve surveyed a ton — a ton — of customers,” said Tobaccowala, former president and CTO of SurveyMonkey.

What he found was that people were struggling to figure out how to reduce their debt.

“When we talked to consumers, we heard the same thing over and over again: They get that email saying, ‘Hey, you’re spending more than your neighbors,'” he said. “They were having trouble deciding what to do with it.”

Tobaccowala co-founded HomeBoost to help people do their own home energy testing. The company was part of the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

HomeBoost’s testing process begins by sending customers a BoostBox, a small kit that includes an infrared camera, a black light and a link to an app that takes customers through the process. As people walk around their homes, an infrared camera shows them where cold (or hot) air is entering their homes; blacklight tells people what lights can be upgraded.

Using data from the scans, the app then automatically generates a report that suggests the most cost-effective upgrades, including discounts based on where a person lives.

In most parts of the country, utilities offer the same service. Utilities, which are motivated to reduce energy consumption by end users, often work with energy auditors to inspect people’s homes to identify ways to reduce their consumption. But the quality of those services is very uneven, Tobaccowala said.

“We’ve talked to a lot of buyers who’ve gotten home energy audits, and there’s this feeling that ‘all they did was try to sell me an upgraded HVAC,'” she said.

The HomeBoost app is cheaper and faster than an auditor, and it helps people feel more in control of the process, Tobaccowala said.

HomeBoost charges customers $99, which is a quarter of the cost of a traditional, in-person inspection. It also works with utilities, which cover some or all of the customer’s costs. The startup has signed deals with Central Hudson, Omaha Public Power District, and Avista recently. Omaha Power, for example, covers all costs except $19, while Central Hudson will cover all costs if homeowners check out a BoostBox at the public library.

But not every homeowner wants to complete the appraisal process themselves, and not every auditor is a pushy seller. Dedicated auditors can spend two to 10 hours inspecting homes, compiling information, and building reports, Tobaccowala said. For that, HomeBoost has developed a version of its professional program, which allows them to serve more customers.

The company is also testing a feature that will connect homeowners with contractors who can pursue improvements highlighted in the report. For contractors, it’s another source of new business, and it allows them to learn about the project before setting foot in the home.

By bringing together consumers, utilities, and contractors, Tobaccowalla hopes that HomeBoost can ultimately bring forward the climate. “It’s a unique situation where everyone is on board with reducing the utility bill, which results in an improvement in the climate,” he said.