This startup wants to turn your water heater into a smart thermal battery

Unless your shower turns cold, you probably don’t give much thought to your water heater. But it’s a major energy user in the home, and unlike solar panels or heat pumps, it’s gotten relatively little attention as a piece of smart home tech. A new startup is trying to change that. The company, called Reservoir, designed a heat pump water heater that predicts when you’ll need hot water and heats up in advance, when electricity is cheapest. The upfront cost is comparable to other water heaters, but over the course of a year, it can save as much as $800 on energy bills. Cofounder and CEO Luke ...