Want to build the future of heat pump software? We're hiring a software engineer to help contractors measure homes faster and design systems more accurately. Check out our open role. https://info.amply.energy/sr-mobile-engineer-may-2025

Zero Homes is on the rise — and they’re hiring! Explore exciting career opportunities on their hiring board: https://jobs.lever.co/zerohomes

Contractors, this is your chance to partner with a fast-growing, innovative company. Learn how you can join the Zero Homes contractor network today: https://www.zerohomes.io/contractors

Join the best heat pump contractors at the US Heat Pump Summit

November 18-19, 2025 | DCU Center, Worcester, MA

The annual gathering of top contractors advancing their work with heat pumps. Get world-class business and technical training from industry leaders, plus direct access to regulators, rebate providers, and energy experts shaping the future of our industry.

Get 10% off registration with code AMPLY

https://bit.ly/us-heatpump-summit

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Guest: Grant Gunnison, CEO of Zero Homes

Grant Gunnison learned the brutal economics of contracting the hard way — at age 23, after his father's death, he dropped out of grad school to run the family business with 18 employees, no price book, and a filing system of manila folders. What frustrated him most was that customer acquisition consumed 25% of revenue, with contractors spending hours in trucks driving between appointments. But the real revelation came when he discovered why contractors avoid heat pumps: designing a furnace takes "about five seconds" while heat pump systems require "three hours" with no guarantee of winning the job. This $500 design cost systematically discourages heat pump installations in favor of simple changeouts.

Zero Homes eliminates this problem by removing site visits entirely. Homeowners use their smartphone for 20 minutes to create a digital twin of their home, enabling remote heat pump system design and quoting. The Department of Energy validated this approach as "just as accurate as sending a person into the home" with better consistency than manual assessments. The model completely inverts traditional contractor economics: instead of making money on equipment margins while absorbing design time risk, contractors receive install-ready jobs and get paid $180-200/hour for labor.

The approach creates unexpected opportunities, particularly in rural markets where contractors typically can't justify long drives to bid jobs. Quality control remains rigorous through 30-40 item commissioning checklists and live video calls for initial installations.

Key Takeaways

1. Customer acquisition costs are becoming unsustainable for traditional approaches
2. Specialization creates new partnership opportunities for installation-focused contractors
3. Quality installation still commands premium pricing even in systematized models

Timestamps:

[02:14] - Overview of Zero Homes

[04:54] - Why Heat Pumps?

[11:41] - Building a Marketplace for Home Electrification

[15:10] - The Homeowner Journey

[17:58] - Contractor Economics: Making it Work for Everyone

[29:35] - Quality Control & Design Process

[35:56] - The Risks & Rewards of Partnering with Zero Homes

[43:05] - Advice for HVAC Entrepreneurs

Follow Grant Gunnison:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantgunnison/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grant.gunnison

Follow Zero Homes:  

• Website: https://www.zerohomes.io/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zerohomes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Zero-Homes/61577379394691/ 

Follow the Hosts:

• Ed Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-smith-5aa8716
• Eric Fitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehfitz/
• Amply Energy Website: https://www.amply.energy/
• Amply Energy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amplyenergy
• Amply Energy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplyenergy
• Amply Energy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amply_energy/