Sustainability and the Future of Smart Home Automation With Ashley Renne Nsonwu and Josh Gierke

Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. You want tech and tacos, Tacos and tech you know we got tacos and tech is on smash border green guacamole keeper captains counting beans Contador quentan frijoles found us trying to raise some queso la vida San Diego school of rappy rapping fire tortillas round jalapenos in these modern times a crappy my coding yoga posse fold the body origami we be surfing coronado eating tacos El gordo the taco standing puesto lucha libre and sombrero Got a shout out to cost angels by the ocean watch the sunset La Jolla shores Entrepreneurs trying to get funded When San Diego Startup Week is popping in the summer Oceanside, the Tijuana esti be full of hustlers from couch surfing to penthouses right on the beach Tech leaders believe stars are within reach we interview and founders who be shooting for the moon SD Tecos with your host, Neil Bloom. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started.

Welcome to the Tacos and Tech Podcast. I'm your host, Neil Bloom and I'm thrilled to have you here. On the Tacos and Tech podcast we interview builders of technologies, of companies, of communities, and we do it weekly. So thanks for tuning in. Every Tuesday, a new interview and on Fridays we talk about what's new in the San Diego tech ecosystem from a news perspective. So make sure you join us there as well too. We also have a tech newsletter that comes out every other week@freshbroodtech.com you can subscribe to listen to it without further ado. Enjoy this episode. I am thrilled to have a few guests on Today where we're going to be talking smart home automation, a little bit of sustainability, and we have two resident experts here to talk about it that I was lucky enough to meet in person at a recent Santa Barbara Smart Home showcase put on by Cox Communications. And so with me, I've got Ashley Renee Sonwu and I've got Josh Gjerk. Ashley is an environmental activist and a startup co founder. She's co founder of Hot Jupiter. And Josh is with Cox Communications. He does a little bit of sales strategy and enablement management. So, Josh, Ashley, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you so much for having us, Neil. Appreciate being here.

Yeah, likewise. Good to catch back up with you guys. It was a really cool showcase that fine summer Day in Santa Barbara. Ashley, you want to give us a little bit about just a little bit of your background of how you got into smart home automation?

Oh, yeah, sure. I actually got my start in the influencer space, so to speak, as a travel influencer. And then the more I was traveling the world, the more I started to see how much of it was being destroyed. And that kind of started my sustainability journey. And at some point I started to look into how I can use tech to be more sustainable. And so I ended up getting an electric car, built a solar powered smart home. And that's honestly how I got into smart technology was through my love of sustainability and through my passion for it.

Oh, that's awesome. Well, we're gonna, we're gonna unfold the layers of how deep you got into that. Cause I know it went pretty deep and you documented it pretty well. But Josh, how about you? Like, how has tech played a part in kind of your career and seeing it applied over the last few years?

Yeah, no, I think you said it right there. The technology aspect of it was probably the first interest that I had. And you know, obviously being in sales, you're you there a lot of times in customers homes. Right. So you're able to really talk through how the tech can kind of improve their life. And obviously there's a lot of different factors now because it's improved so much. But I think that's really where my passion really started was tying together the latest and greatest technology that's available and then kind of presenting it to customers in a way that, hey, you know what, this may simplify your life in this area. I almost look at it as like a blank canvas or, you know, if you're into music, just kind of a blank sheet of paper. Sky's the limit, really. So you can really go in and you can design it however you see fit and find out what benefits you and your family. So that's kind of where the passion started for me and it's just really continued because quite frankly, the smart home space is continuing to grow and improve and I'm just really excited about it.

Yeah. To Ashley, I think for you it was really about, you know, solving your own personal issues, or not issues, but issues with the world that you said, I want to make an impact locally. You with me being the first one. Right. You wanted to kind of be a leader, and it wasn't just about talking about it, it was about doing about it. Right. What were some of the first things you did when you said, what does sustainability look like, and what does autumn. How does automation play? Like, what were the first pieces that you tested and tried and brought into the home?

Well, the first thing was the electric car. I got into electric cars when I, you know, started learning about just how much more sustainable they are in comparison to gas guzzlers. You know, my husband, he had a. An old volkswage, and it's every time he turned it on, like, you could hear that thing from a mile away. And so I really wanted to learn about, you know, clean technology and how we can stop emitting so much, you know, carbon into the atmosphere. And for me, that was with electric cars. And that's really my entry point. And so after the electric car purchase, my husband and I, we really wanted to look into building a family. We were in a town, host a townhouse at the time. And, you know, my husband always had a dream of, you know, moving out to the suburbs and having, like, a big house and the lots of green grass, a big yard and all that, which was not necessarily my dream, but that's what he wanted. And we compromised. So we moved out to the burbs and we ended up getting a new construction home, which gave us the flexibility to really build it out the way that we wanted. That really matched, you know, his passion for wanting to design something from scratch and then my passion for, you know, kind of building it up to be as sustainable as possible. And so that's how I got into smart home technology. Like, I really knew from the jump that I wanted it to be a solar powered, you know, smart home. And so that was really critical to know going in because we wanted to pick a house on a lot that was the most optimal for facing the sun, so that I could maximize as much sunlight as possible with the solar panels. And so that's how I got into it from a smart home aspect. So it started out with you know, just kind of like the vision of what we wanted. And then we built it and then started that journey to, like, piecing it all together. And I think, like, the. One of the biggest focuses with, like, building a smart home is, you know, you really want to think about, like, energy efficiency. So we focused on, you know, different technology that could help us be the most energy efficient inside the home. And then, you know, the solar panels were just like the icing on the cake. It's what brought everything together.

Okay, so it's one thing to. And that's awesome. That's how you dove in and you dove deep in kind of the big systems, right? Car House, solar. Like, these are big projects and these are investments and it's one thing to have them up and running. And you're like, you know, I feel like my money went towards something sustainable, but the feedback loop of knowing it day in, day out, you know, pulling up apps or dashboards, like, what did that look like for you? I'm real curious to know. How did you know and how did you know that, that you felt sustainable, you know, because you made the investment but did. Was there something pinging you every day being like, yep, we're saving money or we're saving energy. What was that piece like?

Oh, yeah, like, you know, with the different apps you can monitor your energy savings. Especially with like the solar panels, you can actually see your bill from, you know, month to month to see how much you're saving and how much energy you captured. Same thing, you know, with the powerwall. So we have a, what's called a powerwall, which is what stores the energy and you can use like the app to view all the energy savings and pretty much all of almost all of the apps. Like when it comes to energy efficiency, you can open the app and take a look at what you're able to save energy wise. So I don't think I really pay attention to it too much because I know it's working. So like, I don't get like a high off of looking at the data or anything like that. But, you know, it's just kind of like knowing that you're doing your part and trying to make the difference the best way you can. Right. Because it's not perfect. Like what is sustainability really? Can you really be sustainable? You know, technically by the definition of it. Right. But what you can do is do your best. Nothing is ever going to be perfect when it comes to sustainability. But I think if everyone just is a little more conscious of their daily lifestyle habits and you know, what they're doing to try to be a little bit more sustainable and more eco friendly, it really does make a difference.

It's totally true. The piece that's interesting about sustainability is automating some things to free up your time to be maybe more conscious in other areas as well too. Especially as a new parent, which you said you were building and growing a family. Were there other things that you started to learn about sustainability wise and maybe played an automation role, maybe as a new mom or things for baby that started to play a role in this discovery world?

I would say sustainability wise, not so much on the mom front, but I definitely discovered how much efficiency Smart tech could add to my everyday life as a mother. You know, from smart assistants to smart item trackers, smart doorbells that silence itself when the baby's sleeping. Smart lighting that can help make those nighttime visits a little bit more pleasant. Smart vacuum and mop that can help, you know, reduce the amount of chores that I'm doing every day. That's really what I learned to appreciate with smart tech gadgets from a mom perspective is how much time it kind of gave me back from my day to day. Because if it's one thing I learned when I became a mom is you don't have as much time anymore. So anything that you can do to kind of make your day a little bit easier is just incredible. And we definitely leaned into smart technology for that.

Yeah, those are great examples. Wow. Even like the silencing while baby's asleep part, I can imagine how many alerts and everything are going off around the house. That's super interesting, for sure. Yeah. Josh related to kind of the home and kind of giving of care to others. Like, have you seen that elsewhere maybe for senior care or other things like that, where this is starting to play a part?

Oh, absolutely. I mean, and Ashley kind of, you know, hit it on the head. When you're really talking to potential customers about the smart home space, it's really important for them to really design it. Right. Because they're the ones that are actually going to be using it and implementing it into their routines. And that's what I really heard from Ashley. And that's what's really cool, is being able to kind of pinpoint that and understand, understand how they can maximize that experience, you know, because oftentimes you see how equipment is marketed, right. And you know, if they can truly understand how to utilize it. For example, cost savings. Right. And Ashley's talking about solar and cars and stuff, which is on a bigger scale. But it could start with just a simple light bulb. You could save X amount of dollars per year if you take that light bulb and go LED and then even take it a step further, creating rules and, you know, being able to set timers for it to come on only at particular times of the day. Right. So just all of that is chipping away at your overall energy savings. So whether you're close to retirement and you're really thinking about the impact that inflation, you know, is having on Americans right now, I mean, those are just real simple ways that you can kind of apply to just improve not only just your experience and your day to day routine, but your paycheck or, you know, in terms of your retirement. Right. And then to, to Ashley's point, you know, I'm newer parent, so I have a three year old, just turned three, and then she'll be here in a couple weeks. So it's a factor. And my wife is, you know, stay at home mom with them. But seeing her routine and how the smart home space really simplifies her day to day is impactful for us. And we're constantly trying to talk about ways to improve. Like, hey, you know, I already understand that this device can help me improve here, but how does it tie together with something else? Right. Like, you know, you talked about the doorbell camera, right. So just having simple peace of mind when the kids come home safely from school. Right. That's everything to a parent. So. And that's the part that really gets me excited about where we're going with this in the future.

Yeah, let's continue on that. Like, where are we headed, do you think? Is it more niche, like more, you know, very specific use cases or broad or. Yeah, like what? Are you excited about what's coming?

Yeah, I think, you know, you kind of take a step back, right. And I talk a lot about simplification. You know, I think that you're going to have a lot of people that are just really, they boost the tech specs, right. In a particular camera or, you know, what are some of the specs and the features. Right. And that's important, you know, for a few. But I always say don't, you know, don't sell the product, sell the experience so that you can really highlight how to ultimately use it. So I think what I get excited, you know, thinking fast forward is just a simple way like, hey, I pull into the driveway and I automatically have my lights turn on maybe in the driveway, right. So I can see and then the car detects the front room lamp and so I can kind of walk in and it's maybe dark outside, right. So it's that whole experience and then you can even send an alert to your family to be able to just kind of let everybody know that you're home. Right. So again, tying like two, three, four different devices together, I think is the simplicity piece that I'm talking about. But then if you're really trying to look at that technology aspect, you got meta, you got ir, you got all this stuff, artificial intelligence. So I feel like we're really on the cusp of something great. But ultimately I think it'll all be balanced around simplification and how you can Just simplify your life. And I think that's really what Americans are looking for. Hey, and if you could save some money while you're at it too, that's a bonus.

Yeah, you bring up a great point. Like, people aren't looking necessarily to like, say, I have an ev. They just want a car. And they want the car that, you know, saves them money and is good for the environment. Right. It's kind of the same with these other technologies. No one's saying, I am buying a device that has AI, that's why I'm buying it. No, I'm buying the device that does the thing. AI does the job. And kind of the same with all these in the background. So that's kind of interesting to focus on that from a tech perspective, when these things all start working and talking together and playing a role, that's I think, where you stack efficiencies and start to see sustainability stack on top of each other. Like, Ashley, from your perspective, where are you investing your time, energy and research next for sustainability and automation again?

Yeah, it's really all about energy efficiency. And so that's kind of where I've put my money into. Which the ironic part about that is energy efficient smart technology is actually going to help you save money in the long run. And that's one thing that I like to emphasize to people, you know, in terms of like sustainability and the concept as a whole. A lot of times when you live a more sustainable lifestyle, you automatically are going to start saving more money because you're living your lifestyle in a way that designed to cut down on things that you don't need to cut down on, you know, overusing energy that you don't need to be using. I mean, for example, I told somebody was, I think it was a reporter or a journalist while we were at the Santa Barbara event about smart plugs. And so she was so fascinated by this concept of smart plugs because I told her about how if you think about everything in your house, right, that's just plugged in and it's just draining energy and you're not even using it. You're not thinking about the money you're wasting and the energy you're wasting with technology that's plugged in that you're not even using, and so that's called vampire energy. And so it's just draining the power from your house and also draining money. Because why would you pay for power that's being drained? You're not even using it. So I think it's like really interesting you know, to kind of look at like those technology pieces that can actually save you money in the long run. And that's one thing that I really want people to kind of understand about smart technology is while it might sound expensive and it can be right up front, but in the long run it is designed to help save you money, depending on what you get.

Yep, that's a good point. I think the other vampire, like maybe the big vampire suck of energy could be, and maybe we learned this during the pandemic is the commute to work, five days. And just like this, separate lives, building two lives at work and at home. And while we all lived on zoom and thought, ah, this is it, we figured it out. Like there's a lot coming down the road that, you know, from AR and VR where we could literally be next to each other right now or feel like it and not just looking through, you know, a HoloLens or something like that, like other kind of experiences that could really feel like we're next to each other. That could save plane tickets and all these things too. That's kind of the piece that is exciting for me in that regard. That could be sustainability. Look, we're not going to, we're not going to completely replace in person, but I think we've all learned there's somewhere in between completely virtual, completely in person. And I think that's an interesting way that tech is going to bring sustainability around as well too. Josh, are you seeing like that part of kind of automation, not maybe automation, but sustainability in the workplace spill over into the home like that?

Oh, you're spot on. And I think that, you know, it's crucial to be a step ahead. Right. And I think we really experienced this during the pandemic, as you mentioned. Right. But I just didn't see the amount of companies going to that remote, you know, environment. I didn't really anticipate that. But I think now you're seeing a lot of people moving out of the cities, maybe into a little bit more suburbs. I know Ashley kind of talked about it earlier, but you know, then taking it a step further and that's really where the smart home space can really take off. Right. Because a lot of these are planned communities. A lot of the newer homes have this built in already, which I see a lot of, especially in my industry, you see a lot of multi dwelling units where, you know, hey, we're just going to preload them with a bunch of automation equipment and people are utilizing it, you know, but it doesn't stop just there because they're at home more, you know, and I think that's the biggest. I guess when the curtain opened, right, with this pandemic, it was like, hey, you know, I'm at home a lot more now, so I need things to kind of be more efficient. You know, we're talking about energy, right? So I mean, if you're at home working a lot more, your electric bill goes up, right? So reverse engineering and going, hey, you know what, you know, maybe I don't need this light on because I'm not in that space for this period of time, right? And then you're kind of identifying and reflecting how you are using energy day to day. But I think it's really going to keep continuing and it's actually really inspiring, right, to be able to just go, you know what? How people live is just different than a year and a half, two years ago and taking that trajectory and kind of moving forward. And that's. It gets me really jazzed about what's ahead. Right.

Totally agree. We can't also overlook policy to a certain regard. When a state mandates that cars will only be electric after a certain year. That is a seismic shift. And while, yes, great EVs are now going to become more acceptable, but the wave that's coming with EVs and Ash, I'd love to see if you've guys looked into this. There are companies now who are saying your EV is actually can be a battery for your house. So imagine if, you know, yes, you've got the powerwall. For some who don't, you lose power. There's actually now ways to pump electricity back to the house through certain technology. Have you seen anything like that that you're. That I don't know. I mean, I know you're doing powerwall, but other things that are going to be exciting to use big systems that you've already invested in, like your car and your solar.

Actually that's incredibly exciting. And I think about it from a climate change perspective. It's. It's kind of scary to say, but you know, we do have to think about how we can utilize technology to build our homes and make our homes. And we have to build it in a way so that it can deal with the climate change issues that are, you know, happening more and more frequently. So you mentioned like the power outages and whatnot. I remember at some point we were having all these power outages in Georgia and it just wasn't the norm. And you know, I was telling people, you know, that that's climate change for you. And, you know, when you start thinking about these, you know, sustainable technology solutions that can really kind of help combat those issues that arise as a result of climate change, it's definitely a greater conversation that needs to be had that would require, you know, policy changes to ensure that people are being set up to deal with these issues ahead of time. So I'm really excited about that and what you mentioned. I definitely would love to see more policy changes and, you know, more of the government stepping in to use technology, smart technology, to make sure that everyone is safe during these kind of scary times we're in right now.

Totally. Yeah. And look like we'd love to have gotten ahead of it. And so sometimes it feels reactionary for some of us who are like, really tech forward, which, imagine the three of us are. Right, we're early adopters, naturally, we're just going to be. But when you're seeing international issues like water shortages and realizing what could we be doing for smart water metering and smart water use and even self generation of water or water reuse of our own, you know, wastewater, those are some areas where technology for the home that I'm getting excited about from the utility side. So I really appreciate all of you kind of sharing that. We talked a little about, you know, maybe more of this VR AR environment is maybe how we're going to be meeting more often in the future when we find the next generation of it. But, man, I still can't get away from the experience of just having a taco in person with someone. I don't think we're going to ever replace that. And that's what. And that's why, you know, while we're recording this virtually on the Tacos and Tech podcast, you know, in my heart, we're sharing a taco for real. Josh, you have a favorite taco spot.

Man, that is so hard. I mean, I'm. I, you know, live around the San Diego area and we take our tacos serious out here. So it's changed probably 10 times in San Diego almost 10 years, and it's definitely changed. But I would say early on, Tacos El Gordo is definitely top of the list for me. I mean, you cannot go wrong. And should I even see it when I travel? I know they have one in Vegas and they have multiple locations, but this is going to be a shocker. So I've been vegetarian for about three years. My wife's been vegan for like 16, 17 years, so she's laid out the blueprint for me. So after being on this Vegetarian kick. I absolutely love it and I'm not changing. So Rubio's offers impossible meat and it's just amazing. I am addicted to it. They put like this cream sauce in it and I know that's not good for the vegans, but man, it is really delicious. So right now I would have to say Rubio's is probably the top of my list, which is kind of a bizarre answer. You couldn't. I would never like three, four years ago.

So, yeah, no way. They popularized the fish taco. I mean, they brought it to prominence. We can't hate on Ralph Rubio and what he's done for the taco scene. The great answer for sure. I love that. Ashley, how's the taco scene in Atlanta?

You know, I cannot comment on the taco scene in Atlanta, but I can sell you a taco spot that I'm dying to try out the next time I'm in California and it's called Sugar Taco. Have you heard of Sugar Taco?

Yeah, definitely. LA based, right?

I think I believe so. I really want to give that one a try. It's plant based Mexican food. And I'm really into companies that, you know, aren't just about profit but you know, they're also about the planet. And so I really think I am attracted to the idea of how they're all about making a real difference via their food and they believe that good food and good ethics can go hand in hand. And they even have a motto which is saving the world one taco at a time. So I love a good company that cares about people and planet and not just profits. So that's definitely a business that I would love to support the next time in Cal. I'm in California.

I love that. Well, hit me up. We'll meet up. I'll meet up for some Sugar Taco. That sounds great.

Yeah, for sure.

Well, I really appreciate both of you jumping in here and giving us a deep dive in kind of the automation sustainability space. I think not only can homeowners, but also home builders I think can take a lot away from this of like what, what should we be building into the home in the future so that it's not add ons as well too. And so a lot of good examples here. I'm excited. I got my smart light bulbs that I got from the event sitting right here that I'm ready to install. So thank you Cox for sharing some tech with us and thank you both as well. So appreciate it and thanks for being on the podcast.

Yeah, thank you for having us. This has been great.

Thanks so much, Neil.

Appreciate it.

Thanks.

Thanks for tuning in to Tacos and Tech Podcasts. You can find all of our episodes on Fresh Food Tech as well as on Twitter at Tacos and Tech Pod. Also follow Fresh Brew Tech on all of your social platforms and make sure to share and give a review on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Play. Thanks again.

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