Full-Stack Building Control Platforms
Lee Hoffman, co-founder of Runwise, on the operating system for buildings
The real disruption is not better thermostats, it is a different sales and control model. Incumbents usually sell boxes through contractors, then leave owners with fragmented systems and little live data. Runwise and peers install their own sensors and control unit, connect straight to the owner, and keep improving the building through software, alerts, and remote control. That turns building controls from a one time equipment purchase into an ongoing operating system with recurring revenue.
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In practice, the owner buys a full stack. Runwise places wireless temperature sensors in apartments, connects a control unit in the boiler room, and gives staff an app to see live temperatures, boiler readings, and alerts. That is much easier to prove and renew than a legacy controller hidden behind an HVAC contractor.
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The weak point for incumbents is distribution. Johnson Controls still runs contractor and distributor programs, which fits big project sales but puts distance between the software maker and the building owner. Newer vendors like 75F also market integrated sensors, controls, cloud access, and occupant apps as a direct system, not just a component sale.
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That is why the business can support upfront hardware. Once the hardware is in, the vendor can charge ongoing software and service fees, add new modules like cooling, leak detection, and demand response, and spread one customer win across an owner’s whole portfolio. The installed sensor network becomes the wedge for much higher lifetime value.
This market is heading toward a smaller set of full stack building control platforms that own the customer relationship and the data layer. As heating, cooling, and electrification become more software driven, the winners will be the companies that can land with hardware once, then keep selling savings, safety, and grid revenue every month after that.