A few years ago, Selina Tobaccowala’s daughter started leaving post-it notes around the house, telling everyone to “turn off the lights” and such.

Tobaccowala recently sold his last startup, Gixo, to OpenFit and is looking for a new challenge. “I saw the kids and thought, ‘Let me see if there’s something out there about sustainability and climate,'” he told TechCrunch. “There has to be something more than turning out our lights.”

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

“Because of my love for surveys, I surveyed a ton — a ton — of customers,” said Tobaccowala, who was previously president and CTO of SurveyMonkey.

What he found was that people were struggling to figure out how to lower their utility bills.

“When we talk to consumers, we hear the same thing over and over again: They get the email that says, ‘Hey, you’re spending more money than your neighbors,'” he said. “They’re confused about what to do about it.”

Tobaccowala co-founded HomeBoost to help people do their own home energy audits. The company is part of Start of the Battle 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

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

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

In many parts of the country, utilities offer a similar service. Utilities, motivated to reduce energy use by end users, often work with energy auditors to inspect people’s homes to identify ways to cut their consumption. But the quality of services may not be the same, says Tobaccowala.

“We talked to a bunch of consumers who got home energy assessments done, and there was this feeling like ‘all they’re doing is trying to sell me an upgraded HVAC,'” he 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 about a quarter the cost of a traditional, in-person inspection. It also works with utilities, covering some or all of the costs for customers. The startup has signed deals with Central Hudson, Omaha Public Power District, and more recently Avista. Omaha Power, for example, pays all but $19 of the cost, while Central Hudson covers the entire cost if homeowners check out a BoostBox from a public library.

But not every homeowner wants to complete the survey process themselves, and not every auditor is a pushy salesman. Dedicated auditors can spend between two and 10 hours surveying homes, collecting data, and building reports, Tobaccowala said. For that, HomeBoost has developed a version of its app for professionals, which allows them to serve more customers.

The company is also testing a feature that will link homeowners with contractors who can follow the upgrades outlined in the report. For contractors, this is another source of new business, and it allows them to get information on a project before even entering the home.

By bringing together consumers, utilities, and contractors, Tobaccowalla hopes HomeBoost can ultimately deliver on the climate front as well. “It’s a rare situation where everyone is lining up to actually lower utility bills, with the result being improved climate,” he said.