Ex-Apple Designer Launches Affordable Heat Pumps That Install in Under an Hour
- Merino Energy launched its first product, the Merino Mono, on April 7, 2026, aiming to lower the financial and technical barriers to heat pump adoption.
- The company was founded by Mari-Anne Rau, a former Apple product designer and engineer who worked on the design of AirPods and Brad Hall, who previously worked at...
- Standard mini-split heat pumps generally consist of two separate components: an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor condenser.
Merino Energy launched its first product, the Merino Mono, on April 7, 2026, aiming to lower the financial and technical barriers to heat pump adoption. The startup offers a compact heating and cooling unit with a fixed price of $3,800, which includes installation fees. The company claims the system can be installed in one hour or less, representing a significant reduction in the time and labor typically required for home electrification.
The company was founded by Mari-Anne Rau, a former Apple product designer and engineer who worked on the design of AirPods and Brad Hall, who previously worked at the window heat pump company Gradient. Rau’s decision to start the company followed her own attempts to electrify her home, during which she received a quote of $40,000 to install heat pumps.
Addressing Installation Bottlenecks
Standard mini-split heat pumps generally consist of two separate components: an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor condenser. According to data from EnergySage, a typical mini-split can cost between $4,000 and $6,000 per zone and may take up to eight hours to install. This process requires skilled technicians to run long lines between the units and manually add refrigerant on-site.
The Merino Mono simplifies this architecture by combining the indoor and outdoor components into a single compact unit, comparable in size to a radiator located under a window. Instead of an outdoor condenser, the device uses two wall vents—one for air intake and one for exhaust. This design eliminates the need for complicated external connections and reduces the installation time to approximately one hour.
To further reduce infrastructure requirements, the Mono plugs into a standard 120V outlet. Rau stated that if you can plug a microwave into that outlet – Merino Mono will also run on that outlet,
reducing the need for expensive electrical panel upgrades.
Environmental and Economic Impact
A key technical difference in the Mono’s manufacturing is that refrigerant is added at the factory rather than during installation. This approach reduces the risk of refrigerant leaks, which are a significant source of emissions. Rau noted that one leaky mini split can erase the benefits of transitioning around 50 homes off of fossil fuels.
The flat-rate pricing model is intended to streamline the sales process for both homeowners and HVAC companies. By providing a fixed cost, the company aims to eliminate the time technicians spend visiting homes to provide quotes that homeowners may ultimately find unaffordable. This model is designed to provide better margins for installers while reducing the overall cost for the consumer.
For a whole-home installation, the Merino system could cost half as much as a typical mini-split setup. For users adding a unit to a single room, the cost is approximately one-third of traditional options.
Design and Smart Integration
The hardware is 7.8 inches deep and designed to be quiet during operation. The system integrates with smart home ecosystems, including Google Home and Apple HomeKit. It also features integration with the Oura Ring wearable to automate temperature control based on the user’s sleep cycle.
Rau explained that the Oura Ring integration is based on clinical studies suggesting that reducing temperatures by several degrees during REM sleep can improve sleep quality and efficiency.
California Market and Regulatory Goals
Merino Energy is launching first in California to meet high regional demand and aggressive state climate goals. California has set a target to install six million heat pumps by 2030. With approximately 2.3 million already installed, the state would need to maintain an average pace of roughly 2,000 installations per day for five years to reach that goal.
Rau claims that because the Mono is installed eight times faster than traditional systems, the state could potentially reach its goal in four years. The company has also developed a simplified version for low-income housing, which has already been installed in a Bay Area apartment building for formerly homeless residents.
The launch also aligns with local regulations in Los Angeles, where a rule was passed requiring landlords to maintain indoor temperatures below 82 degrees as extreme heat becomes more frequent. Because many Los Angeles apartments lack air conditioning, the Mono provides a more affordable permanent solution for adding cooling to these buildings.
Merino Energy opened pre-orders on its website on April 7, 2026, and expects to begin shipping the first products in late 2026.