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Select Quotes From This Episode:
“You could have free wind and solar out on the grid, and you’d still be paying about as much as you are today just to get it to your house.” – Sam
“Installing the best home batteries are like 1200, 1500 bucks a kilowatt hour... there’s this 10, 15x spread. If we instead put batteries into an appliance that already has efficient sales channels... we cut out that extra 10x.” – Sam
“What you see is what you get. There’s an authenticity in material... It’s real California walnut. It’s not spray-painted plastic.” – Sam
“For too long homes have been just a consumer of electricity... We’re entering a world where homes have the opportunity to be bi-directional consumers and producers of power.” – Sam
Today we’re talking about a kitchen range, that has a battery in it. But… this conversation has almost nothing to do with cooking.
The core issue is electricity prices. Despite the costs of solar and wind coming down drastically, the average home owner is paying higher and higher monthly electric bills. Up to 70% of their bill can be the costs that the utility is charging them to put up wires, to bring that electricity to their house.
Yeah. To string up wires.
One way to solve this problem is by installing more batteries in the home. Even if that means putting it in your appliance. Especially in your appliance because during that intense use time it can pull from the grid less. You can avoid the peak electricity demand.
Even though, this isn’t really about kitchen ranges, that has to be their first focus. Because who is going to use a stove if it sucks?
It needs to be an incredible experience. We are humans. We don’t just do things for utility. Otherwise what would motivate us to live, write poetry, bird watch… romance? Experience matters a lot.
Not only are they solving the electricity cost problem, they are elevating the experience of cooking in a visceral way.
Our guest is Sam Calisch, co-founder of Copper. What I have not shared yet is how this tech also allows old building (including entire apartment buildings) to electrify the building’s ranges without installing an absurdly expensive panel upgrade. A regular power plug in will suffice.
I cannot say enough good things about Sam and what they are doing at Copper. Solving a real macro problem, while also drastically improving an experience no one thought could be improved, and… doing it with a beautiful design. Sam may not quite be at the Steve Jobs level of visionary, but he’s on his way.
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Here are some key timestamps from the episode:
00:00 – Intro & Sam’s background in math, physics, and early climate tech.
04:33 – The grid’s delivery problem: Why cheap solar doesn’t mean cheap electricity bills.
08:18 – The “Trojan Horse” Strategy: Why Copper put a battery inside an induction stove.
10:35 – Bypassing the electrician shortage and avoiding 240V panel upgrades.
14:00 – Building Emotional Value: Why a product needs to be more than just a spreadsheet ROI.
16:00 – The Design Philosophy: Authentic materials, California walnut, and the “walk-up test.”
24:47 – Expanding the Vision: Selling to apartments and licensing tech to legacy appliance OEMs.
33:21 – Timing the Market: Why legacy companies couldn’t build this 10 years ago (The battery cost curve).
38:43 – Escaping “throwaway culture” and building durable, high-quality hardware.
47:04 – The Bi-directional Home: Transforming houses from passive consumers to active grid participants.
51:06 – Manufacturing in the U.S. and reigniting the American builder’s spirit.
This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.
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