HomeBoost launches DIY home energy assessment app

HomeBoost, a startup co-founded by Selina Tobaccowala, has launched a service to help people conduct their own home energy assessments. The company charges customers $99 for an assessment, which is about a quarter the cost of a traditional, in-person assessment. According to Tobaccowala, the HomeBoost app is cheaper and faster than a professional auditor. While dedicated professional auditors can spend between two and 10 hours surveying homes, collating data, and building reports, HomeBoost aims to streamline this process, making it faster and more accessible for homeowners looking to lower their utility bills. The startup was previously part of the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

The assessment process begins when HomeBoost mails customers a “BoostBox,” a small kit containing an infrared camera and a blacklight, along with a link to the companion app. Homeowners use the infrared camera to detect where cold or hot air is seeping into their homes, while the blacklight helps identify which lights can be upgraded. The app then automatically generates a report suggesting cost-effective upgrades and local rebates.

In many parts of the country, utilities are incentivized to reduce end users’ energy use and often work with energy auditors to survey homes. To make the service more accessible, HomeBoost is partnering with utility companies to subsidize the cost of the assessment for consumers. These utility partners include:

• Central Hudson, which covers the entire cost if homeowners check out the BoostBox from a public library.
• Omaha Public Power District, which pays for all but $19 of the cost.
• Avista, which has also signed a deal with the startup.

Tobaccowala, the former president and CTO of SurveyMonkey who previously founded the startup Gixo (which was acquired by OpenFit), turned to customer surveys to design the product. After selling Gixo, she sought a new challenge in the sustainability and climate sector, inspired by her children’s focus on energy conservation. Through extensive customer surveys, she found that consumers frequently receive utility emails comparing their energy usage to their neighbors but are often left unsure of how to address the issue. By bringing consumers, utilities, and contractors together, the startup aims to address both consumer costs and environmental impact. “It’s a very unique situation where everybody’s aligned to actually lower the utility bill, which in the net result is improvement on the climate,” Tobaccowala said.

Why it matters

HomeBoost aims to lower utility bills and improve climate outcomes by enabling consumers to conduct their own home energy assessments, often subsidized by utility partners.