Markham-based QEA Tech is on a mission to help reduce the carbon footprint of commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-tenant buildings. The company has developed an innovative AI-powered solution that provides detailed energy audits to property owners and building managers. QEA Tech’s solution uses drones, thermography, and its proprietary AI software to inspect a building’s envelope, the components like exterior walls, roofs, and windows that separate a building from the outside world.
Peyvand Melati, CEO at QEA Tech, said the resulting audit quantifies a building’s energy loss and provides targeted retrofit recommendations that can maximize energy and cost savings for clients. The company started as a research and development project at Micro Interface Design, a technology incubator in Markham.
Melati has played an important role in the development and commercialization of QEA Tech’s product. He was an early investor in QEA Tech’s building envelope audit technology. As he became more involved with the project, he realized the technology’s potential that despite significant energy savings available by reducing energy loss in a building’s envelope, there was very little data available on it to identify those areas.
The company recently opened an office in Tokyo, Japan, and was a finalist in the Start Up Energy Transition Award at the SET Tech Festival in Berlin, Germany. Earlier this year, QEA Tech participated in the Free Electrons Bootcamp and was selected as a Top 29 startup out of thousands of companies. During this program, QEA Tech had the opportunity to connect with utilities from around the world, further setting the foundation for its expansion into Europe and Asia.
QEA Tech’s clients include commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-unit residential buildings. This year, the company is set to celebrate its 600th building envelope audit, an important milestone as it expands its client base across Canada and the U.S.
“We have completed projects with multiple municipalities across Ontario to provide insights into building energy loss,” he said.
QEA Tech has also completed audits on large projects, including major airports, hospitals, academic campuses, skyscrapers, and apartment complexes across Canada and the U.S. In the U.S., QEA Tech completed audits for the 42 branches of the Brooklyn Public Library system. Melati said Markham’s location has given QEA Tech access to clients across the GTA.
“It’s great because we have so many clients locally. We’re able to go onsite to collect data and deliver the audits quickly,” he said.
Locating in Markham has also given QEA Tech opportunities thanks to accelerator programs like York University’s YSpace. He said YSpace has helped by providing access to its facilities and funding opportunities for business development.
“QEA Tech also collaborates with local universities such as York University’s Schulich School of Business and UofT’s Rotman School of Business,” Melati said. “We recently collaborated with Schulich’s team for the Turner MIINT (MBA Impact Investing Network and Training) Competition. We also hire talent from Schulich, including full-time employees and interns.”
To learn more about QEA Tech, visit qeatech.com.
