Turning Buildings into Energy Assets
with Alex Blumberg and DaisyChain Energy
The electricity grid is under strain. Aging infrastructure, rising demand from electrification and AI data centers are pushing the system to its limits. According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the US faces growing risks of power shortages during peak demand. And the country isn’t alone. Governments around the world are spending billions on grid upgrades, moving – slowly – towards a world of distributed, flexible energy.
Grid congestion, or the mismatch between when energy is available and when buildings need it, is where our next guest has focused his attention.
Alex Blumberg, best known for founding Gimlet Media and co-creating Planet Money, is now the Co-founder and CEO of DaisyChain Energy. His second company is tackling grid congestion, a problem hiding in plain sight.
“So the big problem with the electric grid is that it’s built sort of on a parking lot model. The parking lot is like most of the year half empty. And then there are two or three days a year where it’s beyond full. But people who build parking lots build for those two or three days. And the grid is the same. It builds for peak load, even though it’s very rare that you get anywhere close to peak load.”
In this episode, Blumberg explains why building decarbonization has stalled and how DaisyChain is unlocking progress by making the economics work first. By combining submetering with smart rate arbitrage (tracking energy use at the circuit level to buy power at cheaper off-peak rates), DaisyChain is helping commercial buildings generate immediate savings while laying the groundwork for batteries, heat pumps, and other distributed energy resources.
Blumberg envisions a different grid: one where buildings don’t just consume energy, but actively stabilize the system by flexing demand and reducing peak load.
“Ultimately, what we’re building is the integration and control layer of electrification for the built environment. It’s a world where you don’t have to build as much generation because you can control your peaks.”
MCJ is an investor in DaisyChain. Learn about Blumberg’s story and DaisyChain’s technology in this recent episode of our podcast Inevitable.
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👩💻 Events
🌁 San Francisco Climate Week: We’re taking the show on the road to SF Climate Week! The MCJ team is hosting an event featuring the people behind New Mexico’s exciting transformation as a hub for entrepreneurs and investments. Join us to discover how the state is deploying public capital, attracting industry, and positioning itself as a magnet for the next generation of climate and innovation-driven businesses. Hear from: Rob Black, New Mexico’s Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development, Bruce Brown, Head of Strategic Climate Initiatives at the New Mexico State Investment Council, Carrie Von Muench, Founding COO at Pacific Fusion and Carl Hoiland, Co-Founder at Zanskar Geothermal. RSVP here. Space is limited!