A think tank producing rigorous, accessible data for advocates, policymakers, & the public.
Clarity and perspective
on state climate policy.
Data scientists
who speak advocacy.
WHO we ARE
Juan-Pablo Velez
Executive Director
former Staff ML Engineer
Max Shron
Director of Research
former Senior Director of Data
Climate progress is now up to the states.
Advocates win state climate policy.
But there's a data vacuum.
Advocates are flying blind, and struggling
to overcome fossil fuel misinformation.
THE PROBLEM
What we do
Data reports that help
advocates win ambitious
state climate policy.
data report
advocates
state climate policy
all-electric new construction across New York State
Question: will new all-electric homes save money against fossil fuels?
Answer: $900 a year,
on average.
impact
covered by..
CASE STUDY #1
“By showing that all-electric new buildings save money,
the report gave advocates a winning narrative for the 2023 legislative
session—and reputable sources to back it up.
was instrumental in getting New York to become the first
state to pass all-electric new construction mandate into law.”
liz moran, EARTHJUSTICE
data report
advocates
state climate policy
heat pump affordability
Question: how many NY households could lower their bills by installing heat pumps?
Answer: 83%.
But half would need
to weatherize first.
CASE STUDY #2
Our report's proposed
heat pump & weatherization incentives inspire new bill
impact
States run by Democrats make up 43% of the US economy.
THE opportunity
By accelerating clean
energy deployment, they
can drop costs worldwide.
Our open data models
are re-usable nationwide.
how we scale
building decarb model
Foundation support keeps costs low for advocates.
's open-source, non-profit data infrastructure supports campaigns in dozens of states.
Advocates keep asking for data on these policies.
is building set of open data models in 2025, across three distinct program areas.
Many states are focused on building decarbonization.
'25 focus: buildings
-
Accelerate Electrification
-
Transition the Gas System
- Right-size the Grid
Building decarb programs
-
Sticks: mandating transition
all-electric new construction
building performance standards
appliance standards
1. Accelerate electrification
-
Carrots: making heat pumps affordable
up-front incentives
hp-friendly rates
weatherization
- Non-pipeline-alternatives & zonal electrification
how many pipe replacement projects could instead fund heat pumps?
how close would this get us to a managed transition?
2. TRANSITION THE GAS SYSTEM
- Utility thermal energy networks
individual vs. network vs. district geo: what works where?
- Peak-shaving technologies
geothermal
thermal storage
3. right-size the grid
- Rate reform
can cost-reflective rates for EVs and HPs slow peak growth?
can rates enable deployment of peak-shaving technologies?
- Demand flexibility
can incentives & EV batteries make demand flexible during cold snaps?
-
Accelerate Electrification
project revenue: ~$100K $40K raised
foundation grants: $200K $40K raised
-
Transition the Gas Network
project revenue: ~$100K $60K raised
foundation grants: $200K
- Right-size the Grid
project revenue: ~$100K $20K raised
foundation grants: $400K $200K raised
program FUNDING SOURCES
- $200-400K in foundation grants covers each program area's core operating budget
1 full-time senior data scientist, leadership salaries, software...
enables building foundational tech for each policy area
-
~$100K in project revenue covers each program's comms & outreach efforts
a minimum of 4 reports per year at ~$25K each, per program
program BUDGETS
web switch.box
bsky @switch.box
mail jpv@switch.box
Switchbox Deck + Building Decarb Programs
By Juan-Pablo Velez
