An innovative heating & cooling tech company

Kelvin was founded in 2013 by CEO Marshall Cox while he was pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering at Columbia University. The idea came to him after his twin brother, visiting for a month, complained about Marshall’s overheated dorm room. Recognizing a widespread problem and drawing on his background in material science and electrical engineering, Marshall developed the concept for a smart insulated radiator enclosure, now known as the Cozy. This became the basis for Radiator Labs, now called Kelvin.

After several successful pilots, Radiator Labs launched a full-scale commercial deployment of the Cozy in 2016, and demonstrated savings on heating bills from 25% to 40%, according to a study conducted by NYSERDA and Con Edison.

Building on the success of the Cozy, Kelvin recognized a broader opportunity: while radiator control significantly improves comfort and reduces energy waste, fully decarbonizing older buildings requires a deeper transformation. That’s why Kelvin began developing adaptive electrification, a new approach that enables legacy buildings to transition affordably and methodically  to electric heating. Adaptive electrification works by balancing the future and the past. New heat pumps replace air conditioners to provide both cooling and a substantial portion of heating. A building’s original central heating is fired automatically, only whenever it’s more cost-effective. This allows buildings to reduce fossil fuel dependence over time economically while improving resident comfort.

Our approach is especially valuable in the types of buildings Kelvin already serves: older multifamily buildings with steam or hot water systems, limited electrical capacity, and constrained capital budgets. By combining smart controls, distributed electric heating, and real-time building data, adaptive electrification gives owners a practical, scalable pathway to meet carbon reduction mandates like Local Law 97, without sacrificing comfort or major renovations.