How a Whole-House Contractor Beats the Tech Startups with Larry Waters

Silicon Valley startups are betting they can out-compete traditional HVAC contractors on speed, technology, and customer experience. In this episode of The High Performance Edge, Peter Troast talks with Larry Waters, a 40-year industry veteran and founder of Electrify My Home in Northern California, who was running that playbook years before the startups made it a pitch.But the real story is differentiation: how a quality-first, whole-house company stands apart, not just from venture-backed newcomers, but from the entire HVAC sector still doing things the old way. Larry breaks down his all-electric model, why he tackles the envelope and mechanicals together, and how a rigorous intake and virtual assessment process lets him invest only in serious buyers: 10 of his last 11 closed. Most importantly, the process and technology serve the work; they don’t replace it.Listen to hear how one contractor thrives in a crowded market while never compromising a high-quality, house-as-a-system approach.