Radiator Labs is a company trying to sell a connected radiator cover that allows consumers to keep their rooms in steam-heated buildings at a comfortable temperature. While it has a Kickstarter campaign aimed at convincing consumers to shell out $300 for the Cozy cover, its real goal is to take its covers and the data they generate to help landlords in the Northeast make their buildings more energy-efficient. It’s a reasonable solution to a very real problem, but is that enough to build a business?

Marshall Cox, the creator of Cozy, says he’s been building this idea for the last three years, and started out hoping to get building owners on board. While consumers may find the problem of an overheated apartment annoying, for landlords it represents a colossal waste of money. So Cox’s product doesn’t just cover the radiator and control the temperature, it also tracks data about the…