SPAN: The New Smart Electrical Panel For Your Home
- February 10, 2023
- 9 Minute Read
Lessons In This Module
SPAN: Opening Up New Possibilities
Find out why we think SPAN + solar & battery backup is a match made in energy security heaven. We’ll walk you through the SPAN Panel and Solar + Battery Backup – how the two interact with one another and what that means for energy security in your home.
This content comes from the second installment of our Battery Breakdown Webinar Series. For more information on upcoming webinars, subscribe to our newsletter! →
Lesson 01
SPAN Panel Basics
What is a SPAN smart panel?
SPAN replaces your traditional circuit breaker box or electrical panel with a smart electrical panel that can be controlled via a mobile app.
It is a fairly new product, but it really does open up quite a few possibilities for the average homeowner.
What do you get with SPAN?
SPAN offers a command center where you can see your home’s energy consumption, customize battery backup priorities, and manage your home’s energy use in real-time – all in an app on your phone.
Who benefits from SPAN?
Span for Homes Without Solar
Even without solar, you can still see the benefit of a SPAN Panel – are you interested in having more insight into your home’s energy? Want to avoid high time-of-use rates by having centralized control over your energy use? If so, SPAN might be a fun upgrade for you.
Span for Homes With Solar
With solar, your SPAN Panel will allow you to not only see your home’s energy consumption but also see solar production and manage how your energy is used all in one app (SPAN app). The coolest feature – you’ll be able to see how your energy is being used at an individual circuit level, not just your total energy consumption within the house.
To learn all about how solar works, check out our Home Solar 101 resource hub →
Span for Homes With Solar + Battery Backup
Okay, for real y’all… it’s a game-changer! At a high level, SPAN allows solar+battery owners more customization options for their battery storage while extending the impact of having a solar+battery system during a grid outage. More on this below.
To learn about how batteries work, check out our Battery Storage 101 resource hub →
Lesson 02
How to Maximize Battery Backup with SPAN
battery refresher
Partial vs Whole-Home Backup
Let’s start with a quick refresher on how the Tesla Powerwall battery works with solar (without SPAN):
| Partial Backup | Whole-Home Backup |
|---|---|
| Single Powerwall: Circuits are chosen before solar installation and isolated on a subpanel | 2+ Powerwalls: The Powerwalls directly support the home’s main panel. |
| “Just the Essentials”: Powers low amperage circuits within the house - things like your lights, wall outlets, router, fridge/freezers | “Generator Style”: With multiple Powerwalls, you have the amperage capability to tie the batteries directly into your home’s main electrical panel, more of like a generator style |
Interested in a Tesla Powerwall but not sure what you will really get from it? Brandon walks you through how 1, 2, 3, or more Powerwalls will give you peace of mind during grid outages below.
Great! So how does partial vs. whole-home backup with a battery relate to having a SPAN Panel?
SPAN + Solar & Battery Storage Benefits
Real-Time Control
In a partial backup scenario (one Tesla Powerwall) with a traditional electrical panel, your circuits are in a sense set in stone once the battery has been installed. The SPAN panel changes that. With SPAN, you’re able to change what circuits you want to be backed up at any time via the app – talk about flexibility – you’re not tied in with the circuit selection you made five or ten years ago.
Priority Setting During Storm Outages
You’re able to set priorities for what circuits should continue to receive power from your battery before and during power outages. With real-time control, SPAN offers much greater customization and flexibility while helping to extend your battery life by only powering what’s important during the outage.
Utility Rate Control
When Duke Energy and other utilities eventually move toward a Time of Use (TOU) rate schedule, you’ll have even more control in terms of ramping down electrical usage during times of peak demand when the cost per kWh is higher.
See the features for yourself!
You can download the SPAN app and get access to a free simulator where you can see SPAN’s features, abilities, and reporting in action. You don’t even have to enter your email address or sign up for anything (major pro nowadays).
Lesson 03
SPAN Incentives & Pricing
What incentives is SPAN eligible for?
25D Tax Credit
You might have heard this referred to as the “Solar Tax Credit”. This incentive offers 30% of equipment & installation costs when SPAN is included in a solar installation
25C Tax Credit
$600 maximum if the panel is upgraded in conjunction with another eligible upgrade:
- Heat Pump
- Heat Pump Water Heater
HEEHRA Upfront Discount
Up to $4,000 discount depending on your income level relative to your Area Median Income
How much does a SPAN Panel cost?
SPAN Panel pricing will really depend on the project’s complexity, but prices range from $7,250 to $8,250+. If you apply for the 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit, you’d be looking at $5,075 to $5,775 after the incentive. Our team is here to support you with incentive eligibility research to see what you may qualify for!
SPAN FAQs
You don’t need solar to have a SPAN Panel. You can definitely have a SPAN Panel without solar. Having solar + SPAN gives you insight into your solar production and energy consumption. Where SPAN really becomes a game changer though is when you have solar+battery backup AND SPAN.
SPAN is a California based company. It was created by two former Tesla engineers who saw that the electrical panel could use an upgrade… as it hadn’t been in about a century *gasp*!
With incentives within the Inflation Reduction Act and others created to encourage electrification steps – like heat pumps and solar – SPAN will likely have high adoption moving forward.
SPAN is a new company, but as we’ve seen with solar, SPAN continues to develop and reiterate its products to be more sleek and intuitive for users.
What's Next?
Is a SPAN Panel right for you?
Questions about whether SPAN is right for your home? Reach out for a free assessment or schedule a meeting to have your questions answered by one of our solar educators.
Top 17 Powerwall Questions Answered
Answers to all your Tesla Powerall questions in one place! Check out our Tesla Powerwall Guide to learn about Powerwall specs, how battery storage + solar works, & more!
PDF Guide
Ready to Get Started?
Schedule a free assessment to learn more about solar power & battery storage for your home.
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