Innovative Products: SPAN Smart Electric Panel
Year over year, the interest and purchasing of electricity-powered products increases. From kitchens to garages, electric products have become increasingly important to consumers.
According to data from the National Association of Home Builders, 60% of homebuyers find a solar water heating/electric system desirable, and in nearly half of the country’s regions, almost half or more of buyers prefer electricity for cooking.
And with the latest rebates available for energy-efficient appliances, it’s fair to say that homeowners will have heightened interest.
Electrification will continue to increase, and rather dramatically in the next 10 years, says Arch Rao, founder of the SPAN Smart Panel and former head engineer at Tesla Energy. SPAN aims to reinvent electrical panels by being an all-in-one panel for a home’s electricity needs while pulling up the curtain to electricity use.
It won accolades including Best Energy-Efficient Product and Best Home Technology Product at the 2022 International Builders’ Show, an Innovation Award from the Consumer Electronics Show 2022, and Fast Company listed SPAN in its 10 Most Innovative Energy Companies list in 2022.
“I strongly think this decade, we’re going to make that additional step forward [into electrification] because there are technologies available, like heat pumps, like induction cooktops, that are mainstream,” says Rao. “But the great limiter is that if you want to add these things in your home, that home electrical system is not set up to support all of that.”
Rao says SPAN’s greatest opportunity comes in retrofits. When a homeowner undergoes a kitchen remodel, for example, and realizes they must update their electrical system, selecting a SPAN panel can be an equally priced option.
The SPAN Smart Panel allows for control and monitoring of every circuit in a home through a smartphone app. It shows homeowners what areas are using how much electricity and notices when any issues arise.
“This is a product that enables customers to, for the first time, understand what’s happening in their home,” says Rao. “Today, you often only find out when something is broken, and this is a product that allows the first-time customers to take a step forward and find out without having to sacrifice on economics.”
SPAN has also recently begun production on an electric vehicle charger, which Rao claims offers unprecedented levels of power, up to 11.5 kW, which equals 41 miles of range per hour. A traditional EV charger, for example, typically charges between 5.7 and 9.6 kW, equating to 27 miles of range added per hour.
This is achievable through circuit control, allowing a homeowner to turn off their air conditioning system, for example, to allow more amps toward vehicle charging.
In addition to controlling circuits, backup batteries can be tied to the SPAN panel. SPAN is compatible with the three leading batteries: Tesla Powerwall, LG Chem RESU, and SolarEdge Energy Bank.
