This SPAN is a great product. But at that price point I'll wait for a second competitor to come along and drive the price down. Competition always helps the consumer.
I guess Im asking randomly but does someone know a trick to get back into an instagram account? I was dumb lost the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
I have a powerwall on my home and it's a whole-home backup but I regret that decision I want certain circuits to turn off like the garage and the jacuzzi system so if they can figure out how to integrate with Tesla this would be perfect as I could replace my sub panel that is the whole home backup with this and choose which circuits turn on during a blackout and then if I decide I need to go into the garage to use the nail gun for 2 minutes I can turn that circuit on for 2 minutes that's fantastic
Can this be used in an off-grid setup in which the grid would act as a backup instead? Don't need it to see and control batteries. Basically the auto transfer is a must so an active-active (solar/inverter/battery and grid power) setup, it just chooses the solar/inverter/battery and only would switch to grid if that goes down only)
Generac has a similar system and I heard them say that they will also have a system that will make having a generator hooked into the system to automatically charge the battery and or run your backup. Living in a rural area with a lot of cold and winter it might be really good.
For that price I can buy a 2nd Powerwall, for me I dont really care how many more boxes you can reduced, but for people who dont have the space, like to have the latest gadgets, and have money to spare, than this box is for you...
9:00 it's $5k. For reference, a regular panel and auto transfer switch would cost less than $1k. You could add a competing energy monitoring appliance for a few hundred more. Breaker flipping would be by hand, though.
Love the concept--even at its high price point--but the battery options are too limited. Right now, I'm looking at the Enphase Ensemble as my top choice for battery backup. Any idea if/when Enphase will be compatible?
If it replaced the Telsa Gateway which is about $5k, then it would be worth it. Also, what happens when the internet is down? Is this system local? Does the app work when you can't connect to their servers? Can I tap into their API and integrate it into my own home automation system?
Currently the product is not compatible with the Tesla Powerwall. The system broadcasts its own network so you can connect to it locally in the event it's a worldwide power outage which would effect the internet. I'm not sure if they have an open source API at this time but I do believe the app has built-in integration for other smart devices and it's always expanding. www.span.io/smart-panel-product
@@dalerolph I would need to be able to pull in data since I have several hundred devices that are managed through home assistant as well as APIs from every other platform that can't directly connect to wifi, zigbee or zwave. Either way if it doesn't work with telsa, I'll have to wait anyway. Thank you for the response.
You may want to check out Lumin. It’s an smart device add on for battery backup systems. We haven’t done a video on it yet, but are planning on doing one soon.
@@dalerolph Span interfaces with the Tesla Gateway. That is how it knows the battery charge level. There is no API for Span. Details on the Span app integration does not seem to be readily available, which I take to mean either non or possibly not yet.
Good overview of the panel. Need a detailed video of the whole panel with the breakers and setup. How does this panel compare to the Leviton Load Center?
It’s superior to the Leviton because it has a built in ATS for grid forming during a power outage. It also is use off the shelf breakers from Eaten and Square D whereas Leviton require you to use their own. When we sell one we will do a video overview on the install so be sure to subscribe!
So, with this panel if you have a new home being built, can we install the panel only? Then say 6 months after add a storage solution? Then say another six months after adding the battery, add a a few panels and an inverter? Can it be done like that for a homeowner who won't be able to fork out all the money to do one massive solar and storage project?
@@dalerolph well where I'm located, the service meter is usually always installed by a contractor and on the outside of every home, while the panel is in a separate location.
How does this handle more than 32 Breaker locations in the box.. do they have an expansion box? do you need 2? or would you maybe choose some breakers that you know you would not want to be powered during a power outage when I am using my power walls?.. I would appreciate any feedback you can provide.. as I am def looking at this panel close for a a solar expansion I have planned very soon
Thank you for sharing! Question for larger homes: how would the setup be for house that have a larger 400amps main panel, with two 200amps sub-panels? Would you recommend installing two of these for the sub-panels? If so, how would they align in the app for load management? Thank you again!
- Does it use proprietary breakers? In either case, are the breakers included in the cost of the device? AFCI/GFCI breakers get expensive very fast and "smart" breakers are even more. - If it uses proprietary breakers, do they offer a surge protection breaker to be compliant with 2020 NEC? I don't think this device makes sense at the price point. The Tesla Backup Gateway can be configured as the main breaker for the property and can have a small amount of breaker space inside itself. I believe a thoughtfully designed system can be done cleanly with Tesla and avoid the amount of boxes shown in the picture.
Seems awesome in some ways, but incomplete in others. The app control is sweet, but no metered panel means vs any other system it only removes one of the boxes (by combining the Automatic Transfer Switch with the loads panel)... The lack of integration with the only battery system worthwhile for a power hungry California home in the summer desiring whole house backup is... Well, a deal breaker; I hope these guys can get more batteries integrated in, and I hope more companies deliver large whole house backup batteries with large capacity soon for that matter. Thanks for the video Dale, and I hope you get to report more on how these guys work out for your projects soon. P.S. Please stop calling the Automatic Transfer Switch an "Automatic Transformer Switch", as it makes me cringe every time.
The price is on the high side of the spectrum. Labor is not bad but you are replacing the old panel with this panel. You can use the old panel and run a master breaker for main box to this new box. That the only way it would work. Then you have full function for the house. And total electric control of the house. More like an off grid system with on grid support systems.
Thanks for including the price as that is very helpful. It would mean a lot more to me as a layperson if you explained what that covered. I assume solar panels are not included in that price. But what do I know?
the price in the video is for the smart panel itself. An electrician would likely charge another $4,000+ for plans, permits, installation/materials and inspection.
Price I believe is way too high. Nice concept, but price and compatibility is always an issue. I which there were an standard like in other industries, where you can mix the panel you want with the inverter, batteries and solar panels you prefer. There’s always that manufacturer catch to push you for a limited ecosystem regardless that some of its components are good and others are not as good. This just limits the deployment of solar since customers get tired of the complications and manufacturer’s games
What the heck is an "Auto Transformer Switch"? Are you trying to say "Auto Transfer Switch" or "Switched Autotransformer"? Those are two totally different things!
Q: What happens to WIFI when power goes out? A: No WIFI! Please explain how you control the panel via WIFI in this situation... I have a garage door opener that I can control over WIFI and oops, no workie!
5k to replace $500 worth of panels and shut offs. Forget about it. 3500 vs 6k for a smart system. $5k tops total. 1500 more then a typical panel swap. $1000 for the supplier and $4k for the contractor and contractor support.
Bull. 4 years later and most of what you are saying with the SPAN panel never happened. What components did the span panel actually replace? 1) Transfer switch for a gas generator? Nope. Still there. SPAN says it must be installed ahead of the SPAN panel and you still need the transfer switch. 2) Inverter? Nope. Still need a solar inverter on the wall and an auto transformer for some of them. SPAN panel has no impact on this. 3) Batteries? Still need those on the wall if you have battery backup. 4) Meter? If you are doing Enphase, SPAN actually requires an extra meter to make the battery backup system work that you wouldnt normally need with the Enphase battery system. 5) Critical loads panel? The only time this would go away is if you choose any of a few battery backup systems SPAN supports. But you could avoid a critical loads panel anyway by installing a whole home battery backup system such as EG4 or Tesla. 6) Since the only component you could avoid with SPAN is a critical loads panel, you should probably be using gutter. So, that's still there.
This SPAN is a great product. But at that price point I'll wait for a second competitor to come along and drive the price down. Competition always helps the consumer.
I guess Im asking randomly but does someone know a trick to get back into an instagram account?
I was dumb lost the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
I have a powerwall on my home and it's a whole-home backup
but I regret that decision I want certain circuits to turn off like the garage and the jacuzzi system
so if they can figure out how to integrate with Tesla this would be perfect as I could replace my sub panel that is the whole home backup with this and choose which circuits turn on during a blackout
and then if I decide I need to go into the garage to use the nail gun for 2 minutes I can turn that circuit on for 2 minutes that's fantastic
Wow, the future looks bright!
Very cool
Can this be used in an off-grid setup in which the grid would act as a backup instead? Don't need it to see and control batteries. Basically the auto transfer is a must so an active-active (solar/inverter/battery and grid power) setup, it just chooses the solar/inverter/battery and only would switch to grid if that goes down only)
Generac has a similar system and I heard them say that they will also have a system that will make having a generator hooked into the system to automatically charge the battery and or run your backup. Living in a rural area with a lot of cold and winter it might be really good.
For that price I can buy a 2nd Powerwall, for me I dont really care how many more boxes you can reduced, but for people who dont have the space, like to have the latest gadgets, and have money to spare, than this box is for you...
Thanks for your feed back!
9:00 it's $5k. For reference, a regular panel and auto transfer switch would cost less than $1k. You could add a competing energy monitoring appliance for a few hundred more. Breaker flipping would be by hand, though.
Love the concept--even at its high price point--but the battery options are too limited. Right now, I'm looking at the Enphase Ensemble as my top choice for battery backup. Any idea if/when Enphase will be compatible?
Enphase has no plans on integration with Span. You could go with Lumin which is similar to Span but is retrofitted to any emergency loads panel.
@@dalerolph Dale, does Enphase still has the same aproach to Span IO? Or they changed their mind?
If it replaced the Telsa Gateway which is about $5k, then it would be worth it. Also, what happens when the internet is down? Is this system local? Does the app work when you can't connect to their servers? Can I tap into their API and integrate it into my own home automation system?
Currently the product is not compatible with the Tesla Powerwall. The system broadcasts its own network so you can connect to it locally in the event it's a worldwide power outage which would effect the internet. I'm not sure if they have an open source API at this time but I do believe the app has built-in integration for other smart devices and it's always expanding. www.span.io/smart-panel-product
@@dalerolph I would need to be able to pull in data since I have several hundred devices that are managed through home assistant as well as APIs from every other platform that can't directly connect to wifi, zigbee or zwave. Either way if it doesn't work with telsa, I'll have to wait anyway. Thank you for the response.
You may want to check out Lumin. It’s an smart device add on for battery backup systems. We haven’t done a video on it yet, but are planning on doing one soon.
@@dalerolph Span interfaces with the Tesla Gateway. That is how it knows the battery charge level. There is no API for Span. Details on the Span app integration does not seem to be readily available, which I take to mean either non or possibly not yet.
This is a very good video. Thanks
Good overview of the panel. Need a detailed video of the whole panel with the breakers and setup. How does this panel compare to the Leviton Load Center?
It’s superior to the Leviton because it has a built in ATS for grid forming during a power outage. It also is use off the shelf breakers from Eaten and Square D whereas Leviton require you to use their own. When we sell one we will do a video overview on the install so be sure to subscribe!
So, with this panel if you have a new home being built, can we install the panel only?
Then say 6 months after add a storage solution?
Then say another six months after adding the battery, add a a few panels and an inverter?
Can it be done like that for a homeowner who won't be able to fork out all the money to do one massive solar and storage project?
Yes, but you still need a service meter for the utility provider as this panel does not have a meter socket built in.
@@dalerolph well where I'm located, the service meter is usually always installed by a contractor and on the outside of every home, while the panel is in a separate location.
RecarroJames I think a separate meter from panel is like that in most of the country. Always has to be California to be different.
How does this handle more than 32 Breaker locations in the box.. do they have an expansion box? do you need 2? or would you maybe choose some breakers that you know you would not want to be powered during a power outage when I am using my power walls?.. I would appreciate any feedback you can provide.. as I am def looking at this panel close for a a solar expansion I have planned very soon
Thank you for sharing!
Question for larger homes: how would the setup be for house that have a larger 400amps main panel, with two 200amps sub-panels? Would you recommend installing two of these for the sub-panels? If so, how would they align in the app for load management?
Thank you again!
- Does it use proprietary breakers? In either case, are the breakers included in the cost of the device? AFCI/GFCI breakers get expensive very fast and "smart" breakers are even more.
- If it uses proprietary breakers, do they offer a surge protection breaker to be compliant with 2020 NEC?
I don't think this device makes sense at the price point. The Tesla Backup Gateway can be configured as the main breaker for the property and can have a small amount of breaker space inside itself. I believe a thoughtfully designed system can be done cleanly with Tesla and avoid the amount of boxes shown in the picture.
Is the system tetered to google?
Does it need the internet to function?
Can this panel use quad breakers?
Seems awesome in some ways, but incomplete in others. The app control is sweet, but no metered panel means vs any other system it only removes one of the boxes (by combining the Automatic Transfer Switch with the loads panel)... The lack of integration with the only battery system worthwhile for a power hungry California home in the summer desiring whole house backup is... Well, a deal breaker; I hope these guys can get more batteries integrated in, and I hope more companies deliver large whole house backup batteries with large capacity soon for that matter.
Thanks for the video Dale, and I hope you get to report more on how these guys work out for your projects soon.
P.S. Please stop calling the Automatic Transfer Switch an "Automatic Transformer Switch", as it makes me cringe every time.
The price is on the high side of the spectrum. Labor is not bad but you are replacing the old panel with this panel. You can use the old panel and run a master breaker for main box to this new box. That the only way it would work. Then you have full function for the house. And total electric control of the house. More like an off grid system with on grid support systems.
Thanks for your feed back!
Hi Dale , it’s been a year since the release of this review , have you seen updates and info being shared by Span IO , on metered panels options ?
We just installed a version 2 of their panel. Check that video out
Thanks for including the price as that is very helpful. It would mean a lot more to me as a layperson if you explained what that covered.
I assume solar panels are not included in that price. But what do I know?
the price in the video is for the smart panel itself. An electrician would likely charge another $4,000+ for plans, permits, installation/materials and inspection.
“Auto transfer switch” not “auto transformer” :) But other than that, great video!
Is this thing NEC approved? How does it manage (or adulterate) arc faults and new electrical codes?
It is UL certified, and for NEC approved I'm not sure if that's applicable it does follow NEC standards.
What does the quoted price include? It that just the panel?
Yes, that’s just the panel.
Price I believe is way too high. Nice concept, but price and compatibility is always an issue. I which there were an standard like in other industries, where you can mix the panel you want with the inverter, batteries and solar panels you prefer. There’s always that manufacturer catch to push you for a limited ecosystem regardless that some of its components are good and others are not as good. This just limits the deployment of solar since customers get tired of the complications and manufacturer’s games
I had to rewind to make sure I heard the price right…. O hell no.
What the heck is an "Auto Transformer Switch"? Are you trying to say "Auto Transfer Switch" or "Switched Autotransformer"? Those are two totally different things!
Yea that's what I was thinking. Never heard of "Auto transformer switch". Sounds like they mean Auto Transfer Switch.
Q: What happens to WIFI when power goes out?
A: No WIFI!
Please explain how you control the panel via WIFI in this situation...
I have a garage door opener that I can control over WIFI and oops, no workie!
Do you know of an installer in the Tahoe/Reno area?
does enphase have this?
No, this is the first of it's product. Enphase has an external auto transformer and sub-panel for their soon to be release IQ8 Encharge batteries.
@@dalerolph Yea I was curious about that, I have been looking at the enphase ensemble but like the features of the span.io.
5k to replace $500 worth of panels and shut offs. Forget about it. 3500 vs 6k for a smart system. $5k tops total. 1500 more then a typical panel swap. $1000 for the supplier and $4k for the contractor and contractor support.
Price is stupid expensive. X-10 TYPE control tied to relay contactor can do the same very cheadly....sexy has its price
Grown men getting excited for switches and electrical meters.
Bull. 4 years later and most of what you are saying with the SPAN panel never happened. What components did the span panel actually replace? 1) Transfer switch for a gas generator? Nope. Still there. SPAN says it must be installed ahead of the SPAN panel and you still need the transfer switch. 2) Inverter? Nope. Still need a solar inverter on the wall and an auto transformer for some of them. SPAN panel has no impact on this. 3) Batteries? Still need those on the wall if you have battery backup. 4) Meter? If you are doing Enphase, SPAN actually requires an extra meter to make the battery backup system work that you wouldnt normally need with the Enphase battery system. 5) Critical loads panel? The only time this would go away is if you choose any of a few battery backup systems SPAN supports. But you could avoid a critical loads panel anyway by installing a whole home battery backup system such as EG4 or Tesla. 6) Since the only component you could avoid with SPAN is a critical loads panel, you should probably be using gutter. So, that's still there.
If its graphene or solid state battery then it's worth it
It's not a battery, it's an electrical panel.