This Smart Home Electric Panel Fixed My Tesla Powerwall

[@UndecidedMF]

Do you have any interest in something like Span combined with a battery system like a Tesla Powerwall? And thanks to Skillshare - The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/undecidedwithmattferrell08211 If you liked this video, check out "What you need to know before getting a Tesla Powerwall" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmfCY4uVbL6sZ6c

[@oplkfdhgk]

Do you have powerwall wiring diagram? I would like to take a look. I have been wondering how it works. Thanks :)

[@sruthakshisinha4724]

Can you please clarify why they can't have just one set of computer controlled hardware switches instead of having them in addition to the traditional cb's? Does it have anything to do with short circuit protection and breaking capacity?

[@wyattnoise]

Yeah, if they wanna send me one for free as well.

[@Luna2Mars]

🤯 thx for the awesome content!! This is one of my favorites!

[@solarjunkie]

Nice presentation, Matt. I've had my eye on Span for the past year or so. If/when their solution can be integrated into an Enphase/Encharge/Ensemble implementation, then they'll have a new customer. And potentially, I suspect, tens of thousands of others. One question about your setup: did you find the number of supported circuits to be limiting in your case? With all your home automation, etc., you may have more complex demands than the average homeowner. Cheers! Chad Conway, anything encouraging to say about this?

[@UltimateGuidetoWoodworking]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@PaleGhost69]

"The refrigerator is using more power than normal" Dammit, how many times do I have to tell you kids to close the fridge door!

[@UndecidedMF]

😂

[@ObiWanKnewby]

Now all you need is a little motor to close the door when this warning pops up.

[@greenenvironment7098]

अंकल

[@RandyRandersonthefamous]

convert a chest freezer into a fridge.

[@YannR34]

@@ObiWanKnewby Nope, you need a facial recognition on the fridge and restrain access to only good kids. 😂🤣 And not encouraging them to keep acting like jerk. For even more teaching (if they are that limited) you can give them an electric choc each time they fail and give them a treat if they succeed. 🤣 Or, even make them produce electricity by biking until they replace the loss + an extra. I'm sure they won't do it again. (I like this one even more)

[@bobbyyoungs9848]

I’m years away from buying a house and probably a few years after that before I can start to add things like a power wall. But I really like learning about this stuff from your channel. Most, if not all of your videos I’ve really enjoyed. Love the delivery. Thanks!

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, Bobby! Love hearing that. Thanks for watching.

[@gsantee]

2 years away?

[@bobbyyoungs9848]

@@gsantee ?

[@dylanc9275]

His powerwall and solar is probably around 40,000 $

[@jerrymyahzcat]

You are best to install solar and a battery at the same time as building or buying a house - then you can include it in the build or buy cost and loan (if getting a loan/mortgage).

[@grayismysuperpower]

Hi Matt, I’ve been watching your videos for several months and I want to tell you how refreshing it is to learn about new tech without all the hype and useless filler that some other channels have. I appreciate your straightforward delivery and thorough research on each topic. Well done!

[@c01000100]

Thank you Matt for being one of few producers that don't flood the audio tracks loud than your voice between speaking sections! I appreciate tremendously not having to battle the volume control!

[@rossk7927]

My problem with all IoT devices is really highlighted by this product. What happens if the company goes out of business or stops support? For a product like this I'd need this question answered and would prefer it be documented in a legally binding way - afterall I'd expect a 20-50 year design lifespan from such a product, not the 2-5 of most IoT trinkets.

[@jimmyb1451]

Not to mention the "need" for an intermediary server, for "updates", data harvesting.... Yeah, while these devices do actually serve a purpose, big no from me! I'll build my own. Not even hard to do these days, even for complete novices.

[@alhdgysz]

Google home assistant! This is (and open source firmware) the answer.

[@taleseduardolima]

@@monad_tcp maybe where you live houses don’t last more than 20 years, but the *median* age of a house in the US’ Northeast is 57 to 58 years.

[@njipods]

@@monad_tcp maybe where you live. Where I am houses are permanent structures. Apart from some temporary built structures after the war and the odd house that's had no maintance for 60 years, houses have no lifespan. You just keep them maintained. Mines about to turn 200 years and had no major issues.

[@UndecidedMF]

I didn't get any official word from Span on local control, but it looks like it's moving that way. With future updates it may become possible to write your own hooks and software into local APIs.

[@vec306]

I have solar but no power wall yet. Power walls are like finding hens teeth. Since I have every intention of adding a power wall I’m going to look into the installation cost. My house is old 1981 and the power panel has seen better days. My view point is this device will help me decide on one or 2 power walls. Thanks again for doing the leg work that us cheap SOB need done.

[@VideoNOLA]

Neat! Didn't even know Span exists. I had considered and rejected Sense a couple of times in the past, but the need for granular info and control is something no HA enthusiast can overlook forever.

[@UndecidedMF]

I love Sense, but it has some big limitations when it comes to control/taking action on the data. This fills that missing piece of the puzzle. I'm really excited to see Span add more local control/APIs ... it'll open up a huge world of possibilities.

[@solarisrenewables]

Thank you for giving us the chance to install this, Matt! Such a super fun and useful tool for your home. Glad you like it! 👍

[@HLR4th]

Very timely. I’m in the midst of planning solar for the house. Just reducing the build by a Powerwall would pay for the SPAN, with all the added benefits you pointed out. Thanks for sharing!

[@MrPeterJHarrison]

Thanks for this video. My wife and I bought a 1942 bungalow near our city's downtown area, and are in the process of updating it to modern electrical and plumbing standards. All of this work has or will be done by me. I've aready re-wired more than half the house and replaced all the freshwater plumbing except the old iron risers into a bathroom. (And those risers will go when the bathroom gets remodeled. I get permits for all of my work so it gets inspected, too. So I'm on a first-name basis with several of our City building inspectors. Our main electric panel doesn't have a dedicated breaker for the mains, and is badly outdated. Combine that with plans to install 7500 watts of solar panels and eventually add a batttery backup/load shifting solution and it quickly becomes clear we'll need some kind of smart panel solution. So, thanks for offering this video up. I hope you plan to do an update discussing the pros and cons of other solutions, too!

[@ksflyinghigh]

I think it's pretty incredible that products like this exist. I would like to see in the future that the hardware and software are separated. This would make it so much easier to support for the long-term as companies & technologies come and go.

[@z8ty]

I do not have solar, and probably will not get it any time soon, but I am getting started with Home Automation. Span looks awesome. I think it is priced just right, a little more and it is a harder choice. Your video is really good. You are a natural in front of the camera. Very well done. Thank you for taking the time.

[@playnationtoday]

Wow! As an electrician I wasn’t aware of a product like the Span panel. That would be great on new construction install. You could wire your house with a specific lighting circuit for the critical loads category and only the lighting loads necessary during a blackout would have power.

[@UndecidedMF]

Bingo. It's a really cool product for a new build or a big renovation.

[@jeffreykolikof8222]

Matt, I just added a split heat/ac for an addition that we have. In the process we had to upgrade our panel from 100 amps to a 200 amps panel. In the process I was offered to add Span smart panel. I jumped on it. The small project just concluded this week. The reason for adding the smart panel was for me to get a handle on my energy usage. I am hoping as well to add solar and batteries to my home in the future. Thanks for all that you do.

[@ckm-mkc]

What happens to this when Spin goes out of business or discontinues the product? Panels typically last for 40+ years, if this has a cloud control, I would be weary of using it. But it's a very cool solution.

[@JBoy340a]

We went with a second powerwall and whole-house backup instead of a critical load set up with the requirement for a new critical loads panel. It allows using the existing wiring and decreased installation cost, and also increased our battery backup capacity to ensure we had power until the solar kicked in the next day. It also lets us start sending power back to the grid earlier for more credit $/day.

[@ReidKornman]

Matt - you have great videos and this is quite possibly the most interesting one I've seen so far. Thank you for all the work you do!

[@UndecidedMF]

Really appreciate that, Reid!

[@That-Guy_]

I need one for my system 2 powerwalls in winter is fine but in summer I get stressed when the main power is out. This would help a lot.

[@cappuccino-1721]

This type of panel looks like a must have for battery and solar technology.

[@billjohnson3344]

A convenience, not a must have. For $3500 plus installation, most people would manually meter their usage like Matt said - or go with the fixed critical loads setup. Have to weigh the high cost of this and the likelihood of this start-up maintaining support for the life of the install.

[@chefgav1]

Price is over the top though

[@cappuccino-1721]

@@chefgav1 I agree, $3500 is a bit steep for this, however someone investing in solar is likely spending 10's of thousands of dollars anyway, so this is basically a drop in the bucket for them.

[@chefgav1]

@@cappuccino-1721 I’m from Australia so this will be more than an entire 6.6kw solar system here in Australia given Australia has the cheapest installed residential solar in the world. It would be a nice accessory but

[@QUickstar77]

I am so very glad I found this video. I just sold my house and bought a new one. ON the old house I had a solar array, a Sense monitor and PHEV. But I couldn't ever answer all the questions I had. And I wanted to add batteries but that would require totally redoing everything. But I sold that house and I bought a new house with nothing but an old, very much needs to be replaced, and even upgraded, load center. I have always wanted a load meter on each circuit particularly the 240V ones for larger appliances like electric ranges or electric clothes dryers, but having a CT installed on every one of my circuits would have just been too much. This seems to answer ALL of those needs in one piece of hardware and there's even some new hardware for car charging. With this video really making it clear how this works I'm really hoping I can fit this into the renovation budget for the house I bought.

[@AlexS0h]

This product seems similar to the smart Leviton Load Center (I asked my electrician about it, also very expensive btw). But I do appreciate this video and your demo of the UI - which when dealing with technology that most of us don't deeply understand is really really important for decision making. I also like that they built this (seemingly) specifically to fill the gap with home batteries as you explained. The whole smart home thing gives me headaches, with trying to decide on the perfect products for the perfect setup... but this I think is a no-brainer if you're at the point of getting solar or home batteries.

[@markmechana8155]

I would like to thank you for your no nonsense and no spin approach. What I have seen will help me design my container home in the near future!

[@AleHernandez]

Span (or similar alternative) should be part of any solar+battery system.

[@scottswf238]

The Lumin Smart Panel is similar and a little less expensive, it also works with no Internet access something likely in a power outage.

[@HindsightFPV]

Another informative video like I've come to expect from this channel. Great information without being overly technical and in the weeds. Keep up the hardwork and I'm glad I subscribed, I see a million subscribers in your not to distant future.

[@MikeByrd-p4t]

Matt, We are in the early process of building a new house and found your video on the Span smart panel very helpful. We are planning solar panels and home batteries with an all electric house so one or two of the Span panels will be very helpful with our energy management. We have watched several of your videos on different subjects and have found them to be informative and helpful. Thanks for what you do.

[@realvanman1]

This certainly looks to be a nice piece of energy management hardware in lieu of an emergency panel, so long as it is very well made. If it can be controlled over a physical local area network, with NO wireless connection and NO internet connection I would definitely like it.

[@ma2zak589]

no wireless and no internet? so just a normal panel... ?

[@100_percent_bs8]

Thanks for another great video. The production, editing, and content is second to none on KZbin. There’s a reason you have so many subs. Keep up the great work. I have solar + three Powerwalls since early 2020. This smart panel is amazing and I have been seriously considering it. I believe Ben Sullins did a video on this as well. It is pricey, but if you’ve already sunk tens of thousands into a system, what the hell. Congrats.

[@markelkins8432]

"Nice to have" and dishwashers - I would hate it if the Dishwasher was switched off (due to lack of remaining power) 15 or less minutes before it was due to finish. Perhaps the "Nice to have" circuits should be split between "switch off now" and "allow to run until complete (Load drops to zero) - then switch off" ?? I have a Victron Multiplus2 48/5000/70 with 10KVh of LiFePO4. I split my board between non-critical (Electric water heater/Geyzer & Stove/Cooker) and critical (everything else). As there was only one cable to Oudoors that ran both outside lights,electric gate and swimming-pool pump, added a wireless relay to the pool pump so an outage event also switches off the pool pump - which is controlled by my Victron setup.

[@benwhittle7204]

That's actually a really really good idea. Same applies to the washing machine and a few other things, let it finish and then shut it off.

[@MatthewTaylor86]

They're not going to draw much power when they're finished though, so they just go in "nice to have". They're not going to be running for hours

[@benwhittle7204]

@@MatthewTaylor86 right, but the point is, if a washing machine has like 15 minutes left, you might as well just let it finish, instead of potentially having to do the washing load all over again.

[@enviromental2565]

If I was hearing Matt correctly, he said one of the things he liked about the SPAN was that you could see where the power goes, how much power is used, and could allocate what you want to keep running in case of power outage. I am supposing you could keep dishwasher in your keep running selection, then turn off power to it once it is done. #1 item on keep running list would be internet, lol, so you can make the changes.

[@leexgx]

Most washing appliances have memory function, if power is lost they will resume once they get power again

[@mikemchale7639]

Hi Matt I was at the Austin Texas energy show a couple years ago and went to your seminar about home automation. Man you have come along way thank you

[@gregsmith9816]

I needed a new breaker panel recently and I was scheduled to get a Tesla solar roof installed with Powerwalls, so installing a SPAN panel seemed like the right way to go. Unfortunately, Tesla solar decided to screw me over and raised my price over 70% the day after my inspection. I love my SPAN and I like the insight into what appliances are using the most power, I just wish I had my solar roof to really test it out.

[@zinaj9437]

I'm having a remodel done and plan to have a Span smart electrical panel installed. No batteries for my solar yet, but this will help in other areas and when determining battery needs. Options are our friends.

[@gannas42]

It'd be nice if Span connected to power backup systems via I2C or API. That would make it more flexible for home automation enthusiasts to integrate their platform of choice.

[@zinaj9437]

It should work. It should be able to tell how much power the generator is producing and allow you to decide which circuits and systems get power based on the three tier system. You could change from fridge and electric stove to fridge and washing machine or fridge and lights everywhere.

[@bradbuffalo4872]

I just had my SPAN panel installed 2 months ago. Along with Tesla Solar with two Powerwall 2+. It's a beautiful and clean setup. And I love the new SPAN app! The 'By Area' feature was definitely needed and very nice addition! Thanks for the video Matt! This solidifies my decision!

[@DaveMcG54]

Does the SPAN panel eliminate the need for the Tesla gateway? I would be surprised if Tesla would agree to that but the SPAN panel sounds like it can fully support the gateway functions and it would help off-set the high price of the panel.

[@bradbuffalo4872]

@@DaveMcG54 No it does not. But, I believe in the future that Tesla and SPAN can work together to build a seemless system.

[@michaelcody4265]

What was the order of operations for your solar and power walls and the SPAN controller for installation? Can you do the power walls first then the SPAN?

[@sueg2658]

It will be awesome when all homes are equipped with all this technology. I’m pretty sure I won’t live long enough to see it, but who knows stranger things have happened. The technology is mind blowing to an old gal like me born in the 50’s :-) Keep up the great work. I love your channel.

[@claytonspann8032]

Thanks Matt, I am kicking around adding a battery backup to our existing 13.4KW solar collection system. I certainly will consider this panel. The other cool thing is I share the products name.

[@GlentonMe]

Span's founder is Arch Rao, former head of engineering at Tesla Energy.

[@UndecidedMF]

Yep! Span has several former Tesla employees over there.

[@woof059]

Form Energy (a company making utility-grade iron-air batteries) is also headed by a former Tesla employee. Lots of people graduate from Tesla and go do great things.

[@cakec9]

Few things: 1. Span is super impressive. Thank you for sharing. If it wasnt for you, i would never learn about it. 2. Your video production is God mode!! Really slick transitions. I wish I could learn from you. 3. Did you try your hand at Voice over productions? You can make a killer! Love your voice and narration. Big big fan.

[@BigBobbyK]

I’m surprised Tesla doesn’t offer this feature as part of their integrated solar roof install.

[@carholic-sz3qv]

Its not a job for tesla since houses have very different equipments and features.

[@UndecidedMF]

What's funny about that is that the founders of the company used to work for Tesla ... on the Powerwall system. They saw the gap in the user experience and spun up Span on their own. One of the Span employees who was onsite during my install actually helped to design the Tesla Gateway.

[@BigBobbyK]

@@UndecidedMF make sense. Surprising gap. Based on the Tesla culture you would have thought they would have identified and engineered this solution to fill out their offering.

[@solarjunkie]

@@UndecidedMF I'm fervently hoping Tesla doesn't acquire Span and make it part of a walled garden...

[@zinaj9437]

@@solarjunkie - Good reason to get one now!

[@johnthro1002]

All home solar storage is not set up the same way. Some utilities are not require it “buy all sell all” arrangements. The battery is not therefore increasing offset. Great Chanel. Thank you for all you do.

[@GerardPinzone]

This sounds like something that ought to come standard with the Powerwall.

[@Toliman.]

You don't want a $7k powerwall and $1.5k backup gateway + $1k sub-circuit install (and rewiring both panels / certified compliant wiring and local regulation standards) to cost $13k instead of $9.5k. Plus, local regulation may prevent the replacement of the main breaker panel unless it meets certain code/approvals, i.e. Outdoor NEMA rating or metal enclosures for indoor/outdoor exposure to weather, etc. While the TEG or Tesla Gateway uses something similar for consumption monitoring (Neurio home monitor), the technology doesn't talk to each other, the app/infrastructure is probably going to be duplicated under the panel i.e. CT Clamps and circuit clamps, sic. IMO, Only a handful of Solar/electricians will have experience with Span, so it's going to be much better to find an installer for a quote, which is going to be the fun part.

[@4literv6]

Span is run by former tesla employee's actually. I was thinking the same thing when I first saw it last year. Kinda surprised Elon didn't offer to buy them out. 🤔

[@leexgx]

The issue is more that 1 power wall on its own might not power a typical usa house in a blackout, but 2 power walls probably be able to handle it (but really it's quite a new thing been the only house in the block that still has lights without a generator)

[@MichaelJCaboose013]

That's not really something a battery storage system could do though, the changes are at a hardware level at the main panel itself. From what I gather, the Span panel basically has relays that can shut off/exclude specific breakers from backup while keeping the rest in backup. A change like that could only be done by modifying the main service panel bussing, which is what the Span panel appears to do. Maybe one day Tesla could have their own main service panels that operate like a Span does, but even then it would add substantial cost and complexity to the installation that almost always isn't needed.

[@williamputnam281]

I hope new homes 10 years from now will need stuff like this included standard in order to compete in the market… a guy can dream. Great video!

[@UndecidedMF]

This is still early days (the cost shows that). I do think in 10 years this type of thing will be standard for new homes or solar/battery setups.

[@DaveDugdaleColorado]

How does the price compare to a normal 32 slot panel?

[@utooboobnoob]

Dave! Everything good?

[@UndecidedMF]

There's a huge price gap between a typical panel (like Frugal Family Living noted). This really only makes sense if you're pairing it with solar and batteries. Fewer batteries with fine tuned essential loads control makes that higher price make sense.

[@patricklegault6383]

@@UndecidedMF It actually depends but yes it has a higher price :) i actually purchased a smart panel, Leviton and i can see per circuit power usage. it's linked to my wifi and works great however, that is only if you use the smart breakers which are quite pricey. normal breaker for the panel are similar to the non smart panel board

[@richardprice5978]

my early quote from may or so 2021 i found on my desk is around 350 usd for a Siemens 30 slot 200 amp panel parts number PN3048L1200C so 2500 usd more for the "smart panel" but that qote was without the extra required features required buy localities like suge protect devices / all of the breaker's ( at least 20-60 usd a piece 15-80 amps ) included and installed ready to go. Id love to have more retro fit options for all ready installed panels as i so far i like my Siemens and trust it more than a start up i haven't tried or heard of as i planning on a 20-30 or more ( time to replace it after 25 years or less as i get a little sceptical about its safety at that point 😉 even with a big name /all copper backing it ) year life cycle

[@mvansumeren4313]

I'm more concerned about this panel suddenly becoming obsolete and non-functional once the application that controls it is inevitably abandoned. Electrical infrastructure is something that needs to work reliably for 30+ years and needs to be zero maintenance to be acceptable. Having a computer built into your electrical panel seems like a very bad idea from a longevity and reliability standpoint. That being said, it is nice to see them using standard Siemens breakers as OCPDs. Per circuit energy motoring and control is also a nice touch, but I'm also wondering how truly important this is rather than just isolating and powering essential circuits via other means.

[@henryrollen481]

I'm working on building a power bank for my house using used/tossed 18650 batteries, most of which are free or next to nothing to get. The drawback is I will have to check the batteries once a month or so to make sure they are still working but it will save my home quite a bit of money and i get to play with electricity. Yay

[@kimmer6]

Don't you have a battery state of charge meter like a Victron or Renogy? You walk by and see the percent of charge, charge/discharge amps, etc. When you set it up, you run the battery fully charged and then discharge it to set the parameters to your particular battery pack. Here's my home built solar charged LiFeP04 battery pack on wheels that has the Renogy meter. I like how it calculates the remaining battery time in hours with different loads. Yay, do it yourselfers! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIrTlK2Ijql5gLM

[@aomething]

Have been following Span since they came out. Will be added when I add battery backup.

[@happyhome41]

I bit. Your videos ended up with two Powerwalls in my garage. This video [EDIT] I contacted them, and after my electrician made it through the online certification course, SPAN took my money and I have a tracking number, due next week. I'm excited. Thank you @Undecided with Matt Ferrell - I'm expecting to use the panel to help me avoid the punitive rates the power company charges during peak periods.

[@happyhome41]

@@chadconway2354 Location is Virginia, and timeline is now or never.

[@transmitterguy4784]

Matt, how is the system protected from lightning? Do you have coverage on your homeowners insurance to cover a bad hit? If you do, how much is the added coverage? If your system is wiped out by lightning how long would it take you to get back on line?

[@johnhricko8212]

electrician? "(...valid question) " _ yeah, and what if the zoo gorilla's get loose and rip your arms from their sockets?.... HUH? .. _

[@Burn3r10]

I imagine the system draws power post main breaker. So it ideally react like any other system getting hit with lightening.

[@stephenlachance8448]

Really enjoyed this video. The SPAN Panel looks really cool and I can really see how useful it would be. Great video!

[@chadcconway]

Great to hear Stephen! Thanks for watching. Please reach out: span.io/get-span

[@thymewizard]

I wonder if there's a feature that gives you like 15min at the start of a blackout before your "not essential" group goes down. Just to give you time to like, save your work and shut down computers and whatnot. You could always just have a UPS on your critical devices, but it'd be a cool feature to work into the smart panel.

[@YuriG03042]

just put those on Nice to Have? i don't see the issue

[@gbsbill]

Matt I would love to add solar now, but I have a tile roof. I would have to check with the HOA to see if solar is allowed. If there were no rules here I would go with the tesla roof tiles. But I'll have to wait until they make them in the shape and color of the Spanish tile roofs. I could add a vertical axis wind turbine but they are still in the design stage. Without the energy input, it is no use having a battery, but I would be as excited as you are to have a span panel to control things.

[@ArmoredCow]

When using the panel for all the power tracking do you need to connect it to the internet with an account on the Span website, or does it all run on the local hardware?

[@chadcconway]

Span connects to the Powerwall system locally, but currently requires the cloud to get information to your mobile phone. Local access without the cloud is coming soon.

[@ArmoredCow]

@@chadcconway That sounds great as I'm firmly in the camp of people looking for something like this but I also refuse to have my smart home items connected to the internet so having everything running local is must have for me.

[@BernardWei]

Flexibility of smart electric panel like Span is simply amazing. My home electic panel is antique, so jealous.

[@UndecidedMF]

👍I'm really looking forward to seeing what features they continue adding with software updates.

[@robertpowellj]

Nice job! I just installed a emporia vue and love the data!

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks! I really love this stuff. With knowledge comes power (pun intended).

[@billjohnson3344]

Same here. Emporia Vue much more cost effective and DIY vs. Span, though no ability to turn off circuits. Their software also nowhere near as polished as Span, but it does the job for real time and historic monitoring of every circuit power draw in your house - with solar support also.

[@markhornbrook566]

Fantastic review. My wife and I are building a new house in Scituate and are planning to install the Tesla Solar Roof and Tesla Powerwalls. This will be a great add to that setup!

[@ramblingtiger9320]

I would be interested in something like this to run with my battery system, but being in Australia I doubt it will be available here any time soon.

[@UndecidedMF]

I hope you don't have to wait too long for a product like this.

[@robintaylor1490]

I'd be happy just to get the batteries 🇨🇦

[@conniem7462]

Hi Matt. I decided on Tesla for my solar and battery and watched TONS of KZbin and other videos and your videos have - by far -

[@gregcollins3404]

Is this Span panel thing an updated version of what used to be called a Demand Controller?

[@kennethpelt158]

This was very informative. I have solar and a Tesla battery, so this make since to install.

[@woof059]

Wow. This is just what I was looking for. Great video!

[@TwoBitDaVinci]

Super Jealous Matt, I've been eyeing one of these for a while now! Congrats on the latest addition to your smart home! Quick question, is the $3,500 you mentioned including labor and everything?

[@odiemac]

This does seem really cool, but what happens if Span (which I'm assuming is a startup) goes out of business? I'm sure it keeps working but it does seem more risky infrastructure than smart thermostats and switches made by startups.

[@walt4690]

@@odiemac the support for all of the app based stuff will disappear and it will just be a regular breaker panel, (assuming that the relays/contractors which turn circuits on and off via the app don't stop working)

[@odiemac]

@@walt4690 Yeah that would be my assumption as well. Local control would work but maybe not remote. But then you lose the utility of your $3500 investment. Seems like its a lot easier to accomplish the same goal with software: detect battery charge level and turn off smart thermostats / plugs / lights etc. Then when the SW ages out at least you didn't build it into your wall.

[@ryanbrown982]

Their website says installation is not included. You'd hire a local electrician to do that work.

[@DanielEisenman]

@@odiemac I've been considering Span and wondered about that too. But in talking with the Span folks they've acknowledged the concern and said they have plans for a local/LAN web UI as well as local API control. (Might be good for Span to officially chime in here in case I misunderstood...)

[@thomaswomack3888]

I appreciate this concept shown here and the flexibility it gives you. Given what you have spent to future proof your home from rising electrical rates, this piece of hardware with its software and user interface is brilliant. I'm a little more old school about all this as I dont think I can justify the battery solution for power outages when I already have a perfectly good 10kw backup generator for critical loads. granted its not as convenient or as high tech, but it keeps the power on for outages even up to multiple days. I can heat the house, run the freezer and fridge, the entertainment system and computer and the price of admission was much less than a powerwall with a smart panel. when the generator dies or i get too old to start it we might have to do something different

[@sepez]

I so often hear Americans tout a battery as being great when you have a powercut...how often are you all having powercuts? I can only think of one in the last ten years I've had in the (south of the) UK.

[@FuturePulseDaily]

Usually just when we get hurricanes here in the southeastern US. Once every 3-5 years.

[@yodaco]

Lots of mericanos have blackouts. Some states have planned blackouts to reduce loads at peak times or during emergency situations. It's quite common there.

[@PaleGhost69]

In my city it's at least once a year. Sometimes twice a year depending on the neighborhood.

[@njipods]

Yeah. I have a generator I can run to power my house. But that's exceptionally rare and Iv never heard or seen anyone else have one. We don't get hurricanes in the UK buy we do have a very very reliable power grid.

[@edwardgreenjr167]

Pretty big country, so lots of variables depending on where you live. You can have natural weather issues such as tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, etc. Some states have different issues when maintaining peak load times or infrastructure. And if you live further away from a metropolitan area, the time it takes to restore power can vary greatly. I've lived in many different areas in the states, and for the most part its a mild inconvenience. I could probably recall only a couple times in the last 20+ years where the power was off for more than a few hours. But even with my nomad experience I'm a sample size of one. I think the bigger benefit is becoming less reliant on the grid and the potential to save money using your own battery power during peak hourly rates. Add in solar and you could pay for the equipment in those savings eventually.

[@hakanbengtsson7073]

thank you for telling people to go shut the swich off manualy! I have seen someone talk of a system like this before and they made it sound like there were no risk involved when trusting the app.

[@ryanwaege7251]

Matt sounds like you need a second, dedicated PowerWall for your YT production battlestation! 🤣

[@UndecidedMF]

Ha! I really do.

[@mondotv4216]

@@UndecidedMF But how many times a year do you actually get a grid outage? I'd say where I live it probably only once every 3 or so years and major outages (longer than a 2 or 3 hours) more like once a decade.

[@josephsantangelo7735]

Hi Matt - as always, this was a great video. I just had Dave King's team complete the installation of two Powerwalls (which by the way I ordered 20 months ago!). Revolusun did my solar installation as well and I have been very pleased with their workmanship. I was talking to the RevoluSun team and told them about your Powerwall installation (things to avoid) video. That's when they told me to go watch the Span installation video. I'm now considering getting them back in to do a Span installation. This has been super helpful for me to make up my mind about the Span system. Thanks again.

[@RandyRandersonthefamous]

They ran data cabling outside the conduit? That's "proper" electrician wiring, separating low voltage and medium voltage wiring. Is it fine to run them together? sure, probably nothing will happen. The ideal way to do it is run them both, separately, inside metal conduit.

[@damon808]

Tesla Powerwall is AC coupled so it doesn’t require metal raceway. Recommended communication wire is shielded with a drain wire to avoid interference so it can run in the same conduit and there’s only one knockout so that comm wire run outside the conduit had to enter through an extra hole drilled into the J-box. His PW install is shameful and painful to look upon. I’m sure the installing electrician doesn’t like to see the negative reviews but that is not pride of workmanship.

[@toniholbeche3014]

I'm in Australia. So the specifics are off course slightly different, but your channel is at least helping me frame the questions i Want to ask. Which is an essential starting point. I don't know yet, if these products are available here, I know that the Tesla batteries are, but the Tesla solar is not, and so forth. But at least I can frame the questions to ask.

[@FrostyDog9186]

Heck yeah! Span would be awesome for anyone getting a solar or battery install. The virtual load panels *alone* are worth the money.

[@GreenTokriOfficial]

Thanks!

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks so much!

[@keco185]

I could totally see Tesla buying out this company and integrating it into their own installations.

[@jameslung-lv5ic]

Great vid: didn't want to read through their website. I installed PV 13 years ago and live in an earthquake zone; not too much power shortages generally though. I'm tied to grid and need to look up my contract: not sure if adding a batter and Span makes sense without that info. Thanks to you, I understand how important this tech is for our future grid.

[@strattonworthy]

hey matt, great review! do you know if the span smart panel can be used effectively in an off-grid only setup? i can see it being great for managing power stored in the batteries across different appliances/consumers. instead of a power cut trigger, you would want a battery level event when its passed.

[@mhamma6560]

For the price, you can build your own. This thing is roughly $4k to get delivered.

[@royhi1809]

And THAT is why I'm watching this...I'm interested. Great video btw...I hope they see this video and give you "credits" for your hard work.

[@Build_the_Future]

I would just go with smart plugs. That way, you don't need to turn off the whole circuit, just the device that it's plugged into.

[@randallspringfield7400]

In Acton MA there was a model modular home that offered solar and battery. It was all too soon

[@UndecidedMF]

That's definitely a DIY path you could go down. You'd have to tie your solar/battery system into your smart home and whip up a bunch of routines ... but it is possible. Where it isn't possible is for the bigger appliances that can't be plugged into smart outlets.

[@solarjunkie]

@@UndecidedMF One could use relay devices with smart switches/outlets to manage the bigger appliances. Where there's a will, there's a way...

[@evlnte]

This truly would be best if they partnered with builders. It would be a great starting point for a smart home. I was considering this during my Tesla install, but they weren’t ready to launch in my State. So I essentially went for 4 Powerwalls. I’ve basically mapped out all may power consumption manually and just know which breakers to shut down for an extended outage…like an animal.

[@chadcconway]

Hi SteveV, What state are you in?

[@danielguillaume9928]

I’m getting 3 power walls when they eventually give me my solar roof. This will allow me to be completely off grid and charge my Tesla. Eventually my family will have 0 footprint.

[@devanarayans5131]

kudos for your effort...much wow

[@njipods]

Zero for energy production excluding equipment production

[@rogeriocosta1035]

In the global scale, there is no such thing as 0 footprint. There will be always people around the word working in very miserable condition, many countries and ecosystems being destroyed to generate the insumes to make all those 0 footprint futuristic gadgets to happen. For low "footprint" the only real solution is to go for a natural lifestyle with no plastics, no unnecessary traveling, no non-biodegradable waste, no exotic minerals etc. You have to basically live using only renewable resources that you can produce locally without destroying the local ecosystem and without interfering in others nations ecosystems. This would probably mean to give up of most modern "comfort" people have nowadays. If your family really want to help the planet, just go for a simple, more ecological and low consumption lifestyle.

[@jmacd8817]

@@rogeriocosta1035 your solution doesn’t mean giving up a few comforts: it means famine, loss of most advanced healthcare, and most likely, horrendous deforestation. That radical solution simply isn’t needed. A few significant changes can get the world close enough to zero, that technological solutions can be used efficiently and financially and ecologically sustainable ways. Sadly this means that all governments need to be 100% on board, and corporations need to pay for the true cost of their products, as well as dramatically reduce the production of single/short use products like packaging, cell phones and the like. Then petroleum can be used in places where it is needed (primarily specific chemical manufacturing) where biomaterials won’t work. And that is likely only a fraction of a percent of global use now. The biggest downside is that many ignorant folks, and profiteering governments won’t do this until it’s too late.

[@UndecidedMF]

That's great. Getting energy independence is something I'm trying to get for myself as well.

[@user-dr2pg8fk2i]

What will be an excellent feature once software added, is an alert of when to run say a dish washer or cloths washer. For example around solar noon when the systems output is maximized.

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[@Scott-melker]

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[@paulmurray3837]

This looks very interesting. We are designing/building our retirement house and a major goal is minimal utilities costs once we retire. We are doing an all electric house, so being able to manage the loads will be important. However, as others have commented, the long-term outlook/support from the manufacturer is important.

[@gr1f1th]

I love everything but the price. I think I'm just going to get smart outlets for dishwash, computers, tv's, ect. and a few smart breakers for the high power dryer and air conditioning. Lighting is such a small load with led now it's not much of a concern for monitoring.... and smart bulbs solve that aspect too. The app is really the show stopper here.

[@dustinchaney321]

I. AM. SHOOK. 👏

[@dwftube]

Kind of makes me realise how lucky I am where I live in the UK. Last year we had a power outage for about six hours, but that was our first in nearly ten years. Watching you tube makes me awarevthat they have them far more often in the US and other countries.

[@ChristianGruber]

This was really great. A good introduction into a nice I was looking to fill in my planned electrical changes for next year. I'll watch this company's offerings closely. thanks!

[@davidvelen9835]

Very cool Matt, that panel is a no brainer for a smart home with solar and battery back up, creates an ideal load management system. Thank you sir.

[@JaysonHill]

Great information, I want a Span smart panel now.

[@chadcconway]

Great to hear Jayson! Please get in touch: span.io/get-span

[@PalimpsestProd]

At some point I need to replace my roof, at that point I will add solar, run two 220v to the garage for car charging, get a home battery and a Span panel. A very big bill but it will go straight to the resale value of the house.

[@randallspringfield7400]

In 1982 we bought land and had a house built. Favored the SW, added a two story sun room, heated with an open loop! Geothermal heat pump using water from our driven well 350 ft deep. The Carter administration offered substantial tax rebates to encourage active energy systems. Solar, wind were not yet feasible in southern NH.

[@calivalley9056]

I love this, wish I would have known about it before putting on my PV system. I would love to know what everything in my home was doing, my wife would hate it.

[@stu2203]

Thanks for this! I’m getting ready for solar and a powerwall and I’m going to have to get a new panel anyway since my current one is over 30 years old. Now I’ve found the one I’m getting.

[@lohoch5506]

Have look at Rosewater Energy. Backs up a 200A sub panel. Additionally it is operational 24/7 always isolating you from the variation on the grid

[@bruceburnworth8082]

Mmmm . . . I’m now considering getting Span. I am upgrading my panel to 200 amps and planning to get some Tesla Powerwalls. Great video.

[@valerimacdonald5146]

It sounds like the Scan system is a great option to use if you want a generator backup. We paid more than the price you stated to have a secondary panel installed which grouped the circuits we wanted to operate with a generator if we have a power failure.

[@elwinvanwees8516]

Great video! Also this is how you do advertising, you trust in your product enough to give it to someone to critique it with no strings attached.

[@datacntrdude]

Thanks for introducing me to these. It reminds me of some of the stuff we used to use in the datacenter 20 years ago to switch power from utility to genny's during failovers and testing to properly condition PDU usage to the racks.

[@doug3691]

Damn, but you are one fair ( and balanced ) evaluator of a new product. Refreshing.

[@KGopidas]

Happy to hear first hand aprreciation of tesla, in the face of lot of criticism

[@Krojack76]

#1. Does Span require Internet? Is it cloud based? If so then that's an easy no. #2. Can you only manage it via their mobile app? I like how I can manage Home Assistant via my desktop on a browser. Can you do that with Span?

[@allan2270]

Hello, Obviously house wiring standards seem to be different in USA. In Australia, most homes only have a few power circuits and one for lighting. In the case of my home, I only have 4 ordinary power circuits plus one for the oven grill (its a gas oven) and a separate one for the EV charger. To use something like span would mean a complete house rewire to allow for basically one circuit per outlet. Thank for your always informative videos.