SPAN Smart Panel Installation in San Jose —
Add the Load, Skip the Service Upgrade.

Often, yes. A SPAN panel is a listed Energy Management System (EMS). Its PowerUp feature monitors every circuit in real time and briefly pauses lower-priority loads — say, EV charging or the water heater — so the home never exceeds its service rating. Under NEC 220.70 (in force in California under the 2025 California Electrical Code), the EMS's maximum current setpoint is the value used in the service load calculation, which can let a 100A or 150A home take on new EV or heat-pump load without upsizing the service or the utility transformer — a change that can otherwise run $10,000 or more. Whether it works for your home depends on your actual loads, which we confirm with a load calculation and submit to the city for plan check.

Yes. California adopted the 2025 California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3), which is based on the 2023 NEC, effective January 1, 2026. That edition includes Article 750 (Energy Management Systems) and Section 220.70, which together permit an EMS setpoint to be used as the calculated load. The panel must be field-marked with its maximum current setting and a note that the setting must not be bypassed, per NEC 750.30. Local building departments still review the load calculation as part of the permit, so we prepare the calculation and the SPAN listing documentation up front.

The biggest one is local: Silicon Valley Power offers up to $4,000 (up to $6,000 for income-qualified customers) toward a qualifying smart panel installed to avoid a main-service upgrade. That rebate is only for SVP electric customers in the City of Santa Clara — it does not apply to homes served by PG&E (most of San Jose) or City of Palo Alto Utilities. SPAN panels are on SVP's qualifying-products list. The federal 25C credit that used to cover panel upgrades expired December 31, 2025 and is not available for 2026. If you add a SPAN Drive EV charger, the federal 30C credit (30%, up to $1,000) may apply if your address is in an eligible census tract and the work is completed by June 30, 2026, when 30C expires. We verify your specific eligibility when we price your project.

SPAN's current lineup has five models. The MAIN 32 is the flagship — 32 controllable circuits, 225A busbar, a 100–200A main breaker — and it fits most San Jose homes. The MAIN 16 is a smaller, lower-cost option; the MLO 24 and MLO 48 are main-lug-only panels (no main breaker) for specific configurations and new construction. The MAIN 40 +MID adds a built-in microgrid interconnection device, which simplifies tying in solar and a battery without a separate component. We match the model to your circuit count, panel location, and whether solar or battery backup is part of the plan.

Yes. A SPAN panel replaces the separate critical-loads subpanel that battery backup normally requires, and lets you choose backup-priority circuits in the app — and change them whenever you want. It works with Tesla Powerwall 2, Powerwall+, and Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ Battery (via the SPAN Remote Meter Kit), SolarEdge Home Hub, and FranklinWH, on both AC- and DC-coupled solar. How much of the home runs during an outage depends on your battery's capacity and continuous output, not on SPAN itself — SPAN manages which circuits draw power and for how long, and the app shows estimated backup time remaining.

Possibly. The SPAN Drive is a Level 2 charger (up to 48A / 11.5 kW) that installs only with a SPAN panel — it is not sold as a standalone charger — and it adjusts its charge rate in real time based on what the rest of the house is using. The federal 30C credit (30%, up to $1,000) can apply if your home is in an eligible census tract and the charger is in service by June 30, 2026. PG&E's Residential EV Charging rebate may also apply for PG&E customers, but eligibility depends on PG&E's current approved-equipment list, which we check at application rather than promising it up front.

No. SPAN requires that every panel be installed by a licensed electrician who is a SPAN Authorized Installer, and only an authorized installer can commission the panel and set up your account. An unauthorized installation voids the 10-year manufacturer warranty, and a panel change is permitted, energized work that has to pass a city inspection. Cali Rollin Electric is a SPAN Certified Installer and a C-10 licensed electrical contractor (#1144031), so the install, the permit, and the warranty are all handled correctly.

A straightforward SPAN swap takes about 3 to 8 hours — similar to a standard panel replacement. The SPAN panel carries a NEMA 3R enclosure rating, so it can be installed indoors or outdoors, and connects over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular (4G/LTE) backup. We coordinate the utility disconnect and reconnect (PG&E in most of San Jose, Silicon Valley Power in the City of Santa Clara), pull the permit, and meet code working clearances — 36 inches of clear depth in front of the panel, 30 inches of width, and 6 feet 6 inches of headroom per NEC 110.26.