Smart Panel Technology: What Span, Leviton, and Square D Are Bringing to Homes
Published March 2026 • By Unity Power & Light
The electrical panel has been the least glamorous component of your home's electrical system for over a century. It sits in the garage or utility closet, silently distributing power to every circuit in your home through mechanical circuit breakers that have changed very little since the mid-1900s. That is beginning to change.
A new category of smart electrical panels is emerging from companies like Span, Leviton, and Square D (Schneider Electric). These panels replace your traditional breaker box with a connected, intelligent system that offers circuit-level monitoring, remote control, EV charging integration, solar and battery management, and insights into how your home uses electricity. Here is what this technology does, what it costs, and whether it makes sense for Aiken homeowners today.
What Smart Panels Actually Do
A smart panel replaces your existing electrical panel with a unit that adds digital intelligence to every circuit. The core capabilities include:
Circuit-level energy monitoring: Every circuit has a built-in current transformer that measures power consumption in real time. You can see exactly how much electricity your HVAC, water heater, EV charger, kitchen, and every other circuit is using, right now and over time. This granular data reveals energy waste, identifies malfunctioning equipment, and helps you understand your electricity bill.
Remote circuit control: Each circuit can be turned on or off from a smartphone app. This is not just a novelty. You can remotely shut off a space heater you forgot to turn off, cut power to a vacation home's non-essential circuits, or create an emergency "all off" function. Some panels allow you to set schedules for specific circuits, turning pool pumps or landscape lighting on and off automatically.
Load management: Smart panels can dynamically manage electrical loads to avoid overloading your service. When your EV charger is running and the HVAC kicks on, the panel can temporarily reduce the EV charger's power draw to keep total demand within your service capacity. This can eliminate the need for a panel upgrade when adding an EV charger or other large load.
Solar and battery integration: For homes with solar panels or battery backup systems, smart panels can prioritize which circuits receive solar power, manage battery charging and discharge, and optimize self-consumption versus grid export. During a power outage with battery backup, the smart panel can automatically shed non-essential loads to extend battery runtime.
EV charging optimization: Some smart panels include built-in EV charging circuitry or optimize the EV charger's power draw based on solar production, time-of-use electricity rates, and other home loads. Span, in particular, offers an integrated EV charging capability that eliminates the need for a separate charger installation.
The Major Players
Span Panel is the company that pioneered the residential smart panel category. Founded by a former Tesla energy executive, Span designed their panel from the ground up as a connected device. Each circuit has its own smart breaker with individual monitoring and control. The panel has a touchscreen display on its cover and connects to a smartphone app for detailed analytics. Span also offers an integrated Level 2 EV charger module that eliminates the need for a separate charger unit. The Span panel costs approximately $4,000 to $6,000 for the hardware plus installation costs of $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the complexity of your existing panel replacement.
Leviton Smart Load Center takes a different approach by building smart capabilities into a more traditional-looking panel. Leviton's system uses smart circuit breakers that snap into a standard Leviton load center. Each breaker has built-in Wi-Fi and current sensing. The advantage is that you can upgrade individual breakers to smart breakers over time rather than replacing the entire panel at once. The Leviton system costs less than Span, with smart breakers running approximately $50 to $100 each on top of the base panel cost.
Square D Energy Center from Schneider Electric is the established industry giant's answer to the smart panel trend. Square D has been making electrical panels for decades and brings their reputation for reliability and code compliance to the smart panel space. Their Energy Center offers energy monitoring, solar management, and generator integration. Pricing is competitive with Span, though the feature set and app experience are still evolving.
What This Means for Aiken Homeowners
Smart panels are most valuable in specific situations:
If you are adding solar panels: The ability to monitor solar production versus home consumption at the circuit level, manage battery storage priority, and optimize self-consumption makes a smart panel a meaningful companion to a solar installation. The energy insights alone can help you size your solar system correctly and maximize your return on investment.
If you need a panel upgrade anyway: If your home needs a panel upgrade (from 100 to 200 amps, or because your current panel is a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or other recalled brand), a smart panel is worth considering. The incremental cost over a standard panel is $3,000 to $5,000, and you gain monitoring and control capabilities that a standard panel will never offer.
If you are building new construction: Specifying a smart panel during new construction adds minimal installation cost over a standard panel since the electrician is wiring the panel from scratch anyway. The panel becomes a future-ready asset that supports EV charging, solar, battery backup, and load management from day one.
If you are adding an EV charger and your panel is at capacity: Smart panels with load management can sometimes eliminate the need for a service upgrade by intelligently managing when heavy loads operate. The smart panel costs more than a simple EV charger installation but less than a full service upgrade from the utility, potentially saving thousands of dollars.
Current Limitations
Smart panels are still a relatively new product category, and there are practical considerations to keep in mind.
Cost premium: A standard 200-amp panel upgrade runs $2,000 to $4,000 installed. A smart panel runs $6,000 to $11,000 installed. The premium is significant and only justified if you will use the smart features. If you just need more breaker space or a newer panel, a standard upgrade is more cost-effective.
Software dependency: Smart panels rely on manufacturer apps and cloud services. If the manufacturer goes out of business or discontinues support, the smart features could stop working. The panel would still function as a basic electrical panel, but the monitoring, remote control, and load management features depend on ongoing software support.
Installer availability: Not all electricians are trained or authorized to install every smart panel brand. Span, in particular, requires installer certification. Unity Power & Light stays current with emerging panel technologies and can discuss your options for smart panel installation.
Permitting: Smart panels are UL-listed and code-compliant, but some local inspectors may be less familiar with them. We handle the permitting process and ensure the installation meets all local code requirements.
The Future Outlook
Smart panels are not a passing trend. The electrification of homes, with EV chargers, heat pumps, electric water heaters, and battery storage all placing increasing demands on residential electrical systems, makes intelligent load management increasingly important. As utility companies implement time-of-use pricing and demand charges for residential customers, the ability to monitor and manage electrical consumption at the circuit level will have direct financial benefits.
We expect smart panels to become more affordable and more standardized over the next three to five years. Early adopters pay a premium, but that premium will shrink as the technology matures and competition increases. For homeowners planning a panel upgrade or new construction in the near future, smart panels are worth serious consideration.
Unity Power & Light is monitoring the smart panel market closely and can advise you on whether a smart panel makes sense for your specific situation. Contact us for a consultation about your panel needs, whether standard or smart.
Considering a Panel Upgrade?
Unity Power & Light installs standard and smart electrical panels throughout Aiken, SC. We can help you evaluate whether a smart panel fits your needs and budget.
Related Services
Learn more about our Panel Upgrades and EV Charger Installation services.