Smart electrical panel installation in the Bay Area
- Circuit-level control
- Room for new electric loads
- Works with solar and batteries
- Any brand
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A panel that knows what your home is using
A smart electrical panel lets you see and control power circuit by circuit from your phone. Air & Plumbing Systems installs smart panels across the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County as a licensed general contractor (CSLB #901246).
For many homes the bigger reason is capacity. A smart panel can manage when heavy loads run, which may let you add an EV charger or heat pump without a larger electrical service. Whether it can for your home depends on your loads and on what your city’s building department accepts.
Why choose Air & Plumbing Systems?
- Any brand: Tell us the panel you want, or we’ll walk you through the options
- Planned with the house: We size the panel for your heat pump, water heater, charger and solar plans
- Usage checked first: We look at what your home actually draws before recommending a panel or a service upgrade
- Licensed since 2007: Our California contractor’s license, #901246, has been current since 2007
Smart panel or standard panel
| Standard breaker panel | Smart panel | |
|---|---|---|
| See usage by circuit | No | Yes, in an app |
| Switch circuits remotely | No | Yes |
| Manage heavy loads | No | Yes, with load management |
| Choose backup circuits with a battery | Fixed at install | Can be set in the app |
Is a smart panel right for your home?
If you’re adding big electric loads or a battery, it’s worth a look. If not, a standard panel may be all you need, and we’ll say so.
When a smart panel makes sense
- Adding an EV charger: A smart panel can share capacity with the charger.
- Going electric: Switching to a heat pump or a heat pump water heater adds big loads.
- Adding a battery or solar: Smart panels work with battery backup to choose what stays on.
- A full or older panel: No room for new breakers? A smart panel is one option, and a standard replacement or a service upgrade is another. We’ll lay out both.
SPAN, one smart panel maker, says its panel helps homes add EV chargers and heat pumps without first doing a costly electrical service upgrade.
How installation works
- Load review: We look at your panel and what your home actually uses.
- Design and permit: We pick the panel, plan the circuits and get the city permit.
- Install day: Power to the house is off while the panel is changed.
- Setup: We label circuits in the app and show you how it works.
You’ll know the panel plan and the cost before anything is switched off.
Rebates for smart panels
Some Bay Area utilities have offered rebates for smart panels and panel upgrades. Programs and amounts change, and some come with their own installer rules.
Check our energy rebate page for what’s open in your city.
What affects the price
- The panel itself: Brands and sizes vary
- Replace or add on: A full panel swap or smart control added to your current one
- Rewiring: How many circuits need to move or change
- Utility work: Whether service has to be disconnected and reconnected
We’re based in Campbell and install across the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County, from Palo Alto and San Jose to Fremont and Santa Cruz. See every city we serve, or call (408) 733-2000 to confirm coverage for your address.
Get a free smart panel consultation
Tell us what you want to add!
Planning an EV charger, a heat pump or a battery? We’ll check what your panel can take and give you a written quote for the panel that fits.
FAQs
It’s an electrical panel, or an add-on to yours, that measures power circuit by circuit and lets you switch circuits from an app. It can also manage when heavy loads run.
Some smart panels replace your main panel outright. Others add smart control to the panel you already have. Which one fits depends on your panel’s age, size and the space around it.
Not always. If your panel has the capacity, a standard circuit may be enough. If it’s close to its limit, a smart panel or load management may let you add the new load without a bigger electrical service. We check before we recommend either.
It depends on the panel you choose, whether it replaces or works with your current one, and how much rewiring the change needs. After a free consultation you get a written quote.
Yes, many are designed for it. Paired with a home battery, a smart panel can help decide which circuits stay on during an outage.
Yes. Changing an electrical panel needs a city permit and an inspection, and the utility may need to disconnect and reconnect your service. We plan for both.
