SPAN continues its leadership in the home electrical safety and energy management space by certifying its flagship smart panel to UL 1741 Power Control Systems (PCS). SPAN is already listed for general safety (UL 67) and as an energy management system (UL 916), and now SPAN is the only smart panel with the rigorous PCS listing, providing third-party validation of our PowerUp overload protection features.

SPAN's smart panel, equipped with SPAN PowerUp™ technology, is a complete energy management system (EMS) out of the box. Everything homeowners need for highly reliable EMS performance that  can eliminate the hassle and expense of upgrading their utility service size comes with SPAN. As smart homes and appliances proliferate, it's critical that high-power management devices like smart panels meet stringent quality and reliability standards above and beyond traditional smart home appliances that rely on home wifi.

The UL 1741 PCS Certification:  Enabling the Future Smart Grid

Historically, PCS certification applied to equipment controlling power flow from onsite sources such as solar and energy storage systems. Driven by utility requirements, this certification ensures grid equipment isn't overloaded, enabling greater renewable energy penetration.

SPAN is uniquely positioned as the “hub” of the home’s electrical system and acts as the “controller” of all power that flows not just out of the home (where renewable energy sources are present), but also power that flows into the home and through the home’s electrical circuits. With its advanced smart features such as PowerUp™, SPAN enables support for smart grids, provides overload protection when electrifying, and unlocks new capabilities for energy savings. The PCS certification process puts all these features through rigorous testing to ensure all our advanced functions are performed reliably and safely.

SPAN is expanding the application of UL 1741 PCS by introducing monitoring and control of all sources of power in a home, including power coming from the utility. The listing illustrates SPAN’s ability to reliably manage power flow to avoid overload conditions driven by one or more sources. This novel approach is the first of its kind, and recognizes SPAN’s smart panel as a flexible and reliable technology solution to enforce the safety and compliance requirements of the future smart grid.

SPAN is a listed EMS with PCS

SPAN has been listed as an Energy Management System (UL916) since our first smart panel was installed in 2019. SPAN is committed to being a leader in the development of codes and standards to ensure smart electrification approaches are permitted and held to critical safety standards. Investing the time and resources to demonstrate that SPAN can meet rigorous testing requirements such as UL 1741 Power Control Systems (PCS), is a hallmark of our company values. While a PCS listing is not a requirement for all smart panels yet, we believe it is a continuing demonstration of the leadership needed to meet our mission to decarbonize the built environment.

Utilities and builders already choose SPAN for its reliable, forward-thinking engineering that ensures resilient and flexible home energy use. As a PCS-certified Energy Management System, SPAN continues to pioneer the way forward for the modern smart electrical panel and energy management industry.