Hardware Podcasts

Smart Electrical Panels: Avoiding $25K Upgrades to Enable Home Electrification with Arch Rao

Hardware to Save a Planet · 16 Oct 2025 · 54m · Episode 89

What this episode covers

Arch Rao, Founder and CEO of Span, explains how his company’s smart electrical panel enables homeowners to monitor, control, and optimize energy use down to the circuit level, avoiding costly $15,000–$25,000 service upgrades. Drawing on his experience at Tesla Energy, Rao details how Span’s intelligent load management allows homes to adopt EV chargers, solar, and batteries without upgrading the grid. He discusses the evolution from a consumer-led product to a utility-scale infrastructure asset, highlighting partnerships with utilities like PG&E and the importance of interoperable, aesthetically designed hardware. Rao emphasizes the need for deep system-level engineering to navigate supply chain issues and scale production across 50 states.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Span, Tesla Energy, Solar City, PG&E, Redwood Materials, Joby Aviation
Products
Powerwall

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