On a recent episode of the IoT podcast, we received a voicemail from Shane on the podcast hotline. Shane has his electrical panel replaced and is considering a smart panel. He notes that we’ve recommended the Sense home energy monitoring solution in the past. However, he’s concerned that Sense, as a small company, may not be around for the life of his breaker box. So Shane is looking into other smart panel options from more established companies. He’s also considering smart outlets, not smart plugs, and smart switches. Shane wants to know what his options are for those as well, especially for a HomeKit home.
First, I want to commend Shane for thinking about the longevity and support of his smart home in the long term. I’m not saying that Sense won’t be around in a few years, but that’s a legitimate concern in the decision-making process. And to be honest, if Shane has to replace his electrical panel anyway, it’s time for a full-featured solution.
The $299 Sense is great for monitoring energy usage. However, the fully integrated smart panel does more than that. You can disable it remotely from the app as needed.
Of course, an integrated system will cost a lot of money. The price will vary depending on the power you use and the number of circuit breakers you need. As a result, estimates range from $2,000 to $5,000. This is because the panel, individual circuit breakers, or both have built-in communication and intelligence.
We’ve looked at a few different smart panel options and suggest that Shen consider those from Legrand, Leviton, and Schneider Electric. All three brands offer similar products, so the decision likely comes down to price and smart home platform compatibility. Unfortunately, none of them integrate directly with Apple HomeKit, relying on their own mobile apps.
Schneider Electric’s $2,999 Power Center uses the Wiser monitoring system, which has a special version of the Sense app. However, unlike the Sense monitoring device and traditional circuit breaker box, Schneider Electric’s SmartLoad system allows circuits to be disabled remotely.
To get a better idea of what these three smart panels offer, I’ll use Leviton’s video to illustrate. It provides a solid overview of the smart features and functionality via the mobile app:
Again, these three options are similar in what they offer. Pricing can be tricky, so you may want to look for an electrician who specializes in this area. You will be relying on an electrician to do the installation anyway, and I’m sure different electricians can offer their own opinions on the different options.
When it comes to smart outlets, not the kind that plug into existing electrical outlets, there are plenty of options out there. And you’ll find better compatibility with smart home platforms. For example, Leviton’s smart outlets work with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, IFTTT, SmartThings, and Schlage systems. Leviton also says it will offer Matter updates to its Decora smart switches later this year.
Important to Shen’s requirements is that the company also has smart GFCI outlets. (Update: Leviton wired GFCI breakers but not GFCI outlets.) Schnieder Electric also offers connected outlets with GFCI protection, but we couldn’t find one from Legrand. We reached out to Legrand to inquire about this but didn’t receive a response. However, Legrand does offer smart outlets similar to those offered by Leviton and Schneider Electric.
From a smart switch perspective, there are a lot of options. This means you don’t have to get switches that are the same brand as your smart panel. Panels monitor the entire circuit, which includes the switches on those circuits. For example, you could buy any of the smart panels listed above and use switches from GE, Lutron, TP-Link, or any other vendor.
Simply choose the switches that look best to you and work with your smart home system. Ultimately, Matter-certified switches will open up more options because they will work across ecosystems. Personally, I would go with the Lutron Caseta switches. That’s what I bought after years of Stacey being happy with her switches.
To hear Shane’s full question, as well as our discussion of the topic, tune in to the IoT podcast below:
