Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced a new solution to address the growing demand for home electrification, while reducing the need for costly and complex traditional electrical service upgrades. Debuted for the first time at the 2025 NAHB International Builders Show in Las Vegas, the new Smart Power Manager feature in the Square D QO Smart Panel Solution available this summer provides smarter energy management to homes anywhere in the country.
Consumers are moving away from fossil fuels, selecting induction cooktops over gas stoves, heat pumps over gas furnaces, and electric vehicles over traditional models, increasing the demand for electric power in their homes by 15-20%. Powering these larger electric loads simultaneously can exceed current capacity in many homes traditionally triggering the need for a utility service upgrade which can cost thousands. With this new software-based solution however, homebuilders can avoid the significant cost of upgrading a home’s electrical service from 200 amp to 400 amp, while still meeting consumers’ need for future-ready homes.
“As the shift to a more electrical home continues, builders, electricians, and installers are looking for new solutions to address the growing energy demand in both new and existing homes, while avoiding the traditional 400 amp utility service upgrade that we’re told can add as much as $17,000 in builder development costs per home,” said Richard Korthauer, Senior Vice President, Home & Distribution, Schneider Electric. “By expanding the functionality of our QO Smart Panel Solution to include Smart Power Manager, homebuilders can differentiate themselves by providing future-ready homes that accommodate larger loads, like an EV charger, without going beyond a standard 200 amp electrical service.”
Smart Power Manager allows larger loads to be added to home electrical systems, even when a service has reached its capacity, by automatically shedding controllable loads to safely keep energy usage under that capacity limit. This new solution is:
- Smart: Designed for maximum flexibility of load operation, control, and protection, this intelligent load management system identifies overages and when best to reduce them minimizing interruptions and maintaining safety.
- Cost Effective: Allows builders to avoid the high cost of upgrading electrical service from 100/125 amp to 200 amp or from 200 amp to 400 amp without impacting the consumer future-ready home experience accommodating EV chargers and other larger load appliances.
- Modular: Places control on the circuits where functionality is needed and is effective in both the main and sub-panel.
- Convenient: Provides flexibility to prioritize which loads are turned off first as identified by the homeowner through the Schneider Home app.
- Simple: Included in the QO Smart Panel Solution offering smart panel functionality and energy management to homes across the country.
QO Smart Panel Solution
The QO Smart Panel Solution is a modular, flexible offer developed to add smart panel functionality to standard home electrical systems nationwide. Made up of the Square D™ QO™ Plug-on Neutral main or sub electrical panel, Square D™ Control Relays, and the Schneider Energy Monitor, this solution offers homeowners app-based control with easier installation and at a lower cost than current smart panel options. The QO Smart Panel solution empowers homeowners nationwide with cutting-edge smart panel benefits, including circuit-level-control only where needed to save energy and enhance safety, and system-wide energy monitoring, to better manage energy use and reduce utility bills.
