For Clearwater homes that already have solar and a battery, a SPAN smart panel turns a fixed backup setup into one you control from your phone, before, during and after the next storm.
Keywest Lights & Electric is a SPAN Authorized Installer based at 6248 Seminole Blvd in Seminole, licensed (EC13014717) and doing electrical work across Tampa Bay since 2010. We’ve completed 20 SPAN installs, and SPAN works with the solar and battery system you already have.
- SPAN Authorized Installer
- 20 SPAN installs completed
- Licensed & Insured EC13014717
- Since 2010
- 3-year workmanship warranty
- Financing available
Clearwater is really several places with one name. Clearwater Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key are waterfront and barrier-island neighborhoods with docks, pools and a lot of post-2024 rebuilding. Harbor Oaks and the bluffs south of downtown have some of the city’s oldest and grandest homes. Countryside and north Clearwater are 1980s subdivisions with big roofs that suit solar. We’re 12 to 14 miles away in Seminole and install SPAN across all of them.
Why SPAN fits Clearwater homes with solar and batteries
A battery is only as useful as the circuits it’s wired to. In many Clearwater homes, those circuits were chosen once, on install day, and moved into a small backup subpanel. SPAN changes that. Every circuit in a SPAN Panel is measured and switchable in the SPAN Home app, so during an outage you decide whether the battery runs the pool pump or the second AC, and you can change the plan as the outage drags on. You also see solar production, battery level and each circuit’s use in one place.
Waterfront homes on Island Estates and Clearwater Beach tend to have heavy, intermittent loads: boat lifts, dock lighting, pool heaters, and sometimes an elevator. Those are exactly the loads you want off when you’re running on battery. SPAN can shed lower-priority circuits automatically to keep the battery from being overloaded, and it can slow or pause EV charging to keep the house within its service rating on normal days.
SPAN works with your existing solar and battery in Clearwater
SPAN works with a home’s existing solar and battery backup system when the battery is on SPAN’s compatibility list. Per SPAN’s product guide, Tesla Powerwall 3 and FranklinWH aPower work with every SPAN Panel model, and Powerwall 2, SolarEdge and Enphase IQ Battery 5P and 10T work with the SPAN Panel MAIN 32. SPAN says it extends battery life by 40% in an outage,* and its Backup Overload Protection (NEC 2023 Article 702.4) helps prevent brownouts and battery resets. We confirm your inverter, battery and gateway before we quote.
Don’t have solar or a battery yet? We can add solar, battery backup and energy monitoring through our licensed partner installers as one coordinated project. Our partners install the solar and battery equipment; we manage the project and handle the electrical work, including panel upgrades, SPAN and the interconnection wiring. Solar, battery backup & energy monitoring →
Clearwater housing and the panels we find
Clearwater’s median home was built in 1978, but the range is wide. Central neighborhoods like Skycrest, Morningside and Del Oro are full of 1950s to 70s homes with original panels nearing the end of their life, including Federal Pacific and Zinsco units that insurers often flag. Harbor Oaks homes, some dating to the 1910s and 1920s, can have decades of wiring layered on top of each other. Countryside homes from the 1980s are reaching the age where the original panel is due, and many already have a solar breaker squeezed into a full box.
On the islands, salt air is the main enemy. Exterior panels and meter cans on Island Estates and Sand Key corrode faster than anything inland, and corrosion at breaker connections causes heat and nuisance trips. Every SPAN model is NEMA 3R rated for indoor or outdoor installation, so we can often move the panel to a garage or protected wall when we replace it. Larger homes with more than 48 circuits or a service over 200 amps may need more than one SPAN Panel.
Hurricanes, flooding and outages in Clearwater
Hurricane Helene’s surge in September 2024 flooded large parts of Clearwater Beach and the barrier islands, and Hurricane Milton’s winds two weeks later caused long outages across the city. Owners with solar and batteries kept power, but many found their battery drained overnight because the backup circuits included the AC. With SPAN, you can see estimated backup time and decide what stays on, so the battery is still there when you need it the next morning.
After a flood, electrical equipment that took on saltwater should be evaluated before it’s turned back on, and it usually has to be replaced. Rebuilt and substantially improved homes in flood zones may have to put equipment above a required elevation. We look at your flood zone and the building department’s requirements before we quote.
Permits and associations in Clearwater
For addresses inside city limits, electrical permits come from the City of Clearwater’s building division. Some homes with a Clearwater mailing address, including unincorporated pockets near Largo and along US-19, are permitted by Pinellas County Building & Development Review Services instead. We confirm which applies, pull the permit, coordinate the Duke Energy disconnect and reconnect, and meet the inspector.
Many Countryside, Island Estates and Sand Key properties are in communities with HOAs or condo associations. A panel inside the garage usually needs nothing from the HOA, but exterior equipment changes may need architectural approval, and condo work that touches common electrical rooms needs board sign-off. We provide the specs your association asks for.
Site visit, itemized quote and warranty for Clearwater homes
- Site visit and load calculation. We look at your panel, meter, grounding, solar and battery equipment, and ask what you plan to add.
- Itemized quote. You get an itemized quote after the site visit, with every part of the job on its own line. No prices over the phone.
- Permit and utility coordination. We pull the permit and schedule the utility disconnect and reconnect if the meter has to be pulled.
- Install and commissioning. Most SPAN installs take about a day. We commission the panel, connect it to your existing system and add whole-house surge protection.
- Inspection and app walkthrough. We meet the inspector and walk you through the SPAN Home app, including how backup priorities work.
Our 3-year workmanship warranty covers the electrical work we do, extended to 5 years for Member Care Plan members. That’s separate from SPAN’s own 10-year limited panel warranty, which depends on installation by SPAN or a SPAN Authorized Installer.
Financing available
Financing available through Acorn Finance, subject to credit approval. Check your options without affecting your credit score. Ask us and we’ll include the financing link with your itemized quote.
Neighborhoods we serve on Clearwater Beach and the islands
This page covers SPAN Panel installs on Clearwater Beach and the barrier islands: Clearwater Beach and Mandalay Ave, North Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key. On the mainland (Countryside, Morningside, Skycrest and the rest of Clearwater), see SPAN Panel installation in Clearwater. For other electrical work in the area, see our Clearwater page.
SPAN FAQ for Clearwater
Do you install SPAN on Clearwater Beach and Island Estates?
Yes. We install SPAN across Clearwater, including Clearwater Beach, Island Estates, Sand Key, Harbor Oaks and Countryside. For mainland Clearwater neighborhoods (Countryside, Morningside, Skycrest and inland Clearwater), see our Clearwater SPAN page.
Who issues the permit for a SPAN Panel in Clearwater?
The City of Clearwater inside city limits, and Pinellas County for unincorporated areas with Clearwater mailing addresses. We pull the permit either way.
Will SPAN work with my solar panels and battery?
If your battery is on SPAN’s compatibility list, yes. We check your exact equipment at the site visit. If you don’t have solar or a battery yet, we can add solar, battery backup and energy monitoring through our licensed partner installers as one coordinated project.
My outdoor panel is rusted. Can SPAN go outside?
Yes. Every SPAN model is rated for indoor or outdoor installation. On the islands we often recommend moving it to a more protected spot when we replace it.
Can I turn off my dock lift and pool from the app during an outage?
Yes. Each circuit in a SPAN Panel can be switched on or off in the SPAN Home app, so you can keep heavy loads off while you’re on battery.
Are you a SPAN Authorized Installer?
Yes. Keywest Lights & Electric is a SPAN Authorized Installer, and we’ve completed 20 SPAN installs. We handle the install, permit, inspection and SPAN Home app setup for Clearwater Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key homes.
How much does a SPAN installation cost in Clearwater?
It depends on the SPAN model, your current panel and service, any code corrections, the permit and add-ons. We give an itemized quote after a site visit, so you see every line before you decide. We don’t quote prices over the phone.
What warranty comes with a SPAN installation?
Our workmanship warranty is 3 years, extended to 5 years for Member Care Plan members. SPAN backs its panels with a 10-year limited warranty (5 years on the SPAN Home Gateway) when installed by SPAN or a SPAN Authorized Installer.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Financing is available through Acorn Finance, subject to credit approval. You can check your options without affecting your credit score. Ask us and we’ll include the financing link with your itemized quote.
Ready to control your backup power in Clearwater?
Call or send a request and a licensed electrician will talk through your panel, your solar and battery setup and whether SPAN makes sense, then set up a site visit for an itemized quote.
* Per SPAN: results from an internal study of SPAN Panel managing backup load priorities in over 1,200 simulated outage situations. Battery backup time will vary based on home energy consumption, backup priorities, and storage systems. SPAN PowerUp™ service-upgrade avoidance requires qualification and enrollment. SPAN®, SPAN Panel, SPAN Drive, SPAN PowerUp and the SPAN logo are trademarks of Span.IO, Inc. Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent SPAN Authorized Installer.
Related: SPAN in mainland Clearwater · SPAN Smart Panel Installation · Panel Upgrades · Solar, Battery Backup & Energy Monitoring · Clearwater · Request Service