Keywest Lights & Electric is a SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs completed. We install SPAN Panels in homes across mainland Clearwater, from Countryside and Northeast Clearwater to Morningside, Skycrest and Del Oro, and we’re about 10 miles away at 6248 Seminole Blvd.
Call (727) 476-7079 or request a SPAN consultation.
Live on the beach or the islands? See our page for SPAN on Clearwater Beach, Island Estates & Sand Key.
What SPAN does for a Clearwater home
A SPAN Panel replaces your existing electrical panel with one you can see and control from your phone. Every circuit is measured and switchable in the SPAN Home app, so you can see what’s using power right now, turn circuits off from anywhere, and get free over-the-air software updates. It uses standard 1-inch breakers and is NEMA 3R rated for indoor or outdoor installation.
In mainland Clearwater we see three kinds of SPAN projects:
- Homes with solar and a battery. This is most of our SPAN work. SPAN lets you choose which circuits get backup power during an outage, change those priorities as the outage goes on, and see how much backup time is left. SPAN says it extends battery life by 40% during an outage.*
- Homes adding an EV charger, heat pump or induction range. On a 100- to 200-amp service, SPAN PowerUp™ can manage EV charging so the house stays within its service rating, which can sometimes avoid a utility service upgrade.^
- Homes that need a new panel anyway. If your panel is old, full, rusted or a brand insurers flag, SPAN is the “smarter panel upgrade”: you’re replacing the panel either way, and you get monitoring and control in the bargain.
Clearwater’s mainland neighborhoods and their panels
Clearwater’s median home was built in 1978 (Census ACS 2020–2024), but the mainland has a wide range of housing, and each area brings different SPAN work:
- Countryside and north Clearwater. Mostly 1980s subdivisions with big, south-facing roofs that suit solar. Many already have a solar system, and the original panel is now 35 to 40 years old, often with a solar breaker squeezed into a full box. SPAN gives these homes room to grow and full visibility into what the solar is producing.
- Northeast Clearwater, Coachman and the Bayside area. Newer homes and remodels where owners are adding EVs and batteries and want one app to manage them.
- Morningside, Skycrest and Del Oro. 1950s to 1970s homes, many with Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, original 100- to 150-amp services, and ungrounded circuits. These panels usually need replacing regardless. We assess the service, grounding and wiring first, and SPAN goes in as the new panel.
- Harbor Oaks and the downtown bluff. Some of Clearwater’s oldest homes, with wiring added over a century. SPAN’s per-circuit data helps sort out what’s actually on each circuit.
Larger homes with more than 48 circuits or a service over 200 amps may need more than one SPAN Panel. We size it at the site visit.
SPAN with solar and battery backup
SPAN works with a home’s existing solar and battery system when the battery is on SPAN’s compatibility list. Tesla Powerwall 3 and FranklinWH aPower work with every SPAN Panel model. Powerwall 2, SolarEdge, and Enphase IQ Battery 5P and 10T work with the SPAN Panel MAIN 32. SPAN’s Backup Overload Protection (NEC 2023 Article 702.4) helps prevent brownouts and the service calls that come with 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; Keywest Lights & Electric manages the project and handles the electrical work, including the SPAN Panel and interconnection wiring. Solar, battery backup & energy monitoring →
SPAN with a standby generator (what to expect)
Plenty of Countryside and northeast Clearwater homes have a standby generator from past hurricane seasons. SPAN can work with one, but you should know the limits before you buy:
- The generator connects upstream of SPAN through a listed transfer switch. Generator output never lands in the SPAN Panel, and portable-generator interlocks can’t be installed in it.
- SPAN doesn’t communicate with the generator, so generator power shows as grid power in the app.
- Generator only, no battery: there’s no automatic load shedding or circuit prioritization. You turn non-essential circuits off by hand in the app, which is still far easier than flipping breakers in a dark garage.
- Generator as part of a compatible battery system: you get SPAN’s full battery outage experience.
Storm season in Clearwater
Hurricane Milton’s winds in October 2024 caused long outages across Clearwater, two weeks after Helene’s surge hit the beaches. Owners with batteries learned quickly that a battery wired to the AC can be empty by morning. With SPAN, you see estimated backup time and decide what stays on, so the fridge, lights and Wi-Fi are still running when you need them.
Permits and HOAs in Clearwater
- Inside city limits: electrical permits come from the City of Clearwater Planning & Development Department at the Municipal Services Building, 100 S. Myrtle Ave.
- Unincorporated areas with a Clearwater mailing address (pockets near Largo and along US-19): Pinellas County Building & Development Review Services.
- Utility: Duke Energy Florida. We coordinate the disconnect and reconnect when the meter has to be pulled.
Many Countryside and northeast Clearwater homes are in HOAs. A panel inside the garage usually needs nothing from the HOA, but exterior equipment changes may need architectural approval. We provide the specs your association asks for.
How a SPAN install works
- Consultation call. Tell us about your home, panel, solar, battery and plans.
- Site visit and load calculation. We look at the panel, meter, grounding, and any solar, battery or generator equipment.
- Itemized quote after the site visit. Every part of the job is on its own line. We don’t quote SPAN prices over the phone.
- Permit and Duke Energy coordination.
- 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 show you how backup priorities work in the SPAN Home app.
Warranty and financing
- 3-year workmanship warranty on our electrical work, extended to 5 years for Member Care Plan members. That’s separate from SPAN’s own 10-year limited panel warranty, which requires installation by SPAN or a SPAN Authorized Installer.
- 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.
Hurricane season notes for this area
October is still hurricane season on the Gulf coast. For planned electrical work we keep the advice practical:
- Standby generators need a listed transfer switch ahead of the panel. Portable-generator interlocks are a different product and are not installed in a SPAN Panel. See generator installation and hookups.
- Whole-house surge protection is required by Florida’s adopted electrical code whenever a home’s service equipment is replaced, and it’s a smart add-on before storm season even when you’re not upgrading. See whole-house surge protection.
- After a storm: do a visual check before restoring power if the house took on water, if you smell burning, or if the meter can or panel was submerged or damaged. Call us for a post-storm inspection rather than flipping the main back on and hoping. Emergency calls are answered 24/7; we do not promise a response time.
- Permits: generator hookups, panel and service work still need the correct city or county permit. We pull those when we do the work.
Clearwater SPAN FAQ
Are you a SPAN Authorized Installer? Yes. Keywest Lights & Electric is a SPAN Authorized Installer, with 20 SPAN installs completed. We’re licensed (EC#13014717) and have done electrical work in Pinellas County since 2010.
How much does a SPAN Panel 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.
Do I need solar or a battery to get SPAN? No. SPAN works as a smart replacement panel on its own, and it’s ready for solar, batteries and EV charging later. Battery backup control does require a compatible battery.
Will SPAN work with my existing solar and battery? If your battery is on SPAN’s compatibility list, yes. We check your exact equipment at the site visit.
Can SPAN help me add an EV charger without a service upgrade? Sometimes. SPAN PowerUp can manage EV charging to keep your home within its service rating. It requires qualification and enrollment, and we’ll tell you after the load calculation whether it fits your home.^
What if my internet goes down? App control and monitoring need a connection. SPAN connects by Wi-Fi or Ethernet and falls back to cellular where coverage allows. Your breakers keep protecting your circuits either way.
Do you install SPAN on Clearwater Beach too? Yes. See our Clearwater Beach, Island Estates & Sand Key SPAN page.
Ready for a smarter panel in Clearwater? Call (727) 476-7079 or request a SPAN consultation.
* 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. ^ Requires qualification and enrollment in SPAN PowerUp to avoid a utility service upgrade. Cost and time savings are site-specific and vary. 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.
Beach vs mainland: This page covers mainland Clearwater neighborhoods. For Clearwater Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key, see SPAN on Clearwater Beach & Island Estates.
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