How to assign your Backup Priorities

What are Battery or Backup Priorities?

When a SPAN Panel is paired with a compatible battery system, homeowners will have the option to set priority levels to their circuits to so that their preferred circuits remain on during an outage while less important circuits remain off, helping to lengthen how long their battery lasts.

Depending on the type of SPAN owned, this feature is referred to as either Backup Priorities or Battery Priorities. To learn more about how this functions for your panel, click below:

• SPAN Panel MAIN 32
• SPAN Panel MAIN 40 and SPAN Panel MLO 48

Not sure which panel you have? Check out this article: How do I know which SPAN Panel I own?

While the visuals and naming convention for the feature may be different depending on the panel. the overall experience is the same.

SPAN Panel MAIN 32 Backup Priorities

When your SPAN Panel is first installed, it will attempt to automatically categorize your circuits based on the breaker labels provided by your installer, as follows:

We recommend checking these settings once you have access to your SPAN Home App and update them as preferred following the instructions here:

Click “Settings” at the bottom of the app screen. Click “Backup” from the selection provided. If you don’t see this, it means that your battery was not added to your SPAN configuration. Please follow these steps to get it added: Adding Battery Backup to your SPAN Panel.  Once on the “Backup“ page, you can scroll to the right to see the three different priority levels and which circuits are currently assigned to them. There are arrows on either side of each circuit. Clicking to the left will increase the priority level while clicking the right will deprioritize it.

You can find your backup estimates listed at the top of the Backup screen. These are based on your current circuit prioritization and you can choose to see the estimated time available based on your battery’s current charge level or if it was fully charged: 

SPAN Panel MAIN 40 and SPAN Panel MLO 48 Battery Priorities

When your SPAN Panel is first installed, it will attempt to automatically categorize your circuits based on the appliance type(s) your installer associates with each breaker, as follows:

We recommend checking these settings once you have access to your SPAN Home App and update them as preferred following the instructions here:

Click “Controls” at the bottom of the app screen. Click “Battery priority” from the selection provided. If you don’t see this, it means that your battery was not added to your SPAN configuration. Please follow these steps to get it added: Adding Battery Backup to your SPAN Panel. Once on the “Battery priority“ page, you can scroll to the left and right to see the three different priority levels and which circuits are currently assigned to them. There are arrows on either side of each circuit. Clicking to the left will increase the priority level while clicking the right will deprioritize it.

For SPAN 40/48 panels, you can see your backup estimates listed in the “Battery priority“ under each priority level. This amount is based on the current battery charge and the circuit prioritization level:

Why can’t I move a circuit to a different priority level? 

When installers add your battery details to your SPAN configuration, they have the option to mark which circuits will never be backed up in an outage. This forces these circuits to be permanently placed in the “Non-Essential” or “Turns off in an outage“ priority level and this cannot be adjusted.

These circuits are referred to as “Oversized Loads” and are marked as such for a variety of reason, including but not limited to: 

• • NEC Code Requirements per load calculations
  • Settings required by your Installer’s company policy
  • Settings recommended by the company producing the backup system
  • The load would deplete the battery too quickly in an outage
  • Load exceeds battery power limits

No matter the reason, SPAN Support is not able to adjust circuits marked as Oversized Loads. If you would like to understand why your circuit(s) were marked as Oversized Loads or, if you believe they were marked in error, please speak with your installer who will be able to best advise you.

If it is determined that changes are needed, a SPAN-Authorized installer will need to return to your home to make the adjustments in person.