Skip to main content

This plug-and-play meter collar makes electrical panel upgrades for EVs and solar unnecessary

Philadelphia-based ConnectDER, which sells plug-and-play meter collar adapters for EV chargers, solar, and battery storage, just closed a $27 million Series C funding round.

ConnectDER makes meter collars (pictured above) that are installed between the home’s meter and the meter socket to create a single access point for distributed energy resources (DER) installation.

Expensive electrical panel upgrades are frequently needed in homes in order to support the additional energy demand of DER products like EV charging, solar panels, heat pumps, and other smart appliances. ConnectDER’s meter adapter platform helps bridge that gap, especially for underserved populations that more frequently live in older, underpowered homes.

The collar allows users to use existing capacity to the fullest, thus making an electrical panel upgrade unnecessary. ConnectDER says it only takes an hour to install the meter collar, and the age of your house and your home’s amperage limits are irrelevant.

ConnectDER’s $27 million Series C funding round, which was led by Energy Innovation Capital, includes new participation from LG Technology Ventures, Evergy Ventures, and Riverstone, as well as existing investors Skyview Ventures, Clean Energy Ventures, and Avista, among others.

ConnectDER will use the Series C funds to scale up its existing solar adapter into new markets, launch a new EV product line, and develop a next-gen product suite for multi-asset electrification and integration.

Whit Fulton, founder and CEO of ConnectDER, said:

We’ve already demonstrated the fundamental value of our high reliability and lowest cost offering, and this new round gives us the fuel we need to manufacture and deliver our game-changing technology.

The company is already operating in 17 states, including New York, Arizona, Vermont, and Colorado. The company says it’s deployed more than 15,000 units across the US to date.

Top comment by Elysia

Liked by 13 people

Not approved in my state yet, but very promising. If it allows us to run wiring directly to the parking spots in my condo garage from the meters in the electrical room that would be fantastic. Because right now our fuse boxes are up in our condos and the condo board mandated that any chargers would have to come off our direct electricity, not the common electricity. And the only way to do that looks to be with a system like this off the meters downstairs. This would finally open us up to running chargers at our spots.

View all comments

You can click here to see whether ConnectDER’s solar meter collars are approved by your state or utility.

Read more: Siemens’ new home EV charger adapter ends need for electrical panel upgrades

Correction: The story previously stated, “The collar adds new electrical service capacity, thus making an electrical panel upgrade unnecessary.” That was incorrect. It is now corrected to, “The collar allows users to use existing capacity to the fullest, thus making an electrical panel upgrade unnecessary.” Apologies for the error.


UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Michelle Lewis Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.


Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications