{"title":"Plug-In Solar Kits","description":"\u003cp\u003eComplete plug-in solar for California. Every kit pairs the \u003cstrong\u003eAPsystems EZ1-LV microinverter\u003c\/strong\u003e (up to 900 W from two panels) with the \u003cstrong\u003eAPmeter zero-export smart meter\u003c\/strong\u003e, so your system offsets what your household is using and never backfeeds the grid.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo rooftop work and no interconnection application. The inverter plugs into a standard outdoor outlet on a balcony, patio or backyard ground mount. The APmeter is installed at your electrical panel by a licensed electrician, and you can add an \u003ca href=\"\/products\/electrician-visit-plug-in-solar\"\u003eElectrician Visit\u003c\/a\u003e to your order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing later?\u003c\/strong\u003e One APmeter manages every inverter on the property, so expanding means adding an \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-lv-add-on-microinverter-expansion-unit-apmeter-required\"\u003eEZ1-LV Add-On Microinverter\u003c\/a\u003e for each extra pair of panels, not buying another kit. Running two or more inverters usually calls for a \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/book-an-electrician\"\u003ededicated circuit\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWondering whether to wait for SB 868? Read \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/do-you-have-to-wait-for-sb-868-how-zero-export-plug-in-solar-works-today\"\u003ehow zero-export plug-in solar works today\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"apsystems-ez1-lv-plug-in-solar-kit-microinverter-apmeter-zero-export","title":"APsystems EZ1-LV Plug-In Solar Kit — Microinverter + APmeter Zero Export","description":"\u003cp\u003ePlug-in solar, supplied the way it actually has to be installed in California. This kit pairs the \u003cstrong\u003eEZ1-LV microinverter\u003c\/strong\u003e with the \u003cstrong\u003eAPmeter zero-export smart meter\u003c\/strong\u003e, because in this market the two are not separate purchases — a compliant installation requires both. We sell them together so nobody ends up with hardware they cannot legally switch on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat's in the kit\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEZ1-LV microinverter\u003c\/strong\u003e — 120V North American unit, up to 900W, two PV modules on two independent MPPT channels, 5-metre AC cable to a standard outlet\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAPmeter (APM1-W-2)\u003c\/strong\u003e — DIN-rail smart meter with split-core CT rated to 100A, Wi-Fi with external antenna\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"border-left:4px solid #4CA54C;background:#EDF7ED;padding:14px 18px;margin:22px 0\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRunning more than two panels? You only need one meter.\u003c\/strong\u003e A single APmeter measures at your service panel and manages every EZ1 on the property, so expanding means adding inverters — not buying another kit. Add an \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-lv-add-on-microinverter-expansion-unit-apmeter-required\"\u003eEZ1-LV Add-On Microinverter\u003c\/a\u003e for each additional pair of panels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat the smart meter actually does\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe APmeter's current transformer clamps around the main conductor at your service panel and reads which way power is flowing, and how much, in real time. It reports that continuously to the EZ1, and the inverter adjusts its output to match.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDraw 900W in the house and the EZ1 is allowed to produce up to 900W. When the fridge compressor stops and household load drops to 200W, the inverter throttles back within seconds. Net flow at your service entrance never goes negative. The system is always feeding your house and never the grid. For a plain-English walkthrough, read \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/do-you-have-to-wait-for-sb-868-how-zero-export-plug-in-solar-works-today\"\u003ehow zero-export plug-in solar works today\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy you would not want to backfeed anyway\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe power company doesn't give you free electricity. Why would you give them free electricity?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the part most people miss. A plug-in system has no interconnection agreement with the utility — that is precisely what makes it plug-in rather than a permitted rooftop project. And without an interconnection agreement, there is no arrangement under which anyone pays you for what you send out. No credit on the bill. No meter running backwards in your favour. Nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePower pushed onto the grid from a system with no agreement behind it is simply absorbed. You bought the panels. You bought the inverter. You generated the electricity. And it is gone, for free, to a company that has never once handed you a free kilowatt-hour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow take that same kilowatt-hour and consume it in your own house. It displaces electricity you would otherwise buy at full retail rate — and California retail rates are among the highest in the country. Every watt the APmeter keeps on your side of the meter is worth exactly what you would have paid for it. Every watt that escapes is worth zero.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo the APmeter is not a compliance tax bolted onto the system. It is the component that makes sure the energy you paid to generate gets spent where it actually has value: on your own load, offsetting your own bill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat this means in practice\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a bright weekday with nobody home and almost nothing running, the EZ1 will deliberately hold back rather than produce at full tilt. That is the system working correctly, not a fault. It is also generation you had no way to monetise — without an export agreement, that surplus was never going to earn you anything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe practical takeaway is that plug-in solar pays best in households with a steady daytime baseline: a fridge and freezer, a home office, a pool pump, a heat pump, someone home during the day. The more load you have while the sun is up, the more of your production has somewhere useful to go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIndependent tracking on both inputs\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo modules, two separate maximum power point trackers. No two panels in a real installation see identical light — one catches a balcony rail's shadow, one sits nearer a wall, one collects more dust along its lower edge. Independent MPPT lets each module contribute whatever it can rather than dragging both down to the weaker one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCommissioning\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverything configures through the AP EasyPower app: pair the inverter over Bluetooth, join it to the house Wi-Fi, pair the meter, set the export limit. Per-panel production data starts flowing immediately. Where wireless coverage is poor at the array, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-lte-usb-dongle\"\u003eLTE USB Dongle\u003c\/a\u003e offers a cellular path instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eInstallation note — read before ordering\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inverter side genuinely is plug-and-play. The meter side is not. The CT installs around the main conductor inside your service panel, which means working in a live load centre. In California that is licensed electrician work. Budget for an electrician on the meter, not on the whole job. Add an \u003ca href=\"\/products\/electrician-visit-plug-in-solar\"\u003eElectrician Visit\u003c\/a\u003e to your order, or read \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/book-an-electrician\"\u003ewhen you need an electrician\u003c\/a\u003e for dedicated circuits and breakers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSuited to\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eCalifornia balconies, patios, gardens and small ground mounts on 120V circuits\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eRenters and condo residents who need a system that moves house with them (see \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/renting-what-sb-868-means-for-balcony-solar-in-your-apartment\"\u003ebalcony solar for renters\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHouseholds trimming a bill without committing to a rooftop project\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eWorkshops, sheds and cabins already served by a standard receptacle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eYou may also need\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-lv-add-on-microinverter-expansion-unit-apmeter-required\"\u003eEZ1-LV Add-On Microinverter\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e — one per additional pair of panels. No second meter required.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-dual-parallel-bus-cable-2m\"\u003eEZ1 Dual Parallel Bus Cable\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e — to chain multiple EZ1 units onto a single circuit. Available in \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-dual-parallel-bus-cable-2m\"\u003e2m\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-dual-parallel-bus-cable-4m\"\u003e4m\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDC Extension Cable (MC4)\u003c\/strong\u003e — when the modules sit further from the inverter than the factory leads reach. 1m, 2m, 3m and 4m lengths are coming soon to \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/cables-accessories\"\u003eCables \u0026amp; Accessories\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/generator-input-plug-power-inlet-box-30a\"\u003eGenerator Input Plug + Interlock Kit\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e — plug-in solar shuts off in a blackout; this lets a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/portable-power-stations\"\u003eportable power station\u003c\/a\u003e run your home's circuits instead.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/cables-accessories\"\u003eBrowse all cables \u0026amp; accessories →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePlug-in solar guides\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/california-sb-868-explained-what-the-balcony-solar-bill-actually-does\"\u003eCalifornia SB 868 explained: what the balcony solar bill actually does\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/do-you-have-to-wait-for-sb-868-how-zero-export-plug-in-solar-works-today\"\u003eDo you have to wait for SB 868? How zero-export plug-in solar works today\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/plug-in-solar-blackout-portable-power-station-generator-inlet\"\u003ePlug-in solar shuts off in a blackout: how to keep your lights on\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"APsystems","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43465648177200,"sku":"APS-EZ1-LV-KIT","price":499.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/3391\/6464\/files\/product-apsystems-ez1-lv.png?v=1786080618"},{"product_id":"apsystems-ez1-lv-add-on-microinverter-expansion-unit-apmeter-required","title":"APsystems EZ1-LV Add-On Microinverter — Expansion Unit (APmeter Required)","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"border-left:4px solid #EA580C;background:#FFF7ED;padding:14px 18px;margin-bottom:22px\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is an expansion unit. It does not include a smart meter, and it will not work on its own.\u003c\/strong\u003e Buy this only if you already own — or are buying at the same time — an \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-lv-plug-in-solar-kit-microinverter-apmeter-zero-export\"\u003eEZ1-LV Plug-In Solar Kit\u003c\/a\u003e with the APmeter. On its own this inverter has no way to limit export, which means it is not compliant to operate in California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAdding a second or third pair of panels does not mean buying a second or third smart meter. One APmeter measures at your service panel — the single point where all household power flows in and out — so it manages every EZ1 on the property from that one measurement. Buy the meter once, then add inverters as your array grows. (New to zero export? Read \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/do-you-have-to-wait-for-sb-868-how-zero-export-plug-in-solar-works-today\"\u003ehow zero-export plug-in solar works\u003c\/a\u003e.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho this is for\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eYou bought a kit and want to expand from two panels to four, six or more\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eYou are ordering a larger system up front — one kit, plus add-on inverters for the extra panel pairs\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eYou are replacing a failed inverter on a system whose APmeter is still fine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne EZ1-LV microinverter, the same model that ships in our kit. It is built for 120 V North American homes, delivers as much as 900 W, and accepts a pair of solar panels, each on its own maximum power point tracker. A five-metre AC lead with a standard plug comes attached. The only thing missing from the box is the meter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCheck your circuit before you order\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the constraint that actually limits how many EZ1 units you can run, and it catches people out. Each EZ1-LV can deliver up to 900W. A standard 15A\/120V branch circuit has 1,800W of capacity, and continuous-load rules limit you to roughly 1,440W of that — so one EZ1 fits comfortably and two do not. A 20A circuit gives you about 1,920W usable, which accommodates two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that is before anything else plugged into the same circuit. If the outlet you are using also feeds a garage freezer or a workshop, the available headroom is smaller than the breaker suggests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRunning more than one or two units generally means either a \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/book-an-electrician\"\u003ededicated circuit\u003c\/a\u003e or splitting units across separate circuits. Have an electrician confirm what your panel and wiring will take before you order multiples — it is a five-minute conversation that avoids a nuisance-tripping system. You can add an \u003ca href=\"\/products\/electrician-visit-plug-in-solar\"\u003eElectrician Visit\u003c\/a\u003e to the same order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePairing\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional units pair through the AP EasyPower app the same way the first one did. The APmeter then throttles across all paired inverters together, keeping total household export at zero regardless of how many are producing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePairs well with\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eParallel bus cable\u003c\/strong\u003e — links several EZ1 units into one connection, so each inverter doesn't need its own outlet. Choose the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-dual-parallel-bus-cable-2m\"\u003e2m\u003c\/a\u003e for side-by-side units or the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-dual-parallel-bus-cable-4m\"\u003e4m\u003c\/a\u003e for wider layouts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMC4 DC extension leads\u003c\/strong\u003e — for panels mounted farther from the inverter than their own leads allow. Lengths from 1m to 4m are coming soon to \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/cables-accessories\"\u003eCables \u0026amp; Accessories\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-lte-usb-dongle\"\u003eLTE USB Dongle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e — cellular monitoring where Wi-Fi doesn't reach the array.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStarting from scratch?\u003c\/strong\u003e You need the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/apsystems-ez1-lv-plug-in-solar-kit-microinverter-apmeter-zero-export\"\u003eEZ1-LV Plug-In Solar Kit\u003c\/a\u003e instead — it includes the APmeter this unit depends on.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"APsystems","offers":[{"title":"2m — same circuit as existing EZ1","offer_id":43467051597872,"sku":"APS-EZ1-LV-ADDON-BUS2","price":456.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"4m — same circuit, units further apart","offer_id":43467119919152,"sku":"APS-EZ1-LV-ADDON-BUS4","price":468.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Not needed — separate circuit","offer_id":43467119951920,"sku":"APS-EZ1-LV-ADDON","price":409.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/3391\/6464\/files\/product-apsystems-ez1-lv.png?v=1786080618"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/3391\/6464\/collections\/product-apsystems-ez1-lv_26445ce5-540a-4c6a-801f-94e81af7209e.png?v=1786131507","url":"https:\/\/www.inchargesolar.com\/collections\/plug-in-solar-kits.oembed","provider":"InCharge Solar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}