Enphase Secures Utility Nods for IQ Meter Collar Across North America

Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH ) announced on September 21, 2026 that its IQ Meter Collar is now approved for behind-the-meter installation by 80 utilities that collectively serve more than 38 million customers across the United States and Canada.

The Fremont, California-based company said the device is now approved by all three major investor-owned electric utilities in California and by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Hawaiian Electric has approved initial pilot installations, and Enphase said it expects full approval in the coming months. The company added that it expects additional utility approvals soon.

According to Enphase, the IQ Meter Collar is a compact microgrid interconnection device that mounts behind the utility meter or on a standalone meter socket. It enables whole-home backup without moving circuits to a dedicated backup sub-panel or installing additional consumption current transformers, while providing safe grid isolation. The collar is a key component of the 4th-generation Enphase Energy System alongside the IQ Battery 10C and the IQ Combiner 6C, and Enphase says it helps reduce equipment, wiring complexity, and installation time. With integrated metering and streamlined commissioning, the company says installers can complete more installations in a single day; the system is backed by a 15-year limited warranty.

“With the IQ Meter Collar now approved by 80 utilities, we are removing a key barrier to battery adoption, enabling installers to bring our 4th-generation Enphase Energy System to more homeowners, faster and more efficiently,” said Ken Fong, senior vice president of sales at Enphase Energy. Fong said utility approvals are critical to scaling whole-home backup.

The announcement included statements from installers operating in approved territories. Dan Moncayo, owner of HPM Solar in Southern California, said utility approval opens the door to deploying whole-home backup at much greater scale and reduces the amount of equipment mounted on the wall. Ed Murray, president of Aztec Solar in Northern California, said SMUD’s approval provides a streamlined way to offer whole-home backup aligned with local utility standards. Cruz Romero, owner of Hi Power Solar in Hawaii, said Hawaii has one of the highest electricity rates in the country and a real need for resilient, whole-home backup. Kent Harle, CEO of Stellar Solar in San Diego, said the San Diego Community Power Solar Battery Savings program is creating financial incentives for homeowners in that market. Jeff Long, president and CEO of Infinium Solar in the PG&E (PCG.DE ) service territory, said the approval allows his company to offer whole-home backup through a simpler installation process.

IQ Meter Collar Specifications

The official IQ Meter Collar data sheet describes the unit, model MC-200-011-V01, as a meter socket adapter with an integrated microgrid interconnection device (MID) and Energy Meter. The collar installs on an ANSI C12 Form 2S meter socket, either at the service entrance between the utility meter and the meter socket or on the load side of the utility service on a separate meter socket pan, and is rated for 200 A continuous current at 120/240 VAC split-phase, 60 Hz.

Listed specifications include consumption metering accurate to within ±0.5%, a Category IV service-entrance overvoltage rating, a maximum short-circuit current withstand of 22 kA, a weight of 3.6 lb, and a NEMA 3R indoor/outdoor enclosure rated for an ambient operating range of -40°F to 122°F. Safety compliance covers UL 414 and CSA C22.2 No.115:2025, and the unit carries UL 1741 SA/SB multi-mode grid compatibility under IEEE 1547:2018. The data sheet states that the collar meets CA Rule 21 (UL 1741-SA), IEEE 1547:2018 (UL 1741-SB), Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), and Hawaiian Electric Industries (HE ) (HEI) SRD V2.0 grid profiles, and that it supports remote firmware updates and remote commissioning. An integrated AC-DC power supply closes the MID to restore power to the home when the utility grid is available, even if battery energy is exhausted, according to the document.

Earlier Utility Approvals

On August 4, 2025, Enphase announced that San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) had approved the IQ Meter Collar for behind-the-meter installations in its service territory, describing SDG&E at the time as one of dozens of utilities across the United States that had approved the device. The company said pilots were then underway with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE), which it identified as California’s two other largest utilities, with full approval expected soon. The August 2025 release also stated that shipments of the 4th-generation Enphase battery system, comprising the IQ Battery 10C, IQ Meter Collar, and IQ Combiner 6C, had begun the previous month and that the system was backed by a 15-year limited warranty.

Enphase describes itself as the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, EV chargers, home energy management systems, and virtual power plant solutions. The company states that it has shipped approximately 89.4 million microinverters, with approximately 5.3 million Enphase-based systems deployed in more than 165 countries.