SOURCE ConnectDER, Inc.

PHOENIX, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- January 15, 2026 – ConnectDER, a leading developer of meter socket adapters for solar, battery storage, and EV charging installations, today announced that its newest device, IslandDER™, is approved for use by Arizona's three largest utilities: Arizona Public Service (APS), Tucson Electrical Power (TEP), and Salt River Project (SRP). This announcement builds on existing Arizona support for ConnectDER's devices, where the company's Solar Meter Socket Adapter is already approved by all three utilities and Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC), with high usage from installers in the state. The company's EV Meter Socket Adapter is currently cleared for use within APS and TEP service territory. IslandDER™ now brings additional benefits to installers as the state shifts to a storage-first model. These approvals streamline the installation process of distributed energy resources (DERs) for millions of Arizonans, enabling installers to cut costs and timelines. Arizona is part of ConnectDER's growing national footprint of 48 utilities reaching over 30 million households-a number expected to exceed 50 million in 2026. See all utility approvals on the ConnectDER website.

ConnectDER's plug-and-play meter socket adapters, or meter collars, simplify residential DER connections by plugging directly into the meter socket outside the home. This innovation bypasses the need for laborious main panel upgrades, full service replacements, or circuit relocations-all of which lead to lost revenue and scheduling challenges for installers and increased costs for end customers. By eliminating these hurdles, crews can complete more jobs per week while homeowners save thousands in surprise electrical costs and drywall repairs with less disruption to their daily lives.

"Arizona has always been a solar leader, and the next frontier is storage," said Ivo Steklac, ConnectDER President and CEO. "We commend the state, APS, SRP, and TEP for their foresight in implementing battery-first rewards programs that maintain clean energy momentum even as the federal subsidy landscape shifts. Approval of our IslandDER™ adapter clears a path for residents to more easily access these incentives and secure energy independence. For our installer partners in the Southwest, IslandDER™ enables operational efficiency; we're helping crews overcome hardware, labor, and cost hurdles so they can focus on what they do best-deploying a resilient, storage-backed grid at scale."

"Meter socket adapters are paving the way for the future of Virtual Power Plants (VPP) and energy storage," said Jake Bastien, CEO of Icon Power in Arizona. "By helping to reduce costs, we're excited to see more of these innovative solutions like IslandDER™ becoming available in the market."

As the third-ranked state for residential solar capacity, Arizona is now leveraging its solar abundance to prioritize grid resilience, with recent battery attachment rates reaching an estimated 47%. This shift is driven in part by homeowners seeking financial stability against rising electricity rates, to optimize Time-of-Use (TOU) rate plans by pulling from their stored energy, and to participate in utility VPPs-such as APS' Storage Rewards and TEP's Energy Storage Rewards-which offer hundreds of dollars in annual electricity buy-backs.

For installers, however, Arizona homes present a distinct technical challenge: meter-main combination sockets that lack the space for essential system components required for storage and home backup power. ConnectDER's IslandDER™ solves this by integrating a Microgrid Interconnect Device (MID), Current Transformers (CTs), voltage sensing, and communication protocols for real-time grid disconnect ("islanding")-into one singular, compact device. IslandDER™ handles complex meter-main combos in just 15 to 30 minutes without additional electrical work. It works with leading storage systems including FranklinWH, Lunar Energy, SolarEdge, and EcoFlow, providing flexible choice to both installers and homeowners.

This efficiency extends to Arizona's burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector, where registrations have tripled in recent years to more than 90,000, creating massive demand for fast at-home charging. For Arizonans with older 100- or 125-amp service, a standard EV charger install can trigger a main panel upgrade (MPU) costing $2,000 on average in the state, but can get as high as $25,000 and add 1-3 days of install time depending on the home's existing wiring and electrical setup. ConnectDER's EV Meter Socket Adapter bypasses this bottleneck, eliminating the need for an MPU in most cases and allowing installers to reclaim lost time and revenue while making at-home charger installations more affordable for all.

About ConnectDER
ConnectDER has been a pioneer in designing and developing meter socket adapters (MSAs) since 2011, simplifying the connection of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging equipment. ConnectDER's products help accelerate installations, avoid complex electrical work, and reduce costs for both installers and homeowners-making renewable energy solutions more accessible and affordable for all. ConnectDER's MSAs are UL-listed and NEC-compliant, approved by utilities across the U.S., and used by top local, regional, and national solar installers. Installers can purchase ConnectDER's MSAs through their preferred distributor. Email [email protected] to talk to a ConnectDER sales representative. For more information, visit www.connectder.com.

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