FranklinWH: Home battery storage and solar backup control systems

FranklinWH supplies residential battery storage and controllers that coordinate home solar, grid power and backup energy.

Summary

Best for
Homes evaluating AC-coupled storage with integrated source management and selected backup loads.
Less suited to
Utility-scale storage plants or assuming a residential controller offers an open industrial control interface.
Deployment
aPower battery equipment, a compatible aGate controller, electrical installation and the FranklinWH app.
Data in
Home and battery operating information through the installed controller and app; documented commissioning includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 4G and Bluetooth.
Pricing
Installed system pricing is not established in the reviewed sources and depends on equipment and installation scope.

Overview

FranklinWH supplies residential energy-management and storage equipment. The system combines battery storage with a controller that coordinates available home power sources. This makes the controller's role as important as the battery's energy rating: it manages how the installation uses solar generation, grid supply and stored energy during normal operation and outages.

The aPower 2 and aGate 1.3 system document describes an AC-coupled arrangement, allowing the battery system to work alongside solar conversion equipment. Its optional generator and load-control functions belong to the specified installation scope. They should be included in the design where required, rather than treated as capabilities of an isolated battery purchase.

Offering

The aPower 2 announcement specifies a 15 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with 10 kW continuous output. Those figures describe different capabilities: the energy rating concerns storage quantity, while the power rating limits the rate of supply. The February 2025 system document pairs aPower 2 with aGate 1.3 and describes the battery as AC-coupled.

The earlier component overview instead describes aPower X as a 13.6 kWh battery. Its specifications should not be substituted for aPower 2. The dated aPower 2 document also discusses planned backwards compatibility, which is not used here as evidence that every older controller now supports the newer battery.

Products and platforms

  1. aPower S

    Current residential battery model named in the official catalogue; distinct from aPower2 and earlier aPowerX.9

  2. Meter Adapter Controller

    Meter-socket controller offering with specified installation and grid requirements.9

  3. Smart Circuits

    Optional control module for selected appliances, with state-of-charge and grid-state settings in the FranklinWH app.11

  4. FranklinWH App

    Home energy monitoring and control software, including backup status, time-of-use and supported appliance controls.11

  5. aHub

    System accessory named in the current installer catalogue; exact topology and compatible hardware require installation documentation.12

Technology

The system one-pager describes aGate as the management centre connecting home power sources, with aPower supplying stored energy. It documents commissioning through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 4G or Bluetooth, and remote operation and maintenance through the FranklinWH app and FleetView. These are installation and management pathways, not evidence of a general-purpose industrial register interface.

The earlier component overview covers a different battery generation and gives its own communications and operating information. For a practical integration, the installer should identify the actual controller and battery generation before selecting monitoring or management functions. The reviewed sources do not establish a public Modbus map or an unrestricted third-party control API.

Standards and technical interfaces

  1. CSA C22.2 No.107.1-16

    Meter Adapter Controller specification only; exact installation and local approval requirements still apply.13

  2. IEEE 1547

    Meter Adapter Controller specification only; exact installation and local approval requirements still apply.13

  3. ISO/IEC 27001

    FranklinWH information security management system, as described on cybersecurity page.10

  4. UL 1741

    Meter Adapter Controller specification only; exact installation and local approval requirements still apply.13

  5. UL 3741

    Meter Adapter Controller specification only; exact installation and local approval requirements still apply.13

  6. FCC Part 15 Class B

    Meter Adapter Controller specification only; exact installation and local approval requirements still apply.13

Markets

FranklinWH's system description covers backup operation and shifting energy use across time-of-use periods. These applications require different comparisons: an outage plan considers the loads that must remain powered, while an energy-cost plan considers generation, consumption and the applicable tariff. Neither can be determined from battery capacity alone.

The San José Clean Energy programme announcement provides an example of participation in a utility programme using eligible FranklinWH equipment. Its terms are specific to that programme and location. This supports a discussion of virtual power plant participation without turning the reported local incentive into a universal payment or assuming all installations are eligible.

Company

The 2022 launch announcement states that FranklinWH was founded in 2019. The current company overview places its headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area. The dated system document gives a San Jose business address, but this profile retains the headquarters wording from the current company overview rather than treating every contact address as a separate headquarters declaration.

FranklinWH's manufacturing page describes a Santa Clara facility producing battery packs and aPower systems. That is a specific manufacturing claim, distinct from the origin of every component or every historical product. The company portfolio includes newer products alongside previous generations, making model identification particularly useful when comparing technical documents.

Alternatives in battery energy storage systems

What to look for in battery energy storage systems

References

  1. FranklinWH product portfolio (opens in a new tab)
  2. aPower 2 announcement (opens in a new tab)
  3. US manufacturing scope (opens in a new tab)
  4. aGate 1.3 and aPower 2 system one-pager, February 2025 (opens in a new tab)
  5. San José Clean Energy programme (opens in a new tab)
  6. Official company overview (opens in a new tab)
  7. 2022 launch and founding history (opens in a new tab)
  8. Earlier Franklin Home Power component overview (opens in a new tab)
  9. Official preservation source: product, service or scoped relationship (opens in a new tab)
  10. Official preservation source: product, service or scoped relationship (opens in a new tab)
  11. Official preservation source: product, service or scoped relationship (opens in a new tab)
  12. Official preservation source: product, service or scoped relationship (opens in a new tab)
  13. Official preservation source: product, service or scoped relationship (opens in a new tab)

This profile does not imply a commercial relationship with FranklinWH and may contain inaccuracies.