Many modern homes today pose great challenges to homeowners improving their homes’ energy independence, reliability and resiliency. Many homeowners want to significantly expand their solar system after growing power demands reach the input capacity of existing panels. Additional solar panels may need to reside on remote detached locations. Resiliency and energy freedom might mean additional sources (generators, EVs) need to be integrated to enhance backup resiliency. As home loads are getting increasingly complex, homeowners may require more intelligent circuits to individually control more energy-intensive appliances.
The key to these challenges is to intelligently expand your system without complex and costly system modifications. The FranklinWH aHub is built as a breakthrough expansion device, intelligently extending the features of the FranklinWH System to flexibly meet homeowners’ various energy expansion demands, all with a single integrated solution.
aHub: the Consolidated System Expansion Solution
It is inevitable that homeowners need to expand their home energy systems in various aspects as their energy needs get advanced. The top need would be adding solar panels for more energy capture, which many times are limited by the fixed input capacity of the system. Some homeowners want to merge solar management by integrating distant solar arrays on their garage or barn. In other cases, the insufficient roof space forces homeowners to install additional solar on remote places when expanding new solar panels to the system.
Significantly increasing energy consumption may also entail the need for integrating multiple backup generators or EVs into the system to get through extended outages without power interruptions. Another headache is that the number of intelligent circuits they have cannot match the increasing energy-hungry loads they want to specifically control, easily resulting in quick battery depletion.
While system expansion is the solution, homeowners may need to purchase multiple modules to tackle different issues, increasing cost and causing more complex maintenance due to messy hardware, and worst of all, it may not be feasible to find and purchase the problem-specific modules.
The FranklinWH aHub sets itself apart as a consolidated solution, combining multiple system expansion options into a single device, making complex system expansions a breeze. These include:
- Multi-PV integration and management
- Distant solar integration
- Generator and V2L integration
- Smart Circuits
The Using Scenarios of the aHub
The aHub can be paired with both FranklinWH energy management controllers.
aGate + aHub
The aGate is the premium energy management controller with a robust 280 A capacity. It easily accommodates the current input demands of various energy sources such as solar, battery, generator, and EV, while supplementing the capacity of your main electrical panel typically featuring 200 A, avoiding costly panel upgrade and allowing advanced energy use without tripping a load.
Since the aGate already offers native interfaces for additional sources and loads such as solar, generator, V2L, and Smart Circuits, intelligent circuits controlled through the FranklinWH App, when paired with the aHub, the aGate-based system allows long-range solar integration and the ability to increase the number of additional sources and Smart Circuits for finer hierarchical load control.
MAC + aHub
The MAC is a compact and simplified energy management controller that enables FranklinWH System integration specifically for meter-main combo homes. It positions itself to meet normal energy needs with limited energy sources and without Smart Circuits. When you add the aHub, the MAC-based system unlocks advanced capabilities: generator and V2L integration, Smart Circuits, multi-PV management, and connections to distant solar arrays, bringing the complete feature set to a compact, retrofit-friendly architecture.
Advantages of the aHub
Independent Management of Multiple Solar Arrays
A standout feature is the aHub’s three independent solar input channels, supporting up to 24 kW of PV in total. Each input is managed separately, and the system will automatically shut off a solar circuit if there’s overproduction or an abnormal condition, protecting your equipment and keeping operations orderly. This is particularly helpful for homes where the PV-to-battery ratio is higher than typical.
Where it excels is distance. The aHub supports remote solar integration up to 165 ft. That matters if the best sunlight is on a detached garage, a ground mount in the yard, or an outbuilding. In other words, you’re no longer boxed in by roof geometry.
Smart Circuits: Tiered Load Control for Longer Backup
On the load side, the aHub supports up to four 240 V Smart Circuits, each of which can be split into two 120 V circuits, providing you with eight 120 V branches total. Think heat pump, pool pump, electric range, server rack, EV charger, or home entertainment devices you don’t want draining the battery when you are on backup power.
Because they are independently controlled with tiered priority, you can set an “essential vs. optional” hierarchy. During an outage, the aHub can shed non-critical loads, extend runtime, and then bring things back online when the grid power recovers. Since it’s automatic following the preset schedule, the system feels seamless and requires no manual intervention.
Unified Control with the FranklinWH App
All of this rolls into the FranklinWH App. Sources (solar, generator, V2L), batteries, and Smart Circuits show up in one place for monitoring and control. You can change priorities, toggle circuits, and observe the system’s behavior without digging through multiple vendor apps. For everyday living, this is arguably the biggest quality-of-life upgrade, especially useful for households that expect a hands-off, set-and-forget energy system.
A Future-Proof Design
If you have a large or custom property, you can stack up multiple aHubs to expand both sources and load control without modifying core modules. That’s valuable for multi-structure estates, accessory dwelling units ( ADUs), and phased projects where you don’t want to rip and replace original system infrastructure a few years down the road. The aHub also offers an industry-leading 15-year warranty, which is in line with the FranklinWH's major product lines, ensuring long-term reliability.
Summary
The FranklinWH aHub is a genuine capability multiplier for your FranklinWH System. Whether you’re upgrading an existing aGate-based FranklinWH System to integrate distant solar arrays and enable more granular tiered load control by adding more Smart Circuits, or planning an expanded MAC-based system with future growth in mind, the aHub deserves serious consideration. Used thoughtfully, it provides a clear way forward to greater resiliency, efficiency, and flexibility, and preserves future upgrade options without reworking the system.
