Compare like with like. Aligned scores, specifications and local evidence within one scoring class or tier.
Market context
United States purchasing view
Enphase | IQ8HC-72-M-US
62/ 100
Strong evidence coverage · 100%
Evidence checked 2026-08-06
Available in United States · checked 2026-08-06
Buyer evidence: Ready (100% direct coverage).
EG4 | 18KPV-12LV (part number IV-12000-HYB-AW-XX, where XX is 00 to 99)
71/ 100
Strong evidence coverage · 100%
Evidence checked 2026-08-06
Available in United States · checked 2026-08-06
Buyer evidence: Ready (100% direct coverage).
marks the better value on rows where a higher number is better. Temperature coefficient counts as higher when it is closer to zero. Size measures such as rated power carry no marker, because a larger product is a different choice rather than a better one.
| Measure | IQ8HC 208/240 V | 18kPV |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | ||
| Design & Flexibility | ||
| Thermal & Physical Resilience | ||
| Features & Integration | ||
| Safety & Compliance | ||
| Guarantee & Backbone | ||
| Energy Ecosystem |
marks the better value on rows where a higher number is better. Temperature coefficient counts as higher when it is closer to zero. Size measures such as rated power carry no marker, because a larger product is a different choice rather than a better one.
| Measure | IQ8HC 208/240 V | 18kPV |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Microinverter | Hybrid inverter |
| Published maximum AC output range | 0.384 kW | Not stated |
| Power | 0.384 kW | Not recorded |
| Type | Micro | Hybrid |
| Peak eff | 97.3 % | 97.5 % (better value on this row) |
| MPPTs | 1 | 3 (better value on this row) |
| Published rated AC power range | Not stated | 12 kW |
| Evidence | IQ8HC 208/240 V | 18kPV |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Available in United States | Available in United States |
| Checked | 2026-08-06 | 2026-08-06 |
| Certifications | CA Rule 21 (UL 1741-SA), IEEE 1547:2018 (UL 1741-SB), UL 62109-1 and NEC 2014-2023 rapid-shutdown compliance. | The California Energy Commission Grid Support Solar Inverter List and Grid Support Battery Inverter List both carry 18KPV-12LV at 208 V and 240 V, described as a 12 kW, 240 Vac grid support utility interactive hybrid inverter with PCS functionality, listed 21 June 2023, with UL 1741 Supplement SB certification by Intertek dated 10 April 2024., Intertek certificate of compliance 230209047GZU-001 lists UL 1741:2021 Edition 3 with Supplements SA and SB, CSA C22.2 No. 107.1:2016, CSA C22.2 No. 330:2017, IEEE 1547:2018, IEEE 1547.1:2020 and HECO SRD-IEEE-1547.1:2020 Edition 2.0. AFCI is certified to UL 1699B and rapid shutdown to NEC 690.12 with a built-in AP Smart transmitter. |
| Warranty scope | United States, Puerto Rico and Canada; 25 years from activation for eligible IQ8HC-72-M-US units under the current regional terms. | United States; a 10-year full parts replacement or full product replacement warranty from the date of original purchase. Registration within the first year of purchase, or proof of purchase from an EG4 authorized distributor, is required for the warranty to remain valid, and product not purchased through an approved vendor is not covered. Cover transfers once, only while the product remains at the original installation site, and removing or reselling it voids the warranty. Labour is not covered. Parts exchanges are covered during the term, with replacement shipping charges possible outside the continental United States. Unauthorized firmware changes void cover. |
| Warranty remedy | Repair, replacement or depreciated refund at Enphase's option. | Full parts replacement or full product replacement is the published remedy. |
| Labour and reinstallation | Troubleshooting, uninstall and reinstall labour are excluded. Removal and reinstallation are excluded. | Labour is not covered. Removal and reinstallation reimbursement is not promised. |
| Freight | Accepted claims use Enphase's prepaid return and replacement-shipping process. | Replacement shipping charges may apply outside the continental United States. |
| Transfer and registration | Transfer at the original site requires the governing notice, form and fee process. Registration and activation conditions apply under the governing regional terms. | Transfers once only while the inverter remains at the original installation site; removal or resale voids coverage. Registration within one year, or proof of purchase from an authorized EG4 distributor, is required; unauthorized firmware changes void coverage. |
| Grid compatibility | 240 V split phase or 208 V single phase at 60 Hz; grid-forming backup requires the external supported Enphase controller architecture. | 120/240 V split phase or 120/208 V operation, 60 Hz. Exact output, transfer, protected-load, and generator limits are recorded under resilience_terms. |
| Local product pathway | No separate local pathway recorded | No separate local pathway recorded |
| Buyer evidence | Ready (100% direct coverage): Local availability, buyer evidence, and the publication threshold are confirmed. | Ready (100% direct coverage): Local availability, buyer evidence, and the publication threshold are confirmed. |
| Safety notice | No model-specific notice recorded | No model-specific notice recorded |
| Review note | Enphase Energy, Inc. is the manufacturer and regional warranty provider. The microinverter record does not inherit Australian 230 V or AS/NZS claims. | EG4 Electronics LLC of 1130 Como Street South, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482, telephone 903-609-1988, is the certificate holder, with Signature Solar of the same city as the primary retail channel and an installer locator on EG4's site. EG4 is a US-headquartered brand whose parent is building US inverter manufacturing capacity in Commerce, Texas, and its hybrid inverters are co-developed with and manufactured by China-based Luxpowertek under a signed joint statement; EG4 makes no US-assembly or US-content claim for this model in its own product documents. A United States government cybersecurity advisory applies to this product line: CISA advisory ICSA-25-219-07, updated 9 September 2025, covers all versions of EG4's inverters including the 18kPV, citing four vulnerabilities including installation of firmware without an integrity check. EG4 remediated two server-side issues in April and August 2025 with no user action required, released integrity-checked firmware for the remainder, and announced updated hardware; the advisory concerns remote monitoring security, not electrical safety, and no product recall exists. Exact US advisory: CISA ICSA-25-219-07 Update B names EG4 18kPV all versions and records firmware and server-side mitigations for four CVEs. No public EG4 VDP or dated support horizon was established. |
| Sources | Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4 | Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Source 5Source 6 |
A score lead is only meaningful inside this shared class or tier. Weigh it against the specification and evidence rows above before deciding.
Both products are scored in the Inverter class, on the same rubric weighting. Scores are not comparable across classes or tiers. Full methodology.