Do you own or manage a multifamily property in Edmonton or Northern Alberta? If so, you have seen the demand for on-premises electric vehicle (EV) charging stations rise with increases in occupant EV ownership. Consequently, the presence and number of EV chargers may play a positive role in future occupancy rates. Understanding this, you have decided to invest accordingly but need guidance on what to do before installing electric car chargers in your condo complex. With this in mind, we have prepared a practical step-by-step breakdown of what property owners need to do to get organized for the project.
5-Step Guide to Preparing Your Edmonton and Northern Alberta Multi-residential Property for EV Charger Installation
I. Survey Occupants
You do yourself and multifamily occupants a good service by surveying building residents about EV ownership. This is the foundation of any multi-residential EV installation plan. Below are the questions to ask in your survey:
- Do you own a plug-in electric vehicle?
- Do you plan to buy a plug-in electric vehicle in the next 5 years?
- If you answered yes to any of the above, how many kilometres do you drive, or plan to drive, in a regular week?
- If you answered yes to any of the above, what make/model of an electric vehicle do you own or plan to own in the next 5 years?
This basic information will help you understand how many changing stations you will need and what types of chargers to install at the condo complex.
II. Decide on Level
You’ll need to decide upon EV charger levels, which include Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 chargers. The table below breaks down of what each offers:
Source: Government of Canada
The results of your building resident survey will provide you with the data required to make a more informed decision. That being said, multifamily properties that only have a few EV owners would still be wise to invest in Level 2 chargers. Level 2 chargers are the most ideal for condos and apartments as they provide the optimal balance between charging speed and capital cost. Level 3 chargers may be considered for mixed-residential-commercial buildings where residents and visitors share stations.
III. Building Evaluation
Local utilities play an instrumental role in EV installation planning. These utilities provide power to multi-residential properties and possess information required in planning an installation, such as a property’s electrical transformer capacity and its peak electrical demand. This will determine if the electrical service needs to be upgraded to accommodate EV charging.
The majority of Alberta utility customers are served by ATCO Electric, Direct Energy, ENMAX Energy, and EPCOR Energy. However, a number of smaller city-owned utilities also provide regulated services to local residents like EQUS REA and Wild Rose REA, with each offering distinct services. Coordinate with your provider to determine if the existing electrical transformer capacity is sufficient.
Important considerations regarding your building’s ability to accommodate chargers include the following:
- Building transformer size (in kVA)
- Maximum monthly building electrical demand (in kW)
- Number of parking stalls used and unused by residents and visitors
- Accessibility of parking stalls
- MDP Size and space
In addition, gather information from building electrical drawings and architectural drawings of parking floors as they will be helpful in performing the above analysis.
IV. Create Your Budget (and Save)
The information above and decisions made about requirements will guide your budget for EV charging installation today and future phases (as applicable). Reference strata financials, your building depreciation report, and your asset management plan to calculate how much funding is available for new capital expenditures. Be sure to take advantage of provincial and federal programs such as Canada’s Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) along with other potential incentives that offer multifamily building owners access to grants, rebates, and tax credits that may make installing electric car chargers in condo complexes extremely cost efficient. View available programs here.
V. Get an Estimate from an EV Installer Who Specializes in Multifamily Properties
While many electrical professionals claim to be able to install EV charging stations, only work with those who have proven experience and qualifications in designing systems for multifamily properties. They will have an expert level understanding of the scope of work and have specialization in planning for and deploying full-building installations. In Edmonton and Northern Alberta, there is only one EV installer to get your estimate from - BLDG Electric. Whether you have gathered all of the information above or could use a helping hand in planning, we will help you come up with an appropriate, cost-efficient, and scalable solution that will increase resident satisfaction and occupancy rates.
Ready to move forward with EV charger installation? If your multifamily property is in the Edmonton or Northern Alberta area, contact BLDG Electric for a consultation.