EV Charging Solutions for Multi-Unit Buildings
We understand scoping EV charging solutions can be difficult for multi-unit condominiums with board members, independent directors, residents, and other stakeholders. Our team is comfortable engaging those with opposing views and presenting solutions that address their concerns. Most commonly, the concerns relate to infastructure cost, maintenance, and usage. Should the condo corporation pay the entire installation bill? How will residents be charged proportionally to their usage? Does everyone benefit, or are their some negative externalities? We have answers.
Common Questions From Multi-Unit Stakeholders
You don't need to have an electric vehicle to benefit from an EV ready building. In fact, many residents with gasoline vehicles may be excited for the charging capabilities to be installed because it means they could get an electric vehicle in the future. From an economic perspective, adding EV charging as a building ammenity could attract higher rent prices and property value.
No, it doesn't have to. Chargers installed in residential buildings are typically configured to charge the user by the kW of electricity used. This means the direct users of the power are paying their fair share. For example, if the condominium is paying $0.15/kW, chargers can be configured to bill out at $0.25/kW allowing the condominium to actually profit from the sale of electricity to users. The best way to manage charging users it to set up charging with RFID scanners. Working the same way an elevator fob does, the system would track the usage of electricity for each user over the month and then bill them appropriately. This provides ease of use for residents, puts the cost on the users, and accounts for every kW.
No. Level 2 EV chargers are reliable and inexpensive to operate. If maintenance is required revenue generated from charging should more than cover the total cost of replacement for EV chargers. For context, the majority of cost for an installation is associated with the infastructure required to connect the EV chargers to the grid. The unit itself is inexpensive by comparison.
The majority of the installation process will not affect residents use of the building or parkade. For portions of the electrical cable run through the parkade the electrican may require vehicles to be removed that are parked directly in front of the conduit location. This part of the installation will typically impact residents for less than one day. The final impact is the electrical tie-in, this is final step to completing the installation and will require a brief power cut to the building to ensure the safety of electricans wiring into the panel. This step is scheduled for the time deemed most convenient for building residents.
Yes. We are aware of several grant funding and research initiatives available for multi-unit buildings in Alberta. Some of these grants are specifically interested in retro-fitting existing condominiums with EV charging capabilities. Applying for these grants can be a major opportunity to reduce your installation cost. We assisted a recent client to recieve a reimbursement for 46% of the total project cost. It saved them thousands of dollars, and resulted in more electrified stalls for the same price.
JuiceBox Professional Products
These products are specifically for commercial and multi-unit residential applications. They are durable and have network connectivity and energy management features to manage amperage accross multiple chargers simultaneously. When cost is a major consideration for your installation, these units provide great value with all the billing and accounting features you need.
