Electrical Planning Report for BC Strata

A Full Comprehensive Building Power Assessment & Proposal

What Is An Electrical planning report for BC Strata

An Electrical Planning Report helps strata councils and owners understand the electrical system and assess whether the buildings have electrical capacity for future needs. For example, if your strata has a gas boiler, at some point you won’t be able to replace it with another gas boiler. The CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 sets out a commitment to ensure that all new space and water-heating equipment sold and installed in BC after 2035 will be 100% efficient. Whether your strata corporation’s goals include cooling, heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, or electrification of other fuelled building systems, your electrical planning report is an important tool to help you plan for the future and avoid costly electrical service upgrades.

Strata corporations of fewer than 5 strata lots are not required to obtain an electrical planning report.

All other strata corporations are required to obtain an electrical planning report. This includes condo, townhouse, bare land, residential, commercial, hotel, industrial, and other types of strata corporations. There is no ability to waive or defer the requirement.

For existing strata corporations (the strata plan is filed on or before December 31, 2023), the deadline to obtain an electrical planning report is either December 31, 2026 or December 31, 2028, depending on location.

Is EV READY PLAN the same as An Electrical planning report

No. While these reports might contain some of the same information such as the current capacity of the electrical system, the current peak demand and spare capacity, the reports have different information and purposes.

An electrical planning report provides an overview of your electrical system to help you plan for the future. The strata is required by law to obtain the report.
An EV Ready Plan focuses on electric vehicle charging only and includes a budget to proceed with a defined project. The EV Ready Plan is not required by law. It exists for the purpose of applying for rebates from the CleanBC to install EV charging infrastructure. An EV Ready Plan doesn’t contain all of the information that the Strata Property Act and Regulation require for an electrical planning report.

Electrical Planning Report for EV Charger Installation in Strata

An Electrical Planning Report for Strata is a comprehensive assessment of the electrical system within a strata corporation. This report helps strata councils and owners understand the current state of their electrical infrastructure and evaluate its capacity to meet future needs. It is an essential tool for planning and avoiding costly electrical service upgrades.

The report includes an overview of the electrical system, analyzing factors such as electrical capacity, load analysis, peak demand, spare capacity, and potential limitations. It provides valuable information about the existing infrastructure and identifies any deficiencies or areas of improvement. This allows strata councils to make informed decisions regarding the electrical system and plan for future upgrades or installations.

Strata corporations in British Columbia are required by law to obtain an Electrical Planning Report. This requirement applies to various types of strata corporations, including condo, townhouse, bare land, residential, commercial, hotel, industrial, and others.

Electrical Planning Report for EV Charger Installation in Townhouse and Multi-Family Strata Complexes

The Electrical Planning Report for Townhouse and Multi-Family Strata Complexes focuses specifically on these types of strata properties. It provides a detailed analysis of the electrical system within these complexes, taking into account the unique requirements and challenges they may face.

This report assesses the electrical capacity of townhouse and multi-family strata complexes, considering factors such as the number of units, common areas, parking facilities, and other electrical loads. It identifies any limitations or deficiencies in the existing infrastructure and provides recommendations for upgrading or expanding the electrical system to accommodate future needs.

By obtaining an Electrical Planning Report for Townhouse and Multi-Family Strata Complexes, strata councils can gain valuable insights into their electrical systems and develop strategies to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle charging, heat pumps, cooling systems, and other electrical needs. This report serves as a roadmap for strata corporations to plan their electrical infrastructure upgrades and avoid costly service disruptions or inadequate capacity in the future.

Electric Vehicles (EV) are growing in popularity and less than 20% of condo or MURB (Multi Unit Residential Building) parking lots in Vancouver have EV charging stations. EV Charging capability increases the value of a Condo or house and raises property value by $10,000-$20,000 in Vancouver.

BC Hydro has grants that cover a significant portion of the cost for your building to install EV Chargers. There are 5 steps to the grants and each MURB can access up to $120,000 in rebates under this incentive.

To obtain these rebates an EV Ready Plan must be completed and submitted by a BC Hydro Smart Alliance member. MJR Electric is one of the longest standing Smart Alliance members and we’ve completed over 100 site visits and EV Ready plans in the lower mainland, we make it easy for you and your strata.

5 Steps To Getting an MJR ElectRic EV Ready Plan.

These are the 5 steps to getting EV Charger grants from BC Hydro and as a BC Hydro certified partner, MJR Electric will take you through each step.

MJR will come onsite to complete an EV Ready Plan for your strata. This report will detail what amount of EV Charging your MURB’s existing electrical system can support and the complete cost to purchase and install EV Chargers and infrastructure to each parking stall or a selected area.
The EV Ready Plan costs up to $4,000 ( the majority of plans we prepare are $3,000- $3,500 + GST) and the BC Hydro incentive rebates 75% of the plan’s cost up to $3,000 directly back to your strata. You will now know what the total cost to your strata and individual units will be and you can make an informed decision about EV Charging for your building.

Your strata submits MJR’s EV Ready Plan to BC Hydro for approval.

Upon BC Hydro Approval, your strata reviews and approves the plan based on BC Hydro EV Ready Infrastructure rebate and proceeds with Infrastructure upgrades – which usually includes panel, breaker upgrades and load management systems, in addition to running conduit and wire to the determined stalls. BC Hydro rebates up to $600 per installed charger, up to $120,000 (133 parking stalls).

MJR installs your selected chargers. If your strata opts for Level 2 networked EV chargers MJR will install them and BC Hydro will rebate up to $1,400 per charger to a maximum of $14,000.