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New Regulations - Electrical Planning Reports

January 10, 2024

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New Regulations - Electrical Planning Reports

In December 2023, the Province announced Regulation changes that now require strata corporations obtain an Electrical Planning Report (EPR) by late 2026.

EPRs will help stratas understand the demands on their electrical system. With this information, stratas will be able to make decisions about the management of their existing capacity as well as plan for increased demands in the future, such as heat pumps, cooling, electrification of systems, and EV charging. Reports will provide information such as: current capacity of the electrical system, a list of existing demands on the electrical system, an estimate of peak electrical demand and spare electrical capacity, an estimate of the electrical capacity needed to support future demands, such as EV charging and heat pumps, as well as recommendations for demand management.

EPRs will also be included on Form Bs.

COSTS:

Initial costs estimates are anywhere between $4,500 – $10,000. The price difference depends on the size/type of property as well as whether the report is done by a qualified electrician or an engineering firm.

We recommend strata corporations obtain quotes and budget on the higher side. Funding will likely be from the Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF), and if funds raised are not fully expensed, they will be deposited back into the CRF following the project.

To make passing these funding resolutions easier, the voting threshold is a Majority Vote for funding from the CRF, not a 3/4 Vote.

RESOLUTIONS:

To ensure Wynford strata corporations are compliant by late 2026, starting now, we will be working with Councils to add resolutions into upcoming Annual General Meeting Notice packages. Strata managers will work with Councils to obtain quotes and to get into the queue as there will undoubtedly be a backlog.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Below are links directly to the relevant Regulation changes as well as other helpful articles.

Order: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/housing-and-tenancy/strata-housing/oic-671-2023-dec-6.pdf‍

Government of BC: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing/operating-a-strata/the-environment/electric-vehicle-charging‍

CHOA Article: https://choa.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/IR2023_04-EV-charging-and-Electrical-Planning-Reports_FINAL.pdf