In 2023, the provincial government passed a bill that requires strata corporations with five or more strata lots to obtain an electrical planning report (EPR). The report is a planning tool to help strata councils and owners understand their current capacity and plan for future needs—from electric vehicle charging stations to heat pumps.
Why do we need an electrical planning report?
Stratas are legally required to prepare and submit a report, but beyond that, as heating and cooling technologies advance, and the focus on reducing the carbon footprint of homes increases, homeowners need to ask, “Does our strata property have enough electrical capacity to adapt to new technologies and meet our future needs?”
After 2030, all new space and water-heating equipment sold and installed in BC will need to be at least 100% efficient. That means that if your strata corporation currently has a central gas boiler, or gas fireplaces, at some point, you won’t be able to replace them. You’ll have to switch to systems that rely, at least partially, on electricity.
Added to this, if your strata has been approving the installation of in-suite heat pumps for cooling, or EV charging stations—without a plan for increased future demand—you may soon reach the capacity of your electrical supply and require costly upgrades. An EPR can help you create informed strategies for meeting new demand. It can also help you manage within your existing electrical capacity to avoid the need for upgrades.
What is in an electrical planning report?
An EPR provides information such as:
- The current capacity of the strata corporation’s electrical system
- The current 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 demandsmergency on-call service 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Recommendations to reduce and manage demand
- Recommendations for upgraded service delivery
PJB can provide you with an EPR for any size building
The size of your building determines who can prepare your report:
- Simple buildings (Part 9 buildings) are ≤ 3 storeys, or have a footprint that is ≤ 600 square metres.
- Complex buildings (Part 3 buildings) are > 3 storeys, or have a footprint that is > 600 square metres.
If you have a Part 9 building, you can use an electrical engineer, applied science technologist, or a licenced electrician to prepare your report. PJB’s in-house Red Seal-certified electrician can prepare your report—and follow up with any work that may be required.
If you have a Part 3 building, an electrical engineer or an applied science technologist must prepare your report. PJB can facilitate the work using our trusted network of professionals—and our in-house Red Seal-certified electrician can follow up with any work that may be required.
What is the deadline for the Electrical Planning Report?
Your deadline depends on where you live in BC:
- December 31, 2026 for strata corporations located in:
- the Metro Vancouver Regional District (excluding islands which are only accessible by air or boat, such as Bowen Island)
- the Fraser Valley Regional District
- the Capital Regional District (excluding islands which are only accessible by air or boat such as the Southern Gulf Islands)
- December 31, 2028 for strata corporations located in other areas of BC (including the Southern Gulf Islands and Bowen Island).
New strata corporations will have five years from the deposit of the strata plan to obtain an electrical planning report.
PJB can take care of all your strata’s electrical, plumbing and HVAC needs.
For nearly three decades, PJB has been trusted to provide heating, cooling, plumbing, and gas fitting services to homeowners, commercial property owners, and property managers in Delta, Richmond, Vancouver, and Surrey. We’re known for the quality of our work and our expert, friendly service.
We understand that our clients like the convenience of a one-stop solution with a supplier they can trust—someone who has a “big picture” view of their building and its systems, and can help them plan for the future. That’s one of the reasons we’ve expanded our service offering to include a full range of electrical services— from EPRs to Electric Vehicle charging station installations, to electrical upgrades and repairs.
Our Red Seal-certified electrician, Kieran McCormack, is one of two sons working with owner, Paul Bach, in our family-owned business. He’s been in the industry for 9 years, and is also certified as an Electrical Field Safety Representative (FSR), which allows him to pull electrical installation or operating permits for any work you might require.
If your strata needs an EPR, Electric Vehicle charging stations, or any of the other services we offer our commercial clients, lease call us at 604-940-2268, or contact us online. We’d love to help.