Quick links
- Video: Electrical Planning Reports for BC Strata Corporations
- Video: Electrical Planning Reports – A Guide for Professionals Working with BC Strata Corporations
- Strata Property Act: s. 94.1 Electrical Planning Report
- Strata Property Regulation: 5.7 to 5.12 Electrical Planning Report
- BC Hydro: Request building data about the electrical load of your strata complex
What is an electrical planning report?
An electrical planning report helps strata councils and owners understand your electrical system and assess whether your buildings have electrical capacity for future needs. Just because owners receive electricity bills from BC Hydro or another utility doesn’t mean the electricity is supplied independently. For most strata properties including bare land stratas, the utility supplies power to the property and the strata’s system distributes it to individual strata lots and common property. In the most basic terms, you are all part of a complex system.
The report focuses on 3 core questions for the property as a whole (electricity used by strata lots and the common property):
- What are your electrical needs now and in the future?
- What are the limitations of your current electrical system?
- What options do you have to free up capacity or increase it?
For example, if your strata has a central gas boiler, or strata units have gas boilers or furnaces, after 2030 you won’t be able to replace these with gas equipment. The CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 sets out a commitment to to implement the Highest Efficiency Equipment Standards (HEES). All new space and water heating equipment sold and installed in BC after 2030 will be 100% efficient. As we try to adapt to a changing world that includes electrification of building systems, heat pumps, electric vehicles, decarbonization, and net zero buildings, we have to ask ourselves “Does our strata property have enough electrical capacity to meet these changing needs?” Some stratas have approved changes or additions such as heat pumps and EV charging stations without thinking ahead. They have essentially reached the capacity of their electrical supply and are facing costly upgrades. If we, as owners, understand our strata’s electrical system, we’re more likely to make informed decisions.
To help strata corporations plan ahead, section 94.1 of the Strata Property Act (SPA) requires most stratas to obtain an “electrical planning report”. It’s an important tool to help you plan for the future and avoid costly electrical service upgrades.
Is an 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 Clean BC – Go Electric EV Charger Rebate Program to install EV charging infrastructure. An EV Ready Plan doesn’t contain all of the information that the SPA and Regulation require for an electrical planning report.
Which stratas are required to obtain an electrical planning report?
All stratas of 5 or more strata lots are required to obtain an electrical planning report. This includes condo, townhouse, bare land, residential, commercial, hotel, industrial, and other types of strata corporations.
Strata corporations of fewer than 5 strata lots are not required to obtain a report but they may obtain one if they wish.
What’s the deadline?
For strata corporations that existed (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. It depends where your strata is located. See Regulations 5.7 and 5.8:
- The deadline is December 31, 2026 for stratas located within the Capital Regional District (map), Fraser Valley District (map), and the Metro Vancouver Regional District (map). Stratas located on islands within these districts have until December 31, 2028 if the island is accessible only by air or boat such as the Gulf Islands.
- The deadline is December 31, 2028 for stratas in all other areas of BC.
For newer stratas (the strata plan was filed after December 31, 2023), the deadline is 5 years after the date that the strata plan was filed at the Land Title Office. New phased stratas generally have a 5-year deadline as well. See Regulation 5.9 for details.
How often must the strata obtain an electrical planning report?
Most stratas will only be required to obtain one report. Many stratas that are built in phases will have to do additional reports as the number of strata lots increase. Whether another report is required each time a new phase is deposited at the Land Title Office depends on how many units are in the phase. See Strata Property Regulation 5.9 for details.
Can we hold a 3/4 vote to waive it?
No. There is no provision in the SPA that would allow the strata to waive the requirement or to extend the deadline.
Do we pay for the report from the operating fund or the CRF?
Just like a depreciation report, the cost of the electrical planning report can be paid from either the operating fund or the contingency reserve fund (CRF).
To pay from the operating fund, the expense must be included in the budget and passed by a majority vote at the annual general meeting. See SPA s. 92(a)(iii). To pay from the CRF, a resolution must be passed by majority vote at an annual or special general meeting. See SPA s. 96(b)(i)(A)(IV).
Who can write an electrical planning report?
SPA s. 94.1 says that the strata corporation must obtain an electrical planning report from a “qualified person”. Regulation 5.10 says a qualified person is an electrical engineer or an applied science technologist. There is one exception. If all buildings on the strata property meet the definition of part 9 buildings under the Building Code, the strata could obtain the report from an electrical engineer, applied science technologist, or licenced electrician.
What’s a part 9 building? Under the BC Building Code there are two main categories of buildings: part 3 buildings (over 3 storeys in height or over 600 square metres in footprint) and part 9 buildings (3 storeys and under with a footprint of 600 square metres or less). Examples of part 9 buildings are houses, duplexes, and small apartment buildings. However, the electrical system of properties with multiple part 9 buildings (such as townhouses in multiple building blocks) can be complex.
The author of your report might work with other professionals, such as a mechanical engineer, to obtain information for the report.
What information must be in the report?
Regulation 5.11 lists the information that must be included in the report.
(a) the date of the electrical planning report
(b) the name of the person from whom the electrical planning report was obtained and a description of
(i) the person’s qualifications
(ii) the error and omission insurance, if any, carried by the person, and
(iii) the relationship between the person and the strata corporation
(c) the current capacity of the strata corporation’s electrical system
(d) a list of existing demands on the electrical system, including, without limitation, demands from
(i) EV charging infrastructure, if any, and
(ii) heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting systems
(e) the current peak demand on and spare capacity of the electrical system
(f) if applicable, an estimate of the electrical capacity that would be needed to power systems, including heating, cooling and ventilation systems, that are currently powered by an energy source other than electricity
(g) an estimate of the electrical capacity needed for any other anticipated future demands on the electrical system, including electrical capacity needed to power
(i) heating, cooling, ventilation and other systems that the strata corporation anticipates may be modified or installed in the future, and
(ii) EV charging infrastructure that the strata corporation anticipates may be installed in the future
(h) steps, if any, that the strata corporation could practicably take to reduce the demands on the capacity of the electrical system
(i) upgrades or modifications, if any, to the electrical system that the strata corporation could practicably undertake to increase the capacity of the electrical system
(j) an estimate of the electrical capacity that would be made available if the strata corporation were to take steps referred to in paragraph (h) or undertake upgrades or modifications referred to in paragraph (i).
How long does the strata have to keep an electrical planning report?
SPA s. 35 lists the records that a strata corporation must keep. This section requires the strata to keep any electrical planning reports obtained by the strata corporation. Regulation 4.1 says they must be retained permanently.
Must an electrical planning report be attached to a Form B?
Section (p) the Information Certificate (Form B) asks, “Has the strata corporation obtained any electrical planning reports under section 94.1 of the Strata Property Act?” If the answer is yes, you must attach copies of all electrical planning reports. See the Form B – Information Certificate. Just like other attachments to the Form B, the strata may charge up to $0.25 per page.
Member-only resources
Log in to your account to access the following resources:
- Slides: Electrical Planning Reports for BC Strata Corporations
- Slides: Electrical Planning Reports – A Guide for Professionals Working with BC Strata Corporations
- Workbook: Planning EV Charging for your Condominium Strata Corporation
