EV Ready Homes

As sales of electric vehicles continues to grow, so too does demand for home-based EV chargers. For those living in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), however, many buildings require electrical upgrades to meet these growing demands. Scroll down for information about making your building EV Ready, as well as for details about the EV Ready requirements for new residential and commercial properties.

Make Your Residential Building EV Ready

To help multi-unit residential buildings plan for widespread EV adoption, funding is being offered to equip them with an EV Ready Plan, at no cost to them. This program is sponsored by the City’s Energy & Environment department, and is supported by the Community Climate Action Plan. Plans will be funded on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a limited number available.

EV Ready postcard

EV Ready Plans will provide multi-unit residential buildings with a strategy to provide, at minimum, each residential unit at least one EV Ready parking space. Specifically, EV Ready means the parking space features an energized outlet with a cover that provides a final connection point in an electrical wiring installation for a Level 2 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) with a minimum output of 1.7kW (per stall). The energized outlet with a cover should be installed within 0.5M to 1.5M of the stall and no more than 3M away.
The Blue Skies transportation fund is open to City of Penticton residents, building owners, managers or other building representatives (such as strata councils) who reside in or have oversight of an eligible multi-unit residential building (MURB) in Penticton.
- Eligible buildings include:
  Strata condos (low, mid, high-rise).
  Rental apartments (low, mid, high-rise).
  Co-operative condos/apartments (low, mid, high-rise).
- The MURB must be located in Penticton.
- The dwelling must be the occupant’s primary residence.
- The building must be constructed no later than Aug. 31, 2021. This rebate is intended for retrofit solutions only, not new builds.
Timeshares, hotels, strata, and/or individuals who use a hotel management company to rent out their units or who rent out their units themselves for short-term stays (i.e., not someone’s primary residence) are not eligible for the EV Ready Plan Rebate Program.
Apply online for an EV Ready Plan
The Program includes funding for EV Ready Plans only. For additional information on rebates for EV Ready electrical infrastructure and EV Ready charging installations, please visit the FortisBC EV Charging Solutions webpage. The City of Penticton will pay the total cost of the EV Ready Plan, and will also receive the $3,000 rebate from FortisBC. There will be no cost to approved applicants, nor will applicants receive a rebate.
The City has budgeted to fund up to 15 EV Ready Plans in 2023.
Apply online for an EV Ready Plan
If you require assistance with filling out the online form, email climate.action@penticton.ca or call 250-490-2587. Once the application has been received, staff will review and contact the applicant to advise them of next steps.

EV Ready Requirements for New Residential and Commercial Properties

To prepare infrastructure for the accelerated adoption of electric vehicles, a growing number of B.C. municipalities are adopting EV Ready Bylaws for residential and commercial buildings. The City of Penticton incorporated EV Ready requirements as part of a larger Zoning Bylaw update in April 2023. The purpose of the requirement is to ensure that all new buildings in Penticton are future-proofed to ensure residents can easily add an EV charging station without undergoing costly retrofits.

A Development Services Bulletin has been prepared which provides information on the parking requirements for new residential and commercial properties, technical requirements to achieve EV Ready, example diagrams, and links to additional resources. For additional information on EV Ready requirements, please contact the Planning Department at planning@penticton.ca.

This webinar was recorded on April 5, 2023. It outlines the updates to the City of Penticton’s bylaw and reviews the technical requirements that constitute a new build being EV Ready. Presentations were followed by a Q&A session with participants. Please note, the City offered sessions in the morning and evening, and questions from both have been merged into this recording.
Speakers included:
- Danielle Wiess, Director of Transportation, Community Energy Association
- Draydan Power, P.Eng., Manager of Energy & Environment, City of Penticton
- Ryan Chan, EV Charging Specialist, ChargeFWD
Read a quick summary of the webinar here

About the Blue Skies Transportation Fund

Funding for the EV Ready program is coming in part from the City’s new Blue Skies Transportation Fund (BSTF), which aims to address rising emissions from passenger vehicles in our community. Transportation accounts for 55 per cent of Penticton’s community greenhouse gas emissions, and 50 per cent of energy expenditures. The BSTF includes funding from the Province’s Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP).

As part of the Blue Skies Transportation Fund, the City is offering businesses and multi-unit residential buildings the opportunity to apply for up to four inverted-U bicycle racks at no cost. In addition, the City will pay a portion of the installation costs. This initiative is part of the City’s Blue Skies Transportation Fund in an effort to increase access to cycling infrastructure throughout the community. This will be offered for a limited time on a first-come, first serve basis.
Visit the Bike Parking & Amenities webpage

Workshop: Information about getting Your Building EV Ready

Are you interested in getting your strata building or business electric vehicle ready? This workshop, conducted with the Community Energy Association, provides information about the steps to install chargers and other infrastructure, the rebates and financial incentives available to do so, and in the case of stratas who have electric vehicle chargers, their new obligations to report and receive credits for the electricity sold.

Installing an EV Charger at Home

Work to install a residential EV charging station falls under the jurisdiction of Technical Safety BC and does not require a City of Penticton permit.
Please contact your electrical contractor to help you determine if you will require a new service or a service upgrade to support the installation of a residential EV charging station.
While the City of Penticton does not currently offer any incentives for the installation of residential EV charging stations, the City does offer a low-interest Electrical Service Payment Plan, which enables customers to pay for new electrical services or upgrades to their existing service over time.
There may also be grants or rebates available through FortisBC.
You may also wish to review BC Hydro’s tip sheet, which provides further information about how to install a home EV charger.

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