EV Charging Readiness for Strata - Section 3 - Prerequisite Projects for EV Charging
EV Charging Survey
A strata committee can develop its own set of questions or engage a consultancy such as Wattblock to run an online survey to better understand the intentions of residents in a particular apartment building regarding electric vehicles. This is more accurate than applying national averages of expected take-up of electric vehicles and assists in capacity planning and scaling EV charging infrastructure into the 10 year capital works (sinking fund/maintenance fund/reserve fund) plan. The best response rates to the surveys occur when the survey is promoted through multiple channels to residents and they can fill out the survey on their mobile phone e.g. while waiting for a lift.
The other benefit of running an EV charging survey is that it is effectively a "pre-poll" on how people will vote at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting, if they are asked to ratify expenditure on an EV charging infrastructure project.
An example of an EV charging survey which was done for a building in Jacksons Landing in Sydney is here.
A strata committee can develop its own set of questions or engage a consultancy such as Wattblock to run an online survey to better understand the intentions of residents in a particular apartment building regarding electric vehicles. This is more accurate than applying national averages of expected take-up of electric vehicles and assists in capacity planning and scaling EV charging infrastructure into the 10 year capital works (sinking fund/maintenance fund/reserve fund) plan. The best response rates to the surveys occur when the survey is promoted through multiple channels to residents and they can fill out the survey on their mobile phone e.g. while waiting for a lift.
The other benefit of running an EV charging survey is that it is effectively a "pre-poll" on how people will vote at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting, if they are asked to ratify expenditure on an EV charging infrastructure project.
An example of an EV charging survey which was done for a building in Jacksons Landing in Sydney is here.
You can watch a video on the key findings from the survey results from 700 Sydney strata residents here.
Here is a future projection of the number of Electric Vehicles and ICE vehicles at a strata complex in Brisbane:
Here is a future projection of the number of Electric Vehicles and ICE vehicles at a strata complex in Brisbane:
Switchboard and Meterboard Upgrades
The switchboard and meterboard may need to be upgraded prior to an EV project if it is not compliant to AS/NZS 61439. This could be because there is not enough space for smart meters which are larger than the existing analogue (spinning disc) meters and are recommended prior to installing EV chargepoints. Another reason for upgrade is that ceramic fuses need to be replaced with Residual Current Devices (RCD's). This is a good project to do of its own accord to reduce risk of fire on the switchboard. Also, some older switchboards and meterboards have an electrocution risk and do not meet AS3000 compliance. Also, if you are planning to install a hardware load balancer and you don't have a Service Protection Device (SPD), some grid providers will require you to install an SPD, which may necessitate an entire main switchboard upgrade.
The switchboard and meterboard may need to be upgraded prior to an EV project if it is not compliant to AS/NZS 61439. This could be because there is not enough space for smart meters which are larger than the existing analogue (spinning disc) meters and are recommended prior to installing EV chargepoints. Another reason for upgrade is that ceramic fuses need to be replaced with Residual Current Devices (RCD's). This is a good project to do of its own accord to reduce risk of fire on the switchboard. Also, some older switchboards and meterboards have an electrocution risk and do not meet AS3000 compliance. Also, if you are planning to install a hardware load balancer and you don't have a Service Protection Device (SPD), some grid providers will require you to install an SPD, which may necessitate an entire main switchboard upgrade.
Photo: Example of a meterboard which is not AS3000 compliant
Understand the Maximum Load on your building
There are generally two main electric circuits within your building. One is the apartment service circuit which contains all the electricity consumed in the individual apartments. The other one is the house service circuit which contains the common area facilities, such as lighting, ventilation fans, and lifts.
According to the Australian Standards AS/AZ 3000:2018 clause 2.2.2, there are four ways to measure the maximum load
There are generally two main electric circuits within your building. One is the apartment service circuit which contains all the electricity consumed in the individual apartments. The other one is the house service circuit which contains the common area facilities, such as lighting, ventilation fans, and lifts.
According to the Australian Standards AS/AZ 3000:2018 clause 2.2.2, there are four ways to measure the maximum load
- Calculation: The maximum demand may be calculated in accordance with the guidance given in the following tables
2. Assessment of the maximum demand may be conducted where
i) the electrical equipment operates under conditions of fluctuating or intermittent loading, or a definite duty cycle; or
ii) the electrical installation is large and complex
iii) special types of occupancy exist.
3. Measurement: The maximum demand may be determined by the highest rate of consumption of electricity recorded or sustained over any 15 min period (or periods) when demand is at its highest, by a maximum demand indicator or recorder.
4. Limitation: The maximum demand may be determined by the current rating of a fixed setting circuit-breaker, or by the load setting of an adjustable circuit-breaker.
Keep in mind that a number of strata buildings have done energy efficiency projects (motion-sensored LED Lighting, variable speed drives, CO sensors on carbon monoxide ventilation fans, efficient pool filters etc). If your strata building has done these projects and reduced consumption by 30% compared with the as-built operation of the building, then this is the first 30% of capacity which can be used for EV charging before you even approach the original common area consumption load of the building. If you haven't done energy efficiency projects now, why don't you implement them to reduce load and free up capacity for EV charging, further delaying any capacity increase needed due to EV's.
Here is an example of an excellent capacity analysis done by a strata committee member who is an electrical engineer and the first of three electric vehicle owners in a high-end apartment block comprised of 9 apartments. This is probably one of the first apartment buildings in Australia to reach 33% penetration of electric vehicles within a strata complex.
An example of an EV charging site audit done by a strata committee member is here.
Locate the Single Line Diagram
If available, it is very useful to find the original electrical "single line diagram" or SLD to assist in the capacity planning process. Some buildings have numerous electrical diagrams from design and as-built stages. To help you see if you have one for your strata building contact your facilities manager or strata manager or local council to try to find a "tree looking" diagram similar to the example here. It is important that the single line diagram has the amperages noted on it, for it to be useful. If the SLD for your building has been lost, then one of the other methods of determining the capacity e.g. installing an electricity monitoring device is useful.
Check Power Factor of the Building
For buildings which are on large market electricity contracts, you will find power factor reported on your electricity bill. These buildings should be aspiring for a power factor as close to 1.00 as possible. Good power factor scores are 0.99 or 0.98. If you have power factor of say 0.9 or 0.8 or worse, then you should consider investing in a power factor correction unit. We have also found buildings which have power factor correction units, which haven't been serviced and aren't operating correctly. More information on power factor is in this video here. The lower the power factor score for your building, the less EV's which will be able to charge concurrently within the existing capacity window.
Electricity Monitoring Device Installation
One thing that we have found is that putting a temporary electricity monitoring device into the building for a period of 24 hours or even 2 weeks is not as useful as putting a permanent electricity monitoring device into the building. Also, the cost between using a temporary electricity monitoring device and a permanent one is so little in cost that it is worthwhile spending a little bit more to get permanent electricity monitoring installed.
If you are planning an EV charging infrastructure for strata, then you may be able to install an electricity monitoring device on the main incomer cables which have the aggregate load of all the apartments and the common areas. You may also install electricity monitoring on the common area meter. Some well prepared strata buildings have even installed the electricity monitoring device on the EV charging circuit.
This will take all the guesswork out of capacity planning as strata committee members will be able to log onto a website and see a graph of the increasing load on the building as more electric vehicles start charging in the building. You may want to watch a video on Wattwatchers case studies from a federally subsidized grant program, My Energy Marketplace.
i) the electrical equipment operates under conditions of fluctuating or intermittent loading, or a definite duty cycle; or
ii) the electrical installation is large and complex
iii) special types of occupancy exist.
3. Measurement: The maximum demand may be determined by the highest rate of consumption of electricity recorded or sustained over any 15 min period (or periods) when demand is at its highest, by a maximum demand indicator or recorder.
4. Limitation: The maximum demand may be determined by the current rating of a fixed setting circuit-breaker, or by the load setting of an adjustable circuit-breaker.
Keep in mind that a number of strata buildings have done energy efficiency projects (motion-sensored LED Lighting, variable speed drives, CO sensors on carbon monoxide ventilation fans, efficient pool filters etc). If your strata building has done these projects and reduced consumption by 30% compared with the as-built operation of the building, then this is the first 30% of capacity which can be used for EV charging before you even approach the original common area consumption load of the building. If you haven't done energy efficiency projects now, why don't you implement them to reduce load and free up capacity for EV charging, further delaying any capacity increase needed due to EV's.
Here is an example of an excellent capacity analysis done by a strata committee member who is an electrical engineer and the first of three electric vehicle owners in a high-end apartment block comprised of 9 apartments. This is probably one of the first apartment buildings in Australia to reach 33% penetration of electric vehicles within a strata complex.
An example of an EV charging site audit done by a strata committee member is here.
Locate the Single Line Diagram
If available, it is very useful to find the original electrical "single line diagram" or SLD to assist in the capacity planning process. Some buildings have numerous electrical diagrams from design and as-built stages. To help you see if you have one for your strata building contact your facilities manager or strata manager or local council to try to find a "tree looking" diagram similar to the example here. It is important that the single line diagram has the amperages noted on it, for it to be useful. If the SLD for your building has been lost, then one of the other methods of determining the capacity e.g. installing an electricity monitoring device is useful.
Check Power Factor of the Building
For buildings which are on large market electricity contracts, you will find power factor reported on your electricity bill. These buildings should be aspiring for a power factor as close to 1.00 as possible. Good power factor scores are 0.99 or 0.98. If you have power factor of say 0.9 or 0.8 or worse, then you should consider investing in a power factor correction unit. We have also found buildings which have power factor correction units, which haven't been serviced and aren't operating correctly. More information on power factor is in this video here. The lower the power factor score for your building, the less EV's which will be able to charge concurrently within the existing capacity window.
Electricity Monitoring Device Installation
One thing that we have found is that putting a temporary electricity monitoring device into the building for a period of 24 hours or even 2 weeks is not as useful as putting a permanent electricity monitoring device into the building. Also, the cost between using a temporary electricity monitoring device and a permanent one is so little in cost that it is worthwhile spending a little bit more to get permanent electricity monitoring installed.
If you are planning an EV charging infrastructure for strata, then you may be able to install an electricity monitoring device on the main incomer cables which have the aggregate load of all the apartments and the common areas. You may also install electricity monitoring on the common area meter. Some well prepared strata buildings have even installed the electricity monitoring device on the EV charging circuit.
This will take all the guesswork out of capacity planning as strata committee members will be able to log onto a website and see a graph of the increasing load on the building as more electric vehicles start charging in the building. You may want to watch a video on Wattwatchers case studies from a federally subsidized grant program, My Energy Marketplace.
Example Electricity Monitoring Device: Wattwatchers Auditor 6
Finally, some multi-level basement carparks were structurally designed to hold a number of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Electric vehicles can weight twice as much as some comparable ICE vehicles due to the weight of the batteries. Some large strata schemes with multi-level basement carparks are engaging a structural engineer to check that the concrete slabs will be able to hold the additional weight of electric vehicles in the future.
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EV Capacity Explained
Join us walking through all the considerations strata schemes have to take on their EV Capacity journey. Watch on Youtube |