How To Turn EV Charging Points Into A Win-Win Situation For Both Residents And Landlords

Electric vehicle ownership is increasing, but not all apartments have access to a charging point. In the wake of new building regulations requiring chargers to be installed in the parking bays of new blocks, dedicated chargers in bays will soon become the norm that residents expect.

Build-to-rent property owners need to decide how they are going to provide residents with this EV charging infrastructure in existing as well as new blocks.

This is the message from Andrew Clint, founder of resiCharge, which is bringing a new commercial solution to the provision of EV charging points for residential blocks. 

“Until now, providing charging points has been relatively difficult and expensive for landlords,” he said. “We’re hearing from residents who say they have asked a landlord or the managing agent about EV charging points but have been ignored. But the way the market is moving dictates that this has to change. There is a real opportunity for forward-thinking BTR owners to create a win-win solution for them and their residents.”

At the end of July, there were 840,000 fully electric cars on the road in the UK. More than 265,000 of these were registered in 2022, which is a growth of 40% compared to 2021. Despite the recent rollback of the 2030 deadline for the sale of petrol and diesel cars in the UK, the market and the car manufacturers are setting the pace. 

In June 2022, building regulations specified that new buildings or significantly refurbished properties must have a certain number of installed EV charging points and provide the cabling to enable the other parking bays to be equipped later. However, this doesn’t apply to existing blocks. 

The approach of many property owners — which is to put in one or two charge points, normally in the visitors’ spaces — won’t be enough for residents as EV ownership surges, Clint said. They will come to expect older blocks to have the same level of amenities as newer properties.

A recent survey that resiCharge carried out of 600 residents from across the UK found that 56% intend to switch to an electric vehicle in the next three years.

“Our survey tells us that residents want a dedicated charging point in their own parking bay, rather than compete for space in a visitor bay,” Clint said. “Having 5%-10% of bays equipped won’t be enough when more than half your residents want to charge their cars. Frequently, the only other option BTR residents have is to use on-street or other public charging points, which are much more expensive than home chargers that can be provided in residents’ parking bays.” 

However, one challenge facing property owners is that even if they want to install more EV charging points, it can be costly. Installing the passive infrastructure can cost thousands of pounds, depending on the configuration and age of the building and car park, Clint said. 

“That’s before you have paid for the charger itself,” he said. “We recognise this is a real challenge in an economy where operating margins in the sector are being squeezed.”

The solution from resiCharge will take away the capital expenditure from the BTR operator. The business installs the passive infrastructure required, minimising disruption, as cabling will only be laid once, and install the charging point only when the resident is ready to start using it. 

The charging point will be offered as a managed service to the resident, either directly or via the BTR operator, with all maintenance and operations handled by resiCharge. This can also provide an additional revenue stream for the building owner or operator as chargers are added to the network, Clint said. 

To offer the service, resiCharge carries out a survey of the building to determine the current power levels and how many chargers can be installed. Once installed, chargers are managed via the company’s software platform, which allows for load balancing to ensure the building’s electrical supply isn’t overloaded. 

As a meter is installed for the charger network and individual charger use is managed via the residents’ app, all billing is handled via resiCharge. 

“The landlord doesn’t need to get involved in the process,” Clint said. “It enables them to offer residents an entirely different proposition than what the industry has offered previously.”

Providing EV charging points also contributes to a property owner’s overall sustainability goals, Clint said. According to resiCharge's survey, respondents are significantly more likely to consider an EV if they have a dedicated charging point in their allocated space. This ties in with the government’s aim to decarbonise transportation and helps the BTR owner to meet its ESG objectives and reduce Scope 3 emissions associated with residents’ travel.

Taking this further, the software used by resiCharge can link to a property’s solar panel system, using power generated on-site to power residents’ EVs. 

“This creates a very attractive decarbonisation story but could also be a revenue generator,” Clint said. “Property owners can decide how much to charge residents for the electricity generated on-site. Soon, blocks will be able to use the system to support vehicle-to-grid operations that can use enabled EVs as battery storage for electricity generated when there is low demand, which can be sold to the grid when demand increases.”

Because resiCharge’s software is cloud-based, property owners can combine data from properties across the country to gain an overall picture of how residents are using EV charging points. A property owner can demonstrate how much CO2 has been saved by facilitating the use of EVs versus conventional petrol and diesel vehicles.

More than two-thirds of respondents to resiCharge’s survey would consider an EV charging subscription for a dedicated charger in their parking bay. Given the growth in EVs, property owners that don’t act now will miss out on the opportunity to create a better situation for them, their residents and the environment, Clint said. 

This article was produced in collaboration between resiCharge and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

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