With increasing demand for EV charging, property developers are under growing pressure to make new buildings EV-ready from day one. It’s not just about meeting building codes (which vary by province in Canada), it’s about avoiding costly retrofits, overloaded electrical systems, and operational headaches down the road. The challenge is that without EV charger power management, developers risk one of two expensive mistakes:
This is where installing a power management system for EV charging comes into play. A power management system for EV charging helps developers right from the start by designing efficiently, managing operating costs, and ensuring the system can scale flexibly as EV demand grows.
If you are a property developer anywhere in Canada, here are three key reasons why every building should include a power management system for EV charging from day one.
When an EV charging system isn’t planned properly, oversizing equipment can add unnecessary costs and take up valuable space in electrical rooms. In new developments, over-sizing electrical infrastructure is common. For example, installing a 150 kVA transformer tied into a switchgear or a breaker that can’t actually support that capacity.
A more effective approach is to take a holistic view of the building’s needs by balancing current EV charging demand and future EV adoption trends. Instead of overengineering the electrical room, EV charger power management allows you to install less hardware and still serve more chargers efficiently.
A power management system allows developers to:
We recommend developers to run conduit to every parking space during base construction where possible. This keeps future expansion simple and avoids disruptive retrofits.
With power management for EV charging, it lets you serve dozens (or even hundreds) of EV chargers with less hardware, less space, and lower capital costs while keeping expansion flexible as EV adoption grows.
Learn more about EV infrastructure:
EV Charging for Property Managers: 4 Key ConsiderationsElectricity costs continue to rise, and EV charging can add to a building’s overall energy demand if not managed properly. In multi-residential buildings, many residents often plug in around the same time, which can create short periods of higher energy usage.
A power management system helps smooth out energy peaks by intelligently controlling when and how electricity is delivered to chargers. It can also schedule charging during off-peak hours, making energy use more cost-efficient while keeping the building’s overall electrical capacity in check. Instead of every EV charger running at full power at the same time, the system dynamically distributes electricity based on EV demand, time of day, and total building load.
This directly impacts ongoing operating expenses by lowering electricity costs, extending equipment lifespan, and preventing costly upgrades in the future. Developers, operators, and residents each benefit in different ways:
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How to Save Money With Smart EV Charging
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The real risk isn’t just overspending upfront or high utility bills, it’s locking into a system that can’t adapt as EV demand grows. Without a scalable EV charging system, buildings will require costly retrofits, additional permitting and utility coordination and upgrades to expand.
EV Charger power management ensures long-term flexibility by:
This gives developers and property managers confidence that the system installed today can evolve with resident demand in the future.
Related articles:
The Importance of Implementing Scalable EV Charging Infrastructure
Why Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is Essential for the EV Charging Industry
In British Columbia, 100% of new multi-unit residential buildings require an EV Ready Plan, which means at least one EV-ready parking stall per residential unit. If a unit has two stalls, they can share a circuit.
The most common setup we see is a 4:1 ratio (four stalls per circuit), which works well if you’re installing OCPP-compliant charging stations with power management for EV charging from the start.
However, issues arise when developers install only outlets or junction boxes and leave charger installation to condo owners later. In that scenario, the EV charging power is left unmanaged, leading to tripped breakers, frustrated residents, and costly fixes.
For BC projects, a power management system for EV charging ensures the condo building’s EV infrastructure functions as intended from day one, avoids early service and support calls, and keeps you compliant with provincial mandates.
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metroEV has been brought in by new developments to help redesign equipment that have already been installed, and we often find that oversized components create unnecessary costs and inefficiencies. In these cases, costly redesigns could have been avoided with a power management system in place from the start.
metroEV specializes in smart EV chargers with power management and EV charging software for multi-residential and commercial buildings. Our turnkey solutions help developers design efficiently, reduce long-term costs, and scale infrastructure as EV adoption grows.
Contact metroEV today to learn how our power management solutions can power your building efficiently today and in the future.
Learn more:
Why EV-Ready Buildings Are Key to Canada’s EV Future
EV Charger Installation Checklist: A Timeline for Condo Boards
Learn more about EV Chargers for Condos:
Private or Shared EV Chargers? How to Choose the EV Charging Solution for Your Condo Building
Complete Guide to EV Charging Stations and How They Actually Work
A Guide to EV Charging Solutions for Ontario Condos and Multi-Unit Residential Buildings