With new legislation coming into force requiring all new builds to incorporate EV charging, Advantage looks at what this will mean for developers.
New building regulation, Part S, is due to be implemented in June 2022, meaning that when building new homes and non-residential buildings, or undertaking large scale renovations which will include over 10 parking spaces, developers will be required to install electric vehicle charge points.
The scale of the change “cannot be overstated”
Isabel James, head of residential at Connected Kerb, was quoted by Property Investor Today stating:
“Under the new legislation, all new homes and buildings in England will be required to install EV charging points. This includes new-build supermarkets, workplaces and buildings undergoing major renovations. The scale of this cannot be overstated – the government expects the move will see up to 145,000 charging points installed across the country each year. However, when it comes to EV charging, quality is just as important as quantity.”
The creation of these new charging points is intended to help ‘future proof’ new developments in readiness for 2030, when the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will come into force.
EV charging becomes increasingly important to home buyers
Isabel James added: “While the new legislation is welcome news as a way to support the EV transition, it’s not without risks. Namely, installing new chargers could become a box-ticking exercise, with cheap, low-quality infrastructure installed en mass to meet the legislation in the short term. In the long run, this means poor quality chargers which break and need to be replaced more frequently, jeopardising consumer confidence in EVs and pushing up overall costs for residential developers and property owners.
“By taking a responsible, long-term approach to EV charging, developers can do more than just support the EV transition, they can gain a crucial competitive advantage – a survey by Rightmove last year, found a six-fold increase in the number of homes being sold with EV charging as the equipment becomes more and more important to home buyers.”
What impact will Part S have on development costs?
Building compliance specialists ERS Consultants Ltd took a look at the impact Part S will have on development costs, stating:
“This cost of installation, which is capped by Part S at an average of £3,600 per point (or no more than 7% of the developments budget) is perhaps the most significant consideration. To install the EV chargers, checks will be needed to see whether the capabilities of the local grid are adequate, or if upgrades are needed.
“Generally, the bigger the development, the more likely it is that upgrades will be needed. However, as the cost cap is an average across all points developers of large-scale projects are more likely to have the flexibility to install a mix of 7kW and 22kW chargers and do more upgrades. Developers of small-scale projects would likely only go for 7kW chargers to avoid the cost of installing 22kW points, which require a 3-phase supply.
“As well as cost, the position of the chargers needs to be considered. If the parking spaces are too far from the power grid, the power drops associated with the length of the cable may negatively affect the charging capabilities of the point. For example, on a domestic installation there can be no more than 15 metres between the power grid and the EV charging point itself.”
Advantage’s view: Although Part S will significantly speed up the creation of more EV charging points, there is also a high level of demand from prospective home owners, with Tim Bannister of Rightmove noting that:
“The number of electric vehicle charging points is continuing to rise, and in turn, we’re hearing from agents that potential buyers are increasingly adding access to a charging point to their list when choosing the right home.
“Alongside the energy performance of a home, we anticipate electric car charging points will become more important for buyers over the next few years, and will be an additional selling point for movers listing their home.”
Overall, we think that Part S will act as a catalyst, ensuring that changes that many consumers want to see are made much more swiftly than they otherwise would be.
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