Last updated: September 21, 2026
If your strata's electricity comes from FortisBC rather than BC Hydro, you can still claim the EV Ready Plan rebate. The amount is the same. The application is different: it goes to FortisBC, and it works by email rather than through BC Hydro's online form. Some cities also add their own top-up to the provincial rebate, which is worth a few minutes to check before your council signs anything.
Key facts — EV Ready Plan rebates for FortisBC customers
- One program, two administrators. The rebate comes from the Province's CleanBC Go Electric Home and Workplace Charging Program. BC Hydro and FortisBC both run it from the same Program Guide, and your electricity utility decides which one handles your file.
- The amount does not change. Up to 75% of the cost of the plan, to a maximum of $3,000 per building, one funded plan per building.
- The process does. FortisBC customers apply through FortisBC (fortisbc.com/ev), and the file is built around the FortisBC account number.
- A city top-up may add up to $1,000 in Kelowna, Kamloops, Saanich and Squamish, and Nanaimo runs a similar program of its own.
- Pre-approval comes first, whichever utility you use. Costs incurred before pre-approval are not eligible.
Which utility administers your rebate?
The Program Guide sorts applicants by the electricity account on the building:
| Your building's electricity account is with | You apply to |
|---|---|
| BC Hydro, or the City of New Westminster | BC Hydro |
| FortisBC, or the City of Penticton, City of Grand Forks, Nelson Hydro or District of Summerland | FortisBC |
The quickest way to tell is the bill for the common areas. If it is a FortisBC bill, the account number is at the top left of the first page, and that is the number the rebate file uses. Kelowna and much of the Southern Interior are served by FortisBC, as is much of the Kootenays.
What is the same
Every rule that decides whether a building qualifies is the same for both utilities:
- A BC apartment, condominium or townhome complex of five or more units.
- Shared electrical infrastructure.
- Built no later than August 31, 2022, with dedicated off-street parking for residents. Long-term residents only; short-term rentals do not qualify.
- A plan prepared by a qualified professional, with one recommended solution that provides an EV Ready parking stall for every residential unit (or for every parking stall, where there are fewer stalls than homes; visitor parking is excluded).
- A final application within nine months of the pre-approval email. Extensions are considered if requested before the deadline.
An EV Ready Plan also opens the door to the other rebates. The infrastructure rebate covers up to 50% of eligible installation costs, to $600 per stall. The charger rebate covers 50% of eligible costs, to $1,400 per charger in an EV Ready building. Since July 15, 2026, a plan (or an Electrical Planning Report) is also required before a strata can claim the standalone charger rebate. Our guide to the July 2026 rebate changes covers that in full.
What is different for FortisBC customers
1. Pre-approval is by email. FortisBC asks for pre-approval by email to [email protected], with:
- the strata's legal name and address;
- the full name, title and contact details of the person authorized to act for the strata;
- a copy of the accepted quote for the plan;
- the signed consent forms that apply: the Contractor Participant Consent Form, if the contractor submits the paperwork for you, and the Strata or Co-op Consent Form.
2. The final application is by email too. Once the plan is complete and the invoice is paid, you send FortisBC the plan, the EV Ready Plan workbook, the paid invoice broken down by activity, and the mailing address for the rebate.
3. The rebate arrives as a cheque. FortisBC reviews the application and emails a decision within 90 days. Approved rebates are mailed as a cheque to the address in the application, so use a mailing address the council can collect from.
4. Your questions go to a different inbox. FortisBC's rebate line is 1-866-436-7847 and [email protected]. BC Hydro's contact does not handle FortisBC files.
Whichever utility you use, do not sign a plan contract and start work expecting to be refunded later. Pre-approval has to be in hand first.
Local top-ups: which cities add to the rebate?
Some local governments add their own money to the provincial rebate for existing buildings. These are limited-time offers, paid first come first served while the city's funding lasts, and the building must be inside the city's boundary. As of September 2026:
| City | EV Ready Plan | Infrastructure | Chargers | How it works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelowna (FortisBC) | up to $1,000 extra | up to $200 extra per stall, to $10,000 a project | up to $2,000 extra per charger, to $6,000 a project | Listed by FortisBC alongside the provincial rebate |
| Kamloops (BC Hydro) | up to $1,000 extra | up to $100 extra per stall | up to $1,000 extra | Added by BC Hydro; no separate application |
| Saanich (BC Hydro) | up to $1,000 extra | up to $100 extra per stall | not listed | Added by BC Hydro; no separate application |
| Squamish (BC Hydro) | up to $1,000 extra | up to $100 extra per stall | up to $1,000 extra | Added by BC Hydro; no separate application |
| Nanaimo | up to $1,000 | $100 per parking space | not listed for buildings | The City's own program, with its own application; check the City's page for current availability |
In Kamloops, Saanich and Squamish, the top-up brings the plan rebate to 100% of the cost, up to $4,000 in total. Whistler's local charger top-ups have been fully allocated.
We did not find an EV Ready Plan top-up in other BC municipalities as of September 2026, but programs open and close. Before relying on one, check the city's website and the utility's rebate page (BC Hydro's top-up list or FortisBC's program page) for the current figure.
A note on timing and funding
The provincial rebates and the local top-ups are both available while funding lasts. The provincial program has changed its rules several times, most recently on July 15, 2026, when pre-approval became mandatory for the EV Ready Plan rebate. If your council is considering a plan, the safe order is: get the quote, confirm your utility and any city top-up, apply for pre-approval, and only then sign and start.
A plan does not commit your strata to installing anything
An EV Ready Plan sets out how the building could provide EV charging to every unit, with a recommended solution and a cost estimate. It gives the council and owners something concrete to decide on. Whether and when to install anything remains the strata's decision.
How CF Electrical Services can help
CF Electrical Services prepares EV Ready Plans for BC strata corporations in both BC Hydro and FortisBC territory, with rebate management and support from pre-approval through the final application. We confirm which utility serves your building at the start, check whether a local top-up applies, and prepare the application for the right program. Many stratas add an EV Ready Plan to their Electrical Planning Report, so the rebate can offset the cost of the plan.
To ask about your building, get in touch, call 778-910-4772, or email [email protected].
Sources
- CleanBC Go Electric Home and Workplace Charging Program Guide, July 15, 2026
- FortisBC: CleanBC Go Electric Home and Workplace Charging Program
- BC Hydro: Charger rebate top-ups
- BC Hydro: EV charger rebates for multi-unit residential buildings
- City of Nanaimo: Electric Vehicle Charger Rebate
- District of Saanich: EV charging in existing multifamily buildings
Written by CF Electrical Services — BC strata electrical consulting: Electrical Planning Reports, EV Ready Plans, and electrification project management.