An Electrical Planning Report (EPR) is a regulated document that every strata corporation in British Columbia with five or more lots must obtain under the Strata Property Act. It assesses a building's electrical infrastructure, calculates how much spare capacity is actually available, models the demand that electrification (EV charging, heat pumps, gas-to-electric conversion) will add, and recommends the specific upgrades needed to support it. The EPR becomes part of the strata's permanent record and is disclosed to buyers, lenders, and insurers.
Why the EPR exists
Most BC strata buildings were wired for a different era — gas heat, gas hot water, and one vehicle per household. As owners electrify, the same building service has to carry far more load. The EPR gives a council a clear, evidence-based answer to a hard question: how much electrical capacity does this building actually have, what is constraining it, and what specific work changes that? The Strata Property Act does not allow that question to be answered with guesswork.
What a compliant EPR must contain
BC strata law sets out mandatory content. A compliant EPR includes:
- A physical, on-site inspection of every electrical room, switchgear lineup, transformer, and distribution panel — not a desktop review.
- Twelve months of utility consumption data (from BC Hydro or FortisBC, depending on the community) to establish real peak demand.
- Peak-demand, spare-capacity, and load-diversity calculations to electrical-code standards.
- Modelled future-electrification scenarios for EV charging, heat pumps, and electric domestic hot water.
- Demand-management and load-reduction strategies that can free capacity without a service upgrade.
- Upgrade recommendations, each with the amount of capacity it would unlock.
Who prepares it
The Qualified Person depends on the building. For Part 3 (complex) buildings, an EPR is signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer (P.Eng, EGBC), an Applied Science Technologist (AScT), or a Certified Technician (ASTTBC). For Part 9 (simple) buildings, a Master Electrician is also a Qualified Person. CF Electrical Services signs and seals each report with the credential the regulation calls for the building.
How it differs from electrical work
The EPR is a planning and report-writing exercise, not a construction contract. A consulting firm delivers the report; the strata then hires a separate licensed electrical contractor for any installation that follows. Keeping the two roles independent removes any conflict of interest from the recommendations.
Written by CF Electrical Services — BC strata electrical consulting (Electrical Planning Reports, EV Ready Plans, and Depreciation Reports).