Vernon investigates EV chargers, solar panels for new homes

Mar 29, 2023 | 5:00 AM

New housing builds in Vernon may soon be required to be compatible with electric vehicle chargers and solar panels.

At the regular meeting Monday, March 27, Vernon city council was presented with a response to a previous request requiring new residential developments be fitted with electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The staff report said it’s recommended new buildings be EV charger ready, though noted it is at the discretion of the developer to implement that at this time and that a zoning bylaw would need to be amended to make it an official requirement.

As the matter builds into the city’s plan to create a network of charging infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles as per Vernon’s Climate Action Plan, city staff recommended reviewing the requirement to have EV chargers built into new homes until after the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) had been updated.

Mayor Victor Cumming noted the review for the MTP is not expected to begin until the fall of 2023 and “could take two years” to complete, while “upwards of 400” housing projects that could fit this criteria would be built in each of those years.

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“My recommendation is that we do not wait until we have a transportation plan, that we move forward now on adjusting our requirements, and that we require plug-in ready (EV chargers) to all new projects,” Cumming stated.

“What it is is just a matter of running a wire through the back of the wall and having a box, and when the time comes, you put on the receptacle you want. It’s very low cost at the time of construction and it’s a substantially higher cost to retrofit later.”

In response to Cumming’s comment, Fire Chief David Lind stated EV chargers do pose some risk of sparking a fire and suggested that chargers should not be located inside a structure, including in a garage.

Cumming made a motion to have city staff review what other municipalities are doing with requiring EV chargers in new builds with respect to safety issues.

The motion passed unanimously.

The conversation on EV chargers also sparked an idea for alternative energy by Councillor Brian Councillor.

He suggested new residential construction in Vernon be required to install the necessary infrastructure to be solar ready.

“All that is is a plastic pipe from the roof to the panel,” Quiring said.

“It’s very inexpensive, it goes in the wall, it’s like roughing-in for a vacuum system.”

Quiring issued a notice of motion for the solar ready requirement for new housing projects in Vernon, which will be brought back at a future meeting.

by Liam Verster

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