Burlington Electric Department Launches New Program with EVmatch to Expand EV Charging at Multi-family Properties

Burlington Electric Department (BED) recently announced a new rebate program to expand EV charging at multi-family properties in Burlington, Vermont. Incentives are available to property owners who install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at multi-family properties. EVmatch was selected as the smart EV charging network partner to help manage these new chargers. 

According to the Department of Energy, about 80% of EV charging is completed at home. That’s because it is typically both the least expensive and most convenient. Nighttime is generally a very convenient time to charge for the EV driver as the vehicle would be parked for several hours. With home charging, the EV is fully charged without any time spent waiting for the vehicle to charge and at a fraction of the cost of what it would take to fill up a tank of gas. 

For most homeowners, the transition to electric is fairly straightforward. However, a large portion of the US population does not live in a single-family home. They instead live in multi-family properties, such as apartment complexes or condominiums, where parking is often shared or there is no access to an electrical outlet. Per BED, 60% of its customers live in multi-family residences. 

This lack of home charging leads to a barrier to EV adoption unless there are plentiful public charging stations nearby, similar to the gas station model. Fortunately, many electric utilities, cities, and states are creating funding programs to address this barrier. BED is a leader in the space, and recently announced a new rebate program that offers rebates to multi-family property owners who install EV charging stations.

EV Charging Rebates for Burlington Single-family Homes, Multi-family Properties, and Local Businesses

BED originally launched a multifamily EV charging  pilot program with EVmatch in 2019. The pilot program resulted in 14 new charging stations at multi-family residences and encouraged additional public sharing through the EVmatch platform. With accessible home charging, owning an EV at an apartment complex became a real possibility for many of the tenants at the selected properties. The pilot was deemed a success and has now evolved into an ongoing program.

BED offers a wide range of new EV charging programs that support the charging needs of a variety of customers. These programs focus on single-family homes, multi-family properties, as well as local businesses. 

Specifically, the program provides the following rebate levels to the following types of properties:

*All incentives are capped at less than 75% of the installation cost.

Interested parties should complete this form to learn more about the rebate program for multi-family properties. 

BED Energy Goals and Portfolio

BED not only is focused on transportation electrification, but also is committed more broadly to a clean energy future by having sourced 100% of its power from renewable sources since 2014, including hydro, biomass, solar photovoltaic, and wind. To further advance sustainability in the energy sector, the City of Burlington has set as its bold goal to make Burlington a Net Zero Energy city by 2030 across the electricity, thermal, and ground transportation sectors. Net zero energy means that the entity sources  enough energy from renewable sources to meet the energy needed in these three sectors. EVs will help achieve this goal, since they enable a shift from fossil-powered to renewable transportation fuels. To act on this aggressive Net Zero Energy goal, BED created these new EV charging programs to assist different types of customers to install EV chargers across Burlington and provide greater support for electric vehicle adoption.

EV Charging at Multi-Family Properties

Providing EV charging at apartments or condos is also a great way to retain or attract tenants. Tenants with an EV and those interested in getting one may be incentivized to retain their lease if home charging is available. On-site multi-family charging helps tenants save fuel costs and time, and additional public sharing of these chargers allows property owners to increase their return on investment in the charging infrastructure. 

While there are over 100,000 chargers across the country with thousands more coming soon thanks to the $7.5B national charging network via the bipartisan 2021 Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, there remains a great need for chargers at all types of locations. Currently, very few multi-family properties have EV charging stations, which means public sharing of these private stations is especially helpful to ensure greater access and charging reliability among renters. To account for this added community benefit, BED is offering an extra $300 per charger rebate for those that provide public access.

In order to qualify for the full BED rebate, the charger must be networked (i.e. connected to a cellular or WiFi network), available to the public during daytime hours, and utilize the EVmatch network for sharing, monitoring, and payments processing.

EVmatch Helps Make EV Charging at Apartments Easy

For the property owner to control pricing, review data reports, set charging session limits, and authenticate EV drivers, a charging station must be networked and connected to charging management software. This is where EVmatch steps in, providing one of the most flexible and affordable charging station management platforms on the market. 

EVmatch provides software services to EV chargers, which allows EV drivers to easily find, reserve, and pay for charging through the mobile app. Station hosts just need to complete the initial setup, setting prices and availability schedules, and then EV drivers can use the chargers on a daily basis, scheduling when most convenient or booking on-demand when chargers are unused. Station hosts can determine the cost of charging. Some hosts decide to simply cover the electricity costs, whereas others charge a slight premium to generate revenue. With EVmatch, the station host has complete control over the use of the chargers while providing an easily accessible amenity to EV-driving tenants.

You can learn more about EVmatch and how to apply for the new BED rebates by completing this form. 

Success Stories from Real EVmatch Customers

But don’t just hear it from us! Here is an testimonial from Tucker Helmus, a property manager who participated in the initial BED rebate program with assistance from EVmatch:

With a noticeable increase in prospective residents inquiring about electric-vehicle chargers, we knew we had a unique opportunity to bring an important amenity that would have long-lasting benefits to the occupants, as well as be a small part of the solution to our growing global climate crisis. After looking into the various EV charging options currently in the market, Redstone decided to partner with EVmatch and Burlington Electric Department to retrofit two of our existing multi-family properties in Burlington, VT with new EV chargers. Between the technical aspects of the installation and getting the EV chargers connected to the EVmatch app, the EVmatch team was right there along the way to guide us. We couldn’t be more pleased working with EVmatch, and our residents are thrilled to have access to an easy-to-use and affordable EV charging option right outside their doorstep!

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- Tucker Helmus, Redstone Property Management in Burlington, Vermont. Tucker’s EVmatch listing can be found here for more information.

You can also check out the new Cambrian Rise EV chargers operated by Farrell Properties here.