What Must an Electrical Planning Report Contain? BC's Section 5.11 Checklist: A Guide for Vancouver Island Strata Councils

The full guide

Section 5.11 of the Strata Property Regulation sets out what a BC Electrical Planning Report (EPR) must contain. It is a content requirement, not a suggestion — a report missing any of it does not satisfy the strata's Strata Property Act obligation. Here is what the regulation asks for, in plain language, and why the list is identical no matter which qualified person prepares the report.

The physical inspection

An EPR requires a physical, in-person inspection of the building's electrical and mechanical infrastructure — electrical rooms, switchgear, transformers, and main and sub-panels. A desktop review based on drawings or panel labels alone does not meet the requirement; someone qualified has to walk the building.

Twelve months of utility consumption data

The report must be built on the building's own electricity use, not an estimate. That means requesting twelve months of interval consumption data directly from the utility — BC Hydro or FortisBC, depending on the strata's location — and using it as the basis for the capacity analysis. A report that estimates load from panel ratings, without the utility's own data behind it, is not compliant.

Future-electrification scenarios, modelled separately

The report must model what the building's electrical system could support if owners adopt three specific loads: EV charging, heat-pump conversions, and electric domestic hot water. Each is modelled on its own — a single combined "future load" figure does not satisfy the requirement, because a council reading the report needs to see what each specific change would cost the building in spare capacity.

Demand-management recommendations

Beyond identifying what upgrades a building could need, the report must also address ways to free up existing capacity without a utility service upgrade — load-management controls, scheduling, and smart-panel options among them. A report that only lists capital upgrades, with no lower-cost options, is missing a required element.

Upgrade recommendations

Where the analysis shows a building's capacity is or will become constrained, the report has to set out specific upgrade recommendations a council can act on — not a general observation that "the building may need upgrades eventually."

The exception: independently supplied lots

The regulation carves out one narrow exception. Where the utility supplies electricity directly and separately to each strata lot — rather than through the strata's own common-property distribution system — the report only needs to record the preparer's qualifications and confirm that independent supply arrangement. Most stratas, where common-property panels and distribution feed the building's units, do not qualify for this exception.

Does the content list change depending on who prepares the report?

No. The Strata Property Regulation's qualified-person list (section 5.10) does vary by building — for a strata where every building on the strata plan is a Part 9 building, the list includes a Journeyperson Electrician alongside professionals registered with EGBC or ASTTBC. But section 5.11's content requirement does not change with the preparer's qualification. Whether a Journeyperson Electrician or an EGBC/ASTTBC-registered professional prepares the report, the same physical inspection, the same twelve months of consumption data, the same three electrification scenarios, and the same demand-management analysis apply. A shorter list of who may prepare a report for a given building is not a shorter list of what the report must contain.

Using this as a hiring checklist

Before a council signs an EPR proposal, this list doubles as a set of direct questions for any provider: Will you physically inspect the building? Will you request our twelve months of utility data directly from BC Hydro or FortisBC? Do you model EV charging, heat pumps, and electric hot water separately? Does the report include demand-management options, not just upgrade recommendations? Our full provider compliance checklist walks through these questions in more detail, including how CF answers each one.

How CF Electrical Services prepares its reports

CF Electrical Services prepares every Electrical Planning Report to section 5.11's full content requirement — physical inspection, utility-requested consumption data, all three electrification scenarios modelled separately, and demand-management recommendations alongside upgrade options. We serve strata corporations across British Columbia. Request a fixed-price proposal, ask to see a redacted sample report, and see what strata councils and property managers say about working with us.

Authoritative sources

• Strata Property Regulation — sections 5.10 (qualified persons) and 5.11 (report content requirements), BC Laws.
• Guidance for the Preparation of Electrical Planning Reports — Province of British Columbia (May 2026).
• Strata electrical planning report — Province of British Columbia overview page.