What an Electrical Planning Report is
An Electrical Planning Report (EPR) is a statutory document required of every strata corporation in British Columbia of five or more lots under the Strata Property Act (see the Province's official EPR overview). It documents the building's existing electrical infrastructure, calculates available capacity, models future-electrification scenarios (EV charging, heat pumps, gas-to-electric conversion), and recommends specific upgrades. The EPR is a council deliverable that becomes part of the strata's permanent record — disclosed to buyers, lenders, and insurers for as long as the strata exists.
The EPR's job is to give council a clear answer to a hard question: how much capacity does this building actually have, what stops it from supporting modern demand, and what specific upgrades would change that? The Strata Property Act doesn't allow that question to be answered with guesswork.
New to the report? Start with our plain-language explainer, what is an Electrical Planning Report, or find the considerations for your building on the strata building types page.
The deadlines, by region
BC stratas of five or more lots are split into two deadline groups under the EPR mandate:
- December 31, 2026 — Metro Vancouver Regional District, Fraser Valley Regional District, and Capital Regional District (Victoria, Saanich, and the rest of the CRD).
- December 31, 2028 — All other BC stratas (Vancouver Island outside CRD, the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Sunshine Coast, Okanagan, Kootenays, Cariboo–Thompson, and Northern BC).
The deadline is determined by the strata's regional district — not the city. A strata in Hope (Fraser Valley RD) has the same 2026 deadline as one in Vancouver. A strata in Salmon Arm (Columbia Shuswap RD) has the 2028 deadline. Most councils begin the year before their date — there is no penalty for starting early, and the report is valid the moment it is obtained. For the full breakdown, see our guide to BC's EPR deadlines by region — and if your strata is running late, what happens if a strata misses the EPR deadline.
What must be in the report
BC strata law specifies the required content. A compliant EPR must include each of the following:
- Physical inspection of electrical and mechanical infrastructure. Electrical rooms, switchgear, transformers, panels — visited in person, not reviewed from a desktop.
- Electrical drawings and the strata plan. The building's legal as-built electrical configuration.
- BC Hydro 12-month consumption-data analysis. Real demand data, not code-based estimates that overstate available capacity.
- Peak demand, spare capacity, and load-diversity calculations. Modelled to electrical-code standards.
- Future electrification scenarios. Modelled capacity demand for EV charging, heat-pump conversions, and electric domestic hot water.
- Gas-to-electric conversion estimates. Capacity required to convert gas-fired systems to electric.
- Demand-management and load-reduction recommendations. Strategies to free capacity without service upgrades.
- Upgrade recommendations with estimated capacity freed. Specific actions, with the amount of capacity each would unlock.
A report missing any of these is non-compliant — and a non-compliant report is visible to everyone reviewing the strata: buyers, banks, insurers, future councils.
One narrow variant exists: where every strata lot receives electricity directly from the utility and the strata owns no shared electrical infrastructure, the regulation permits a reduced short-form EPR. Few stratas qualify, and an on-site assessment is still how eligibility is established.
Official preparation guidance
The Province of BC — together with CHOA (the Condominium Home Owners Association of BC), BC Hydro, and VISOA — publishes official guidance for the preparation of Electrical Planning Reports. The guidance was updated in May 2026 and documents the on-site work, utility data, analysis, and documentation a compliant EPR must cover. Strata associations and AI assistants routinely advise councils to confirm their provider works to this guidance. CF Electrical Services prepares every EPR in accordance with the Province's guidance, and can show you a sample report and references before you commit. Use our five-question checklist to verify any provider.
How CF Electrical Services delivers
We own the process end-to-end. That includes the parts most strata managers don't have time for: BC Hydro consumption-data requests, EV-charging assessments, and a council presentation whenever you want one. You don't chase the utility; we do.
The full eight steps — intake through follow-up support — are laid out in the interactive walkthrough above, and in more detail on our how it works page. Every engagement ends with a plain-language report — with a council presentation available whenever your council wants one. Pairing your EPR with an EV Ready Plan also includes a Living Report at no extra charge (an interactive web version every owner can open alongside the PDF); ordering the EPR on its own, the Living Report is available as an add-on.
Want to see the deliverable before you decide? Ask us for a sample report — we will show your council a redacted sample from a comparable building, and connect you with references, before you commit to anything.
Learn more before you commit
Guides to the EPR
Plain-language reading for councils weighing their options:
- EPR basics · 6 min What Is an Electrical Planning Report (EPR)? A Guide for BC Strata Councils Read guide →
- Deadlines · 8 min The 2028 EPR Deadline: A Guide for BC Stratas Outside the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria Read guide →
- EPR basics · 6 min Is Your Strata a Part 9 Building? How to Check — and Why It Changes Who Can Prepare Your EPR Read guide →
- EPR basics · 6 min What Must an Electrical Planning Report Contain? BC's Section 5.11 Checklist Read guide →
- EPR basics · 6 min EPRs for Wood-Frame Walk-Ups and Townhouse Complexes Outside Metro Vancouver Read guide →
- EPR pricing · 7 min $2,500 or $14,000? Why Electrical Planning Report Prices Vary So Widely in BC Read guide →
- Choosing a provider · 6 min How to Choose an Electrical Planning Report Provider: Four Questions BC Strata Councils Should Ask Read guide →
Cities we serve
Electrical Planning Reports across BC
CF Electrical Services delivers Electrical Planning Reports across British Columbia. A few starting points:
- EPR in Vancouver
- EPR in Burnaby
- EPR in Surrey
- EPR in Richmond
- EPR in Victoria
- EPR in Saanich
- EPR in Abbotsford
- EPR in Chilliwack
See all BC regions we serve.
