About The Build-To-Rent Apartments
A 156-apartment build-to-rent development in Canberra sought to offer EV charging in resonse to resident demand and as a market differentiator — without the capital risk of expensive infrastructure upgrades.
The BTR operator wanted a solution that could generate revenue from day one, scale as EV adoption grew across the building, and require zero ongoing operational burden on the property management team.
Barriers to EV Charging
For a BTR operator, the traditional EV charging model creates an immediate problem: high upfront capital cost with no guaranteed return.
Conventional Level 2 charger installations — requiring dedicated circuits, switchboard upgrades, and individual billing systems — can cost $5,000–$10,000 per bay. Across even a modest portion of a 156apartment building, this represents a significant capital outlay with uncertain uptake.
The operator needed a solution that could be installed without disruption, scale bay-by-bay as EV ownership grew, and generate a net-positive return from the first resident sign-up.
The NOX Energy Solution
NOX Energy deployed 8 IPS units across selected car spaces — installed using existing infrastructure, no switchboard upgrades required. Operational in under a week.
Each resident pays only for the electricity they use, with automated billing and operator reimbursement handled entirely by the NOX platform.
The BTR operator charges an additional a $10/week parking premium per EVenabled bay, and applied a custom energy tariff on top of NOX’s $0.05/kWh service fee — creating two independent revenue streams from day one.
NOX handles all billing, load management, maintenance, and resident support. Zero admin burden on the operator.
Results
The Canberra BTR now generates revenue from its car park — not just costs. With 100% resident uptake within two weeks of installation, every EV-enabled bay is active. The combined parking premium and energy tariff place payback at under 16 months.
Key Project Findings:
- 8 IPS units installed across selected car spaces
- 156-apartment building, Canberra ACT
- $1,100 per unit — fully installed, no switchboard upgrades
- $10/week parking premium per EV-enabled bay (+$500 pa revenue)
- An additional per kWh operator tariff (+$250–$600/year per bay)
- 100% resident uptake within 2 weeks
- Payback period: under 18 months
- 100% profitability post-payback — 30 year device lifespan
