Apartment & Strata EV Charging in NSW: The 2026 Playbook

Apartment charging is the fastest-growing and least-understood corner of EV ownership. It's very doable in 2026 — if you follow the right sequence.

Step 1: Strata approval

NSW strata law treats EV charging infrastructure as a sustainability upgrade, which can pass at a general meeting with a simple majority rather than the old 75% special resolution in many cases. You'll need a proposal covering electrical design, metering and cost responsibility — experienced electricians provide this paperwork.

Step 2: Metering — who pays for the power

• Own-meter connection: charger wired to your apartment's meter — cleanest, when distance allows
• Common-power with billing: charger on house power with a smart meter billing you back to the owners corporation
• Shared infrastructure: building-wide load-managed system, individually billed — best for buildings expecting many EVs

Step 3: Load management

Buildings rarely have spare supply for dozens of 7kW chargers at once. Load-management systems share available capacity dynamically so everyone charges overnight without a costly supply upgrade — this is what makes committee approval realistic.

Costs

A single own-meter basement install typically runs $2,000–$4,500 depending on distance and wall penetrations. Shared systems cost more up front but far less per subsequent charger. Get an electrician who does strata work regularly — the paperwork is half the job.

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