As Oy Hamlet Park: Charging points to the housing company - that's what it happens!
As Oy Hamletin Puisto had 22 apartments, 24 heating pole spaces and 20 cooling spaces. The first electric car had appeared in the housing company, and its owner charged his car from a socket inside his neighbor's warehouse. A meter purchased by the resident himself was used to monitor electricity consumption, and charging was agreed upon between the residents.
This situation created a need for the housing company to look at the acquisition of charging points as a broader whole.
As Oy Hamlet Park
Our solution
The housing company contacted our company, and we offered them a comprehensive solution for electric car charging. Our goal was a controlled and uniform system that would prevent individual residents from making their own separate charging settings.
The key benefits of our offer were:
Uniform rules and billing practices
Easy-to-use eTolppa system that allows both car charging and heating
Load management and consumption monitoring
A cost-effective overall solution that benefits both electric car chargers and block heater users
eTolppi can be controlled either directly from the post or remotely using an app, which gives users flexibility.
Decision-making and implementation
The housing company was particularly concerned about the timing of the investment: would it make sense to make the purchase now or in a few years? The ARA support had a significant impact on the decision, and the decision was made to make the investment. The leasing option was considered, but it was found to be less cost-effective compared to a direct investment. Before the general meeting, a comprehensive electricity network survey was commissioned, in which a device measuring electricity consumption was installed in the property's electrical center. At the general meeting in March 2019, it was decided to purchase 12 eTolppa and 2 modem boxes. Since one carport was located separately from the others, an additional modem box was needed.
The poles were put into use in May 2019.
Use of the service
The user makes a reservation either in the app or in a web browser. They can choose whether to use the eTolppa for charging or heating, and change the setting later if necessary. The service also allows the eTolppa to be controlled directly from the post, so the service does not have to be used digitally.
Cost (24 charging points)
Electrical survey : €900 (incl. VAT), carried out by a local electrical company
Installation costs : €1400 (incl. VAT), implemented by Vera from Tampere
Equipment investment : €6,200 (incl. VAT)
Maintenance costs : €350/year (incl. VAT)
The housing company chose a maintenance service from two service levels, where the property manager bills users based on consumption data. Later, it is possible to expand the service level so that the service provider handles user-specific billing.
The housing company received ARA support for the purchase of charging points, which covered 35% of the installation work, equipment and mapping.
Cost per parking space without ARA subsidy: approximately €350
Cost per parking space after ARA subsidy: approximately €230
All prices include VAT.
Project timeline
February 2019 : Official call for proposals
March 2019 : Annual General Meeting and investment decision
May 2019 : Implementation and deployment
Experiences in use
After a few months of user experience, we were able to evaluate the functionality of the system and the impact of the winter season on energy consumption. New interviews were held in March 2020.
Even load and fair billing
The e-Parking Stations have proven to be versatile, and their use has been evenly distributed across different times of the day. This has balanced the housing company's overall load and helped avoid peaks in electricity consumption. The consumption of each parking space is measured separately, which enables fair and consumption-based billing. In addition, the housing company receives valuable data on the energy use of the parking area, which supports the optimization of electricity distribution.
The impact of a mild winter on energy consumption
The previous winter was milder than usual, which was directly reflected in the consumption readings. The housing company has one electric car charger, and in the period from 1 November to 29 February, the total energy consumption was approximately 1600 kWh. Of this, approximately 900 kWh was spent on charging the electric car. Phase-specific consumption data shows when charging and heating use has been most active.
Easy implementation and satisfied residents
The housing company invested in a good implementation: residents were given clear instructions and informed about the change both on the website and in the Facebook group. This ensured a smooth transition to the new system. Some residents use eTolppa directly from the post without remote control, which shows the ease of use of the solution.
Katri Holm, the chairman of the housing company's board, appreciates the fairness of the service: "Now we are billed fairly based on actual usage, and purchasing an electric car is not dependent on the lack of charging facilities."
Resident Arttu Rasku, on the other hand, praises the clarity of the payment policy: “From the user's perspective, it has been easy to pay only for what you consume.” The housing company currently uses manual annual invoicing, but according to property manager Paavo Salonen, the solution has been effortless and is recommended for other housing companies.
Operational reliability and continuous development
The reliability of the eTolppa service has received positive feedback, and according to Rasku, “overall, I give the service a commendable rating.” He has also noticed that the system is constantly being developed to improve the user experience. Regular updates ensure that eTolppa meets the needs of different users as well as possible.
Based on interviews, the acquisition of eTolpa has been a successful decision for the housing company. Residents are satisfied with the solution, and Rasku also highlights the cost-effectiveness of the service: “This is one of the most reasonable, if not the most reasonable, priced charging service.”
“I warmly recommend eTolppa to anyone looking for a functional, easy and affordable solution for charging electric cars in housing associations”
— Arttu Rasku, resident
The need for charging readiness is growing
As electric cars become more common, better charging solutions are also needed in housing association parking lots. Most motorists prefer to charge their car when it is parked at home or at work. Overnight slow charging can provide up to 150 kilometers of range, so housing association charging options are key to the smooth flow of electric driving.
Why is it worth planning electric car charging as a whole?
From a housing company's perspective, charging solutions implemented by individual residents may work in the short term, but in the long term they cause challenges. The property manager's billing work becomes more complicated, and load control cannot be managed with separate solutions.
The development of the car fleet clearly shows that the need for charging points will increase in the future. Housing companies should therefore consider when it is appropriate to switch to supporting electric transport.
For the reference, we interviewed Paavo Salonen, the property manager of Asunto Oy Hamletin Puisto, Katri Holm, the chairman of the housing company's board, and resident Arttu Rasku.
