PowerFlex Scales EV Charging to Meet Demands of Growing Multifamily Community Developer

Essex Property Trust is a premier real estate investment trust (REIT) that develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily apartment communities located in supply-constrained markets along the West Coast. In addition to providing properties that are great places to live, work, and invest in, Essex is focused on cultivating sustainable operations and positively impacting surrounding communities. Founded in 1971, Essex is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and has achieved S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrat status.

The Challenge

Develop Multi-Site EV Charger Deployment Strategy While Managing Costs

Essex had outlined internal funding for onsite EV charging in its sustainability budget but needed assistance forming a unified strategy for deploying equipment across its portfolio of multifamily apartment properties. Site location, local charging demand, and installation size were all factors that would need to be taken into consideration. At the same time, Essex required full transparency into the economics of the project to keep a handle on costs and ensure smart and efficient use of budget.

PowerFlex’s Solution

Data-Driven Portfolio Analysis and Scalable, Cost-Effective EV Charging

INSTALLATION TYPE

EV Charging

INSTALLATION SIZE

‍‍30 Level 2 Chargers
100+ additional chargers planned across 5 sites

LOCATIONS

Menlo Park and other cities throughout CA

INCENTIVES

‍‍Communities in Charge • Power Your Drive

Essex tapped PowerFlex to plan and implement a financially sound EV charging strategy that supports the real estate trust’s commitment to sustainable living. The PowerFlex team conducted a high-level, data-driven portfolio analysis that factored in incentive eligibility, regional EV demand, and internal priority rankings — working through multiple iterations that incorporated all of Essex’s requests.

The first site identified for onsite EV charging was the 777 Hamilton apartment building in Menlo Park, California, which received 30 Level 2 chargers. Leveraging Adaptive Load Management® technology, the system intelligently balances power draw among all chargers in real time, eliminating large spikes in demand that can result in expensive peak demand fees and utility upgrades. PowerFlex’s cleantech platform PowerFlex X™ allows Essex to monitor, control, and optimize onsite charging operations through a single-sign-on dashboard.

Additional installations totaling more than 100 charging stations are planned across five other Essex properties in cities throughout California, including San Francisco, Glendale, and San Diego. To help defray the costs of these installations, PowerFlex secured funding from two incentive programs: California Energy Commission’s Communities in Charge program and San Diego Gas and Electric’s Power Your Drive. PowerFlex is also helping Essex reduce its energy expenses by performing tariff analyses and developing additional methodologies to reduce electricity costs.