If you're upgrading your lighting or HVAC with PG&E's On-Bill Financing, you can likely add EV chargers to the same 0% loan. Most building owners don't know that. The catch: EV charging has to ride along with an energy efficiency project. It can't be financed on its own. Here's how it works, and what to decide before you install.
How the financing works
On-Bill Financing (OBF) is a 0% loan from PG&E for business customers, repaid on your monthly PG&E bill over up to 10 years. It was built for efficiency upgrades like LED lighting and HVAC. PG&E now lets you put up to half of an OBF loan toward EV charging or battery storage, as long as the loan also covers efficiency work.
In practice:
- Start with an efficiency project. Lighting and HVAC are the most common. Without one, EV chargers don't qualify for OBF.
- Add chargers to the same loan. EV charging and storage can make up as much as 50% of the total. A $100,000 lighting project could carry up to $100,000 in chargers.
- Repay it on your bill. The whole loan is spread over the efficiency project's term. For scale, $100,000 over 10 years at 0% is about $833 a month.
If you already have an efficiency project with us, or one in the works, ask about adding chargers before the loan is finalized.
Match the charger to how long people park
The right charger depends on dwell time: how long a car sits in the spot.
| Charger | Best for | Typical sites |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 (240-volt AC) | Cars parked for hours | Hospitals, schools, offices, apartments, retail where people stay a while |
| DC fast | Quick turnover, under an hour | Downtown lots, travel stops, fleets that need fast turnaround |
Most commercial sites are best served by Level 2. A hospital is a good example: doctors, nurses and visitors are parked for hours, so fast chargers would cost more and add little. Don't rule a site out because it only has street frontage, either. An adjacent lot is sometimes on the same deed as the building.
Decide who pays to charge
Charging software lets you set the price. Owners usually pick one of three models:
| Model | How it works | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Drivers charge at no cost, often unlocked with an employee badge or tap card | You pay for the power. Free to the driver isn't free to you |
| Cost recovery | You charge drivers what PG&E charges you | Power costs are covered, but not the equipment |
| Revenue | You charge more than you pay, for example buying at 36¢ per kWh and selling at 50¢ | You earn a margin on every session |
You can mix models on one site. A school could give teachers free charging with a badge and charge visitors a normal rate.
Be realistic about payback. A charger only pays for itself when it's used enough, at enough margin, for enough years. Most chargers aren't profit centers. Sites with long dwell times and repeat users have the best odds, and we'll run the numbers for your site before you commit.
More chargers on the panel you have
A common worry is that the electrical panel can't handle more than a few chargers. Load management software solves much of that. It watches how many cars are plugged in and shares the available power among them, and the electrical code allows sizing the system to that managed load.
Here's what that looks like. A 200-amp panel that could run about three 50-amp chargers at full speed can serve up to eight with load management. With one to three cars plugged in, each charges at full speed. As more cars plug in, each one charges more slowly. With all eight in use, each car gets a fraction of full speed.
That trade-off works well where cars sit for hours, like overnight fleets, apartments and workplaces. It works less well for drivers who stop briefly to top off.
Budget for software, not just hardware
The chargers are the simple part. Three ongoing costs follow them:
- Software fee. Every networked charger pays an annual fee per port, meaning per plug. Features like load management usually require a higher tier.
- Payment processing. When drivers pay, the software provider takes a percentage or a per-session fee. Owners usually cover this from charging income.
- Card readers. Most drivers now pay by tap, QR code or phone, so a physical card reader is usually an unnecessary extra cost.
Choose hardware that works with more than one software platform. Then you can change software later without replacing the chargers.
If the internet drops, most systems keep active sessions running, and many switch to free charging until the connection comes back. If the power goes out, charging stops unless the site has a battery or generator.
PG&E covers its side of the meter, so start early
Under PG&E's Electric Rule 29, the utility pays for and installs the infrastructure on its side of the meter for separately metered EV charging: service lines, transformers, trenching and the meter. In return, you install the approved chargers and keep them running for five years. You're responsible for everything on your side of the meter.
The catch is time. Utility upgrades can take months or years, so the best moment to plan EV charging is well before you need it. Common triggers:
- Fleet replacement. If vehicles are due for replacement in the next year or two, plan the infrastructure now.
- New construction or major renovation. California's building code (CALGreen) can require EV-capable or EV-ready parking.
- State requirements. Cities, schools, hospitals and fire districts face growing state requirements for EV charging and fleet electrification.
Where to start
EverWatt handles the whole project: the efficiency work that unlocks On-Bill Financing, charger design and load management, the PG&E applications and the install. Then we maintain the system. You don't need to know Level 2 from DC fast before you call. Tell us about your parking and who uses it, and we'll tell you what fits and what it costs.
Talk to an engineer about adding EV charging to your next project, or read more about our EV charging services.