Living in a condo with an electric car?

[OVERKILL]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/01/27/ottawa-condo-electric-car-battle.html

Quote:
An Ottawa man is fighting the board of the condominium complex where he lives because it does not want him charging his electric car on other residents' dimes.

The board's president has told condo owner Mike Nemat that an outlet he has used to charge his car will be disconnected.

At a condo, all tenants share the electricity bill, but Nemat argues his Chevy Volt costs only about a dollar per night to recharge.

The board said it should not pay for fuel for electric cars because it does not pay to put fuel in other cars. But Nemat said he offered to pay for all the hydro costs caused when his vehicle is plugged into the outlet.

 

[Doog]

It would be real easy for them to put an outlet on a separate meter for him. He would have to pay for the meter (one time charge).Then he would get billed for usage on his meter. But obviously they are not looking for a helpful solution to their resident's issue.

 

[eljefino]

Is the outlet for a block heater?

If I ran things I'd just cut power to the outlet then wait for complaints. If I really had nothing to do I'd have it live when he plugged in then go flip the switch when he walks away.

Wonder how many unguarded outlets exist for things like vending machines that electric cars, or RVers, steal from.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
but Nemat argues his Chevy Volt costs only about a dollar per night to recharge.


Dollar a night?

 

[Lead Shoes]

I doubt it takes only a dollar to charge it every night...

 

[NHGUY]

How about finding a power outlet at a local Chevy dealership and plugging it in overnight? Its the least they could do to support sales of that $40K albatross.

 

[tommygunn]

"Realistically, it is only about the same as a microwave or any other small appliance."

Well, he's right in all honesty, the car uses about the same power as a microwave, that's not alot of power.

Unless you run a microwave /all freaking night long/

 

[ahoier]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
How about finding a power outlet at a local Chevy dealership and plugging it in overnight? Its the least they could do to support sales of that $40K albatross.

lol.


But yea, this is a bit "over the top"....if the condo assosiation "includes" electric with the rent, I see no problem with him plugging in his car!



On another note, this is one reason I won't live I wouldn't like to live in a HOA....


Spent the night at a buddies house one night, it was a friday night/saturday morning party, I woke up Saturday morning to leave, and decided I'd check my oil level....so I pop the hood, grab my red shop rag I keep under the hood, pull out my dipstick, ooooohh, kinda low. So I grab the quart from my trunk, and top off about half a quart...put the shop towel back in it's caddy under the hood, and shut the hood...

As I'm getting in the car, the manager walked up to me and was asking me all kinds of questions if I lived there, where I lived, where I was coming from....etc...and I was like no I was at a friends house, then she wanted their house number, which I didn't KNOW Lol.....Since the night before I just kinda stumbled up the stairs, I recognize their place from their car parked out front, not their door number! Basically, she wanted me to "get someone in trouble" is what it amounts to I think

Anyways, she proceeds to tell me we don't let people do maintenance on their cars here, cause "stuff like that happens" (as she points to a black, aged, oil mess on the concrete), I was like I was only adding half a quart....I'm not changing the oil! And she says well just don't do it on our property next time!


Wowzers.....all that for a half quart of oil?


No lady, that black oil spot did not occur from a half quart of oil LOL.....



It's funny though, cause my buddy tells me he's done exhaust installs, and oil changes in his parking spot....though late at night after the HOA-hounds are asleep He almost got it down to a "Pit Crew Style" LOL...

 

[mechanicx]

I think the residents should suck it up to the cost of shared electric utilities. There's always going to be somebody using more electric than another, lights, running the furnace fan more etc.

He offered to pay extra so what is their problem? That's the problem with community living. If you don't live and act exactly like everyone else there, then they complain. Nothing is stopping them from buying an eelctric car and having their neighbors help pay for the electric, but since they don't then it's a problem for them. I think some people enjoy complaining about their neighbors.

 

[sciphi]

Moron HOA. He offered to pay for the electricity the car used. It sounds like they did not offer a solution that's beneficial to everybody.

 

[Shannow]

Clearly, plugging a car into the power outlet and expecting the other homeowners to foot the bill is poor form, in anything but an emergency, and he shouldn't expect them to pay.

That being said, the homeowner's agreement clearly didn't envisage that particular advance in technology, and should start setting up charging station type outlets.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Moron HOA. He offered to pay for the electricity the car used. It sounds like they did not offer a solution that's beneficial to everybody.


Not if the moron Volt owner offered to pay "only a dollar per night".

The only fair thing is for the Volt owner to PAY for the install of a safe outlet with a meter and pay for anything that he uses at that outlet.

The HOA should allow that to happen.

Bill

 

[zyxelenator]

What about if you have separate meter and live in condo/apartment/townhouse with no garage, with outdoors power outlet? Will they [censored] too?

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I think some people enjoy complaining about their neighbors.


Yes, they do. My first home was a condo, and those people are called the "condo police". Always watching, waiting, just for a chance to complain!

But as mentioned above, simply let the Volt owner install a meter with a plug and lock it up for him only. He pays for his use. That's fair.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Clearly, plugging a car into the power outlet and expecting the other homeowners to foot the bill is poor form, in anything but an emergency, and he shouldn't expect them to pay.

Why not? Everyone shares the electric bill, that's the deal. What about the guy's neighbor, who lets his big screen TV run 10 hours a day, has the electric heater way up 24/7, leaves computer on 24/7, etc? It's fair to let the neighbors foot the bill for those things but NOT an electric car?
It's the HOA's own fault for coming up with the ridiculous idea of shared bills in the first place. They should either amend the rules with a stipulation about electric cars (which I don't agree with), install separate meters so everyone pays their own electric bill (which is what SHOULD'VE been done in the first place) or just shut the (heck) up and let the guy plug his car in.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
It's the HOA's own fault for coming up with the ridiculous idea of shared bills in the first place. They should either amend the rules with a stipulation about electric cars (which I don't agree with), install separate meters so everyone pays their own electric bill (which is what SHOULD'VE been done in the first place) or just shut the (heck) up and let the guy plug his car in.


Should've, could've, would've... speaking of which, shouldn't the Volt owner perhaps do some research with his HOA about charging, before getting the car? Or is it automatically assumed that all electric car owners get a free pass and can plug in their cars anywhere?

This is a real problem that needs to be addressed. HOA is not to be blamed here. If they allow this guy to plug in his car then everyone else is also allowed. I bet that they are looking at their policy to address this problem in the future.
The main thing that a lot of EV proponents will learn, like this Volt owner, is that electricity to charge cars is not free and it's definitely not $1 a day. Also they will learn that they cannot just plug in their car in any electrical outlet they can find, as many assume they can, without owner's permission to do so.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Moron HOA. He offered to pay for the electricity the car used. It sounds like they did not offer a solution that's beneficial to everybody.


Not if the moron Volt owner offered to pay "only a dollar per night".

The only fair thing is for the Volt owner to PAY for the install of a safe outlet with a meter and pay for anything that he uses at that outlet.

The HOA should allow that to happen.

Bill


Amen Bill!

Sure, my MW uses 15 amps...for the 30 seconds I run it...he wants to run his charger for, what 8 hours? So, that's about 15,000 times the KwH that my MW uses? Uh, yeah, that's fair...

If this guy wants to use a disproportionate amount of juice, he can meter and pay for it himself...

Then everyone is covered, no one is subsidizing his drive to work, and he konw exactly what his car costs to charge each night.

 

[eljefino]

When I was in college I had "free electricity". Darn college couldn't figure out why their bill was rising so they put a 13 watt CFL in my dorm room overhead light. Yeah, neither I nor anyone else could read/study by that light, so we all brought in our own 300 watt halogen deals. They then banned those as a "fire hazard". Fridges were limited to 1.3 cu ft. They had a laundry list of rules "to protect the old wiring in the dorms" (and save money). A chunk of my room and board supported a narc Resident Advisor whose job was to snoop around the floor and make sure we didn't have posters covering 20% of the cinderblocks.

I wonder if the condo is getting a bulk purchase of electricity, or if it somehow benefits the "average" renter to not have a meter... perhaps not having a per-meter fee?

It would bug me having my maintenance bill, which some how or another floats with "expenses", in the hands of my idiot neighbors. Maybe it's because I'm hands on: pick up branches and trash before mowing, turn off lights I'm not using, fix running toilets, etc. The condo lifestyle might be good for an 85 year old retiree who needs those services, but, dang... not for me.

 

[ddrumman2004]

What am I missing here? Since when do condo owners share electricity? I haven't seen any here where I live.
Last condos I was at all had separate utility meters.

Gee I must be out of touch!

Anyway, I think I would be looking for another place to live.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: ahoier

On another note, this is one reason I won't live I wouldn't like to live in a HOA....


The HOA rules where I live specifically allow minor maintenance such as replacing bulbs, oil changes, tire changes, etc. But they disallow major maintenance such as rear-end overhauls and other things. Reading between the lines, anything that could be accomplished in a few hours is OK, but anything that is a multi-day project is probably going to be frowned upon.