{"id":2289,"date":"2023-07-13T13:32:47","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T17:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swtchenergy.com\/?p=2289"},"modified":"2025-11-20T11:39:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:39:04","slug":"crombie-reit-sets-the-bar-high-swtch-ev-chargers-help-propel-scotia-square-to-boma-best-platinum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swtchenergy.com\/blog\/client-profile\/crombie-reit-sets-the-bar-high-swtch-ev-chargers-help-propel-scotia-square-to-boma-best-platinum\/","title":{"rendered":"Crombie REIT Sets the Bar High: SWTCH EV Chargers help propel Scotia Square to BOMA BEST Platinum"},"content":{"rendered":"

The commercial complex that was Nova Scotia\u2019s first to earn BOMA BEST Platinum certification, was able to achieve such a prestigious accolade, in part, by installing a SWTCH EV charging system.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

With more than 1.8 million square feet of prime office and retail space in the heart of the city\u2019s business district,<\/span> Scotia Square<\/span><\/a>\u2019s four buildings are \u201cproudly BOMA BEST Certified Platinum,\u201d writes New Glasgow, NS-based Crombie REIT<\/a>, one of Canada\u2019s top real estate investment trusts. In recent years, the company has begun focusing attention on an untapped resource: the 1,698 stalls in the parkade at the corner of Barrington and Duke St., in the heart of downtown Halifax.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scotia Square\u2019s BOMA BEST status dates back 15 years, reflecting Crombie\u2019s deliberate practice of pushing its buildings to be better. Members of the Crombie team like to say that archival records back to the 1970s show one consistent attitude: \u201cLet\u2019s try to keep pushing the envelope.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An EV Charging Journey, Seven Years in the Making<\/h2>\n

Over the years, Crombie has worked to cut operating costs and improve environmental performance in areas ranging from energy reduction to water conservation to waste management. Seven years ago, the company planted a seed, Manager of Parking Services Ken Skinner told SWTCH in a recent conversation\u2014 two free-to-use EV chargers that helped him intimately understand the change in demand for this new amenity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Oldcharger-2\"
Photo of their first charger, installed in 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the time, \u201cthere were not a lot of EVs roaming around,\u201d he recalled. So Scotia Square started small, with two stand-alone Level 2 chargers on the P5 level of the parkade. At first, Skinner said he might see a single car in one of the spots, charging for half a morning once a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen all of a sudden, it\u2019s happening,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n \u201c<\/span>\n
\n \u201cThey seemed to be there every second day, and what was kind of neat was that there was an EV community, probably six to eight customers using the two chargers.\u201d\n <\/blockquote><\/div>\n

Each unit had a long enough cord to reach two parking spaces, and \u201cthey obviously spoke to each other because you could see the plug moving from car to car as the day went on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2022, Crombie realized that this seed was starting to take root, but needed appropriate investment and attention to bear fruit. Skinner and the Crombie team knew they would need additional intel, insight, and control of their EV charging system to make EV charging a strategic investment.<\/span><\/p>\n

That all became possible when they found SWTCH.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou [SWTCH] do what you say you\u2019ll do, and the team has been great to deal with,\u201d Skinner said. \u201cI\u2019ve experienced all kinds of different parking equipment supply operators, and I can say you\u2019re in the top 10%.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In February 2023, Crombie installed four networked Level 2 chargers and introduced a charging fee on top of their standard parking rates. Despite the added cost, the EV chargers have been busy. In June, Skinner estimated that utilization had jumped 30% in two months.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Scotia
Scotia Plaza’s four new networked Level 2 SWTCH chargers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little skeptical, thinking that if we started billing people to use them, we wouldn\u2019t see many there,\u201d he said. But \u201cpeople understand the value of having chargers onsite. It\u2019s an additional charge on top of their parking fee, but the perceived value is certainly there. And from an ESG [Environment, Social, Governance] standpoint, obviously, we want to see more EVs on the road and parking with us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Networked Chargers Are Good for Business<\/h2>\n

As Crombie pursued its work on EV charging, Skinner said SWTCH\u2019s <\/span>cloud-based charging platform<\/span><\/a> turned an exciting, cutting-edge experiment into a systematic customer service, delivering the technology and data tools to monitor and manage user access, set customized rates, gather real-time data and analytics on an integrated dashboard, and spot and correct maintenance issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of those factors made networked chargers an obvious business decision. Although Crombie was an ESG leader long before the acronym became commonplace, the bottom line is still the bottom line: networked public EV charging makes sense because more and more drivers need and want it. And when customers are happy, Scotia Square\u2019s tenants are the biggest winners.<\/span><\/p>\n