Should the engine heaters be replaced? Read this first.

Where things stand: the posts are old, the electric cars are coming

Many associations and landlords have engine heater posts from another era: sockets that are used less and less, enclosures that are crumbling and electrical safety that does not meet today's standard. At the same time the share of plug-in cars grows every year, and the question of charging bays reaches every car park sooner or later.

That makes the post swap a fork in the road. Replace the posts with new ones of the same kind and the car park is locked into yesterday's needs, and when the electric car question arrives the work has to be done again. Replace them with combi chargers and the same installation is prepared for both.

Option one: a new one of the same kind

Replacing old engine heater posts with new ones without charging capability costs in the order of 6,000–10,000 kr per bay as a one-off investment. You get fresh sockets and better electrical safety, but no metering, control or charging capability. There is no state support for plain engine heaters.

It is the seemingly cheap route that often turns out to be the expensive one: when the charging need arrives the bays have to be rebuilt again, and the first investment has not taken the property anywhere.

Option two: a combi charger

A combi charger replaces the engine heater post outright: the same bay, often the same cabling, built to replace older posts from ABB and GARO among others. The difference is that the unit holds both an engine heater socket and full charging capability, with metering per socket so that every user can be billed for their own consumption.

As a service it costs from 89 kr per point per month as long as only the engine heater mode is used, with no investment, and with installation, operation, warranty and support included. When a resident wants to charge an electric car, the charging capability is activated for that bay, and the cost then lands at the ordinary level for a charging point, 149 kr per point per month. After the eight-year fixed-price period the hardware passes into your ownership.

Because the existing cabling can often be reused, digging can be avoided in most cases, which is a large part of why the swap comes out cheaper than you would expect.

What does the grant cover?

Naturvårdsverket's Ladda bilen grant can cover up to 50 percent of the cost when charging points are bought, but no more than 15,000 kr per point. The grant covers charging infrastructure, not plain engine heaters. The state therefore part-finances the combi charger, but not a plain post replacement.

A housing association can also apply afterwards, once the installation is complete and the costs documented. The terms of the support can change over time, so check the current rules with Naturvårdsverket when you are costing the purchase.

What the decision usually looks like

1. Take stock of the posts. Age, condition, electrical safety and how the cabling is run. That decides how much can be reused.

2. Cost both routes. A plain replacement as a one-off investment against a combi charger as a monthly service. Include the fact that the plain replacement will probably have to be done again when the charging need arrives.

3. Choose a model for the charging. Engine heater mode now and charging later, or full charging capability straight away in selected bays. Billing per user is handled automatically through the metering.

4. Apply for the grant if you buy. Document the costs and apply to Naturvårdsverket. With the service arrangement no application is needed, because there is no investment to claim a grant for.

If you want to see how it would look for your own car park, we go through the posts and produce a free quote. Read more about the arrangement on the page about engine heaters and combi chargers.