The Narberth Finance Administration Committee on May 15 recommended Borough Council approve raising the borough’s public EV charging rate to 32 cents per kilowatt‑hour and approved installation of a dedicated Level 2 charger for borough fleet use at a cost of $4,575.

Why it matters: Committee members said current pricing does not cover the borough’s energy and operating costs for publicly available chargers, and an ordinance requires rates be set to cover all borough‑incurred costs. The rate change is intended to eliminate a per‑quarter subsidy currently paid from borough funds.

Data reviewed
- Current baseline and data sources: The committee reviewed a prior Electric Advisory Committee memo recommending 18¢/kWh (based on 2024 data), but staff analyzed actual first‑quarter 2025 bills and Flow distribution statements. Staff had Pico bills for five of six chargers; one charger’s usage was embedded with lighting costs and was excluded from the Pico breakdown.
- Q1 cost and revenue snapshot: Staff reported the Q1 average energy cost exceeded 19¢/kWh. Using the available Q1 Pico data, staff calculated total Pico charges of roughly $6,200 and conservatively assumed $7,200 to account for the missing station. Net revenue distributed from Flow was about $3,500, leaving an estimated Q1 shortfall of about $3,700 that effectively subsidized public charging.
- Maintenance and operating assumptions: Staff assumed approximately $400 per charger per year for maintenance (parts and service outside warranty). Including these costs, staff found the borough would only break even on energy and modest maintenance at about 30¢/kWh; a 32¢/kWh rate provides a slightly larger margin (estimated net revenue about $900 per year under current usage and the conservative Pico estimate).

Recommendation and local context
- Rate recommendation: Based on the Q1 analysis and projected summer energy price increases, staff recommended a 32¢/kWh rate to cover energy costs and provide limited coverage for maintenance and administrative time. Staff noted Pennsylvania retail public rates typically range roughly 30¢–36¢/kWh; the state average cited was about 34.5¢/kWh.
- Monitoring: The committee asked that staff continue monthly tracking of Pico bills, Flow distributions and energy contracts so the rate can be revisited if energy or usage patterns change. The Electric Advisory Committee offered to assist with utilization reporting.
- Ordinance: Staff noted the borough ordinance directing that charger rates be set to cover all borough‑incurred costs and amortization of installation was reviewed as part of the analysis.

Dedicated borough charger installation
- Fleet charger: The committee approved installing a dedicated Level 2 charger for borough vehicle use in the Public Works yard (removal of an old oil tank is part of site prep). The charger will have its own PECO service line and account to permit separate metering and tracking of borough fleet charging.
- Cost: The committee approved the installation budget of $4,575 for the dedicated charger and related setup.

Formal action: The committee moved to recommend a 32¢/kWh public charging rate to Borough Council and approved the $4,575 dedicated Level 2 charger installation for borough use. Both motions passed in committee.

Ending: Staff will continue to track billing and distribution data and report back so the borough can reassess the rate as energy costs and usage change.