Old heating poles at end of life — how a housing association solves heating and EV charging in one move

A quiet shift is under way in the parking areas of housing associations. Two things are happening at once: the old poles built for engine (block) heating alone are reaching the end of their life — and at the same time more and more residents drive an electric car that needs charging overnight.

The result is familiar to many boards: the block heater of a combustion car and the charger of an electric car compete for the same, limited parking spaces. When the heating poles have to be replaced anyway, the question is no longer “repair or not”, but “which infrastructure do we invest in for the next 15 years”.

Why two separate systems is the expensive route

The typical first reaction is to build separately: keep the old heating posts and add a few standalone charging stations at the other end of the yard. This solves charging — but brings its own problems:

• Double the cabling and digging. A separate charging area needs its own supply and often a new cable route across the yard.
• A fragmented yard. Posts and stations of different ages and looks make the yard cluttered.
• Hard to expand. As demand for charging spaces grows, every addition is a new, separate project.
• Two systems to maintain. Heating and charging live their own lives with different suppliers.

When the infrastructure is being renewed anyway, it pays to design it once so that the same structure serves both today's heating and tomorrow's charging.

The integrated pole: heating as standard, charging added on

The alternative to separate systems is to combine heating and charging in the same modular pole. In practice this means the housing association installs one consistent pole model that:

• serves two parking spaces from a single pole,
• ships with engine-heater outlets on a timer — directly replacing the old heating pole,
• and to which EV charging (2 × 22 kW Type 2) can be added as a retrofit without new cabling, when the need arises.

This way the association does not have to choose between heating and charging, nor pay for two separate yard projects. The base investment solves today's need — engine heating — and charging readiness is built in, waiting for EVs to become more common.

What the board should check before deciding

When replacing the heating poles is on the agenda, a few questions help compare the options:

1. Current cabling. Is the existing supply enough for the future charging load, or does the distribution board need an upgrade?
2. Expandability. Can charging be added later without new digging?
3. Safety and standards. Is the solution CE-approved, with an adequate protection rating (IP44) and proper protective devices?
4. Consistency. Does the yard stay tidy when every space uses the same pole model?

InfraPole is designed and manufactured in Finland for exactly this transition: a durable aluminium body, a DIN-enclosed distribution board with Hager circuit breakers, IP44 protection and CE approval. One pole that flexes from heating to charging without building the yard twice.