How Much Does an Electrical Plan Cost? Cost Factors 2026
What drives the price of a Belgian electrical plan, how to compare quotations with an editable calculation model and what PlanElec costs during early access and after the paid plans start.
AuthorStephan BehmShort answer: the price follows the scope of work
Belgium has no official flat rate for a single-line diagram and situation plan. The price comes from the specific job: is there a reliable survey, or does the installation have to be traced on site? Are only the two plans drawn, or do calculations, corrective work, a technical review and the official inspection belong to the job? A price range found online without a named sample, date, region and VAT status does not answer those questions.
So compare the same result for the same scope, not a software price against an electrician’s invoice. PlanElec costs EUR 0 during early access; after the paid plans start, single property costs EUR 15 per property and Pro EUR 29 per month, excluding VAT. Your own time, measurements, materials, work on the installation, technical support and the inspection by an approved body are costed separately.
Which documents are officially required?
The Belgian FPS Economy states that a domestic inspection requires at least the single-line diagram, the situation plan and, when available, the connection’s EAN code. The single-line diagram records cables, installation method, RCDs, overcurrent protection, switches, boxes, socket outlets, lighting points, fixed appliances and sources (AREI/RGIE Book 1 V06, Subsection 3.1.2.2 a). The situation plan shows where those items are (Subsection 3.1.2.3 a). Together with the inspection reports, they form the installation file (Section 9.1.2). The primary sources are the official federal domestic-inspection guidance and AREI/RGIE Book 1 version 06; this English article summarises the official national-language material.
Which documents you need depends on the occasion:
| Occasion | Documents | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| New installation | single-line diagram, situation plan, conformity inspection before use | 3.1.2.1 a, Chapter 6.4 |
| Substantial alteration or extension | updated plans; inspection of the modified and added parts | 3.1.2.1 a, 6.4.7.3 |
| Non-substantial alteration | dated, signed short description; situation plan shows the current state | 3.1.2.1 a |
| Sale of a dwelling with an old installation | inspection visit; existing file made available | Section 8.4.2 |
| Supply capacity increase for an old installation | inspection visit before the increase | Section 8.4.1 |
If the single-line diagram and situation plan are missing at the inspection visit on sale, the approved body draws up a brief description and a rough sketch. These do not replace the plans, and the absence is recorded as an infringement in the report (Subsection 8.4.2.2 d). If you are selling, plan the drawings in good time.
Define the scope before the price
A quotation becomes comparable once every item is described. This list stops a cheap drawing quote from growing later with necessary work.
| Component | What is explicitly agreed |
|---|---|
| Survey | Are rooms, loads, boxes, cable routes and boards surveyed on site, or do you supply verified data? |
| Circuit tracing | Are the assignments known, or must they be established by switching, measuring and opening suitable points? |
| Single-line diagram | Are all protective devices, conductor data, installation methods, sources and fixed appliances included? |
| Situation plan | Is there a usable floor plan, and are the references to the circuits unambiguous? |
| Calculations | Are sizing, short-circuit, selectivity or voltage-drop calculations part of the job? |
| Technical review | Does a qualified electrician check the as-built state and technical plausibility, or is it drawing only? |
| Corrective work | Is work on the board, cables or equipment included? |
| Inspection appointment | Is the approved body’s fee included or separate? |
| Revisions | How many technically justified correction rounds are included? |
| VAT and travel | Does the amount include VAT, travel and any extra appointments? |
An editable calculation model instead of invented market prices
Enter only values that come from your quotation or your own time estimate:
Total scenario = survey + drawing + technical review + corrective work + inspection + travel + own time
Value your own work with a personal comparison rate:
valued own time = documented hours × personal comparison rate per hour
That rate is not a Belgian market tariff. It shows that a weekend of work is not economically free. Conversely, an external flat fee is not expensive if survey, measurement, technical responsibility and revisions are included.
Scenario A: complete data is available
The board is clearly labelled, circuit assignments are checked, a scaled floor plan exists and the protective-device data is legible. The work then consists mainly of taking over data, checking plausibility and drawing. PlanElec provides the shared project model of floor plan, topology and board plus the PDF output; an electrician checks the data in a targeted way.
Scenario B: old installation without reliable records
If cross-sections, installation methods or assignments are unknown, drawing is the last step. First a competent person surveys the installation safely; opening enclosures, measuring and intervening belong in professional hands. Here the survey often costs more than producing the plans, and that is exactly the item that must appear clearly in the quotation.
Scenario C: renovation with open design decisions
For new circuits, PV, a home battery, an EV charger, a heat pump or board changes, the technical design is settled first; the diagram documents that decision. Ask for a quotation that separates design, manufacturer data, grid operator conditions, execution and inspection. You will then see later which item changed. Which renovation triggers new plans is explained in Renovation and AREI.
Scenario D: sale with a deadline
Time pressure alone does not justify an express surcharge. Ask for a written quotation with delivery date, prerequisites and correction process. Agree who books the inspection visit and which existing reports belong in the file. A hastily drawn plan that does not show the as-built state does not solve the documentation problem. More in Electrical dossier for property sales.
What does PlanElec cost?
| Plan | Price | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Early access | EUR 0 until the paid plans start | full feature set, no invoice |
| Free | EUR 0, permanently | complete planning with no project or circuit limit; exports with masked areas over the usable figures |
| Single property | EUR 15 per property, one-off | all documents without masked areas for exactly one confirmed property address |
| Pro | EUR 29 per month or EUR 290 per year | all projects and documents without masked areas, three editing seats, each extra seat EUR 10 per month |
All prices exclude 21 % VAT; single property therefore costs EUR 18.15 including VAT. From two properties a month, Pro is cheaper than two single-property purchases. We will announce the start date of the paid plans well in advance. If you register before the start, you use PlanElec free of charge for the first full calendar month after the start. Registration, login and invitations never cost anything; costs only arise from an explicit booking.
What PlanElec contributes today
PlanElec brings floor plan, electrical topology and board planning together in one project. The single-line diagram and situation plan are exported as PDFs, as is a compiled installation dossier with cover sheet and document index. The AREI/RGIE self-check evaluates the supported rules that can be decided from your data and shows data gaps. The detailed, manufacturer-neutral material list is available as a pilot feature; it is not an order release.
The roles are therefore clear: PlanElec produces the plans from your project model and keeps the documents consistent. The on-site survey, technical design and installation stay with the electrician, and the approved body writes the inspection report. Whether that pays off for you depends on how complete your project data already is.
How to obtain comparable quotations
- Describe the building, supply, number of boards and known circuits.
- Mention special sources and loads such as PV, battery, EV charger or heat pump.
- Share existing plans and inspection reports without guessing unknown data.
- Ask for separate items for survey, drawing, technical review, execution and inspection.
- Ask about VAT, travel, delivery format and correction rounds.
- Compare not only the total but also responsibility and coverage.
- After changes, document the as-built state and keep the documents in the installation file.
Agree handover and revision as a separate service
A good quotation states not only “plan as PDF” but the handed-over working state. Agree which existing documents were checked, which data you supplied and which unknowns remain open. Record how many correction rounds are included, who reports changes after the site work and which file version then counts as the as-built state.
A short checklist helps at handover: do the circuit references match between board, single-line diagram and situation plan? Have new and removed devices been updated? Are assumptions marked as assumptions? Are datasheets and measurement records with the responsible party? Only this handover makes drawing, technical review and later maintenance comparable. A low quotation without agreed revisions quickly becomes more expensive at the next change.
Frequently asked questions
Which data should I gather before asking for a quotation?
Start with everything visible without intervention: address and supply type, number and location of boards, legible ratings of RCDs and circuit breakers, circuit names, floor plan, earlier diagrams and inspection reports. Record fixed loads and sources separately. Mark unknown values explicitly as unknown. An invented cross-section makes a drawing look complete and technically worthless. Photos help with preparation; they do not replace safely establishing concealed cable data.
Which services must not disappear into a “plan price”?
Changes to the installation, fault finding, measurement reports, sizing according to manufacturer conditions and resolving an inspection finding are separate services. Grid operator procedures for generation or storage do not run automatically either. If these steps are needed, they appear as separate items with result, responsible party and deadline. That protects both sides: you see what is delivered, and the contractor takes no responsibility for parts that were not ordered.
How do I handle changes after the first export?
Keep a traceable baseline version, enter confirmed changes in the project and situation plan and have technical changes checked. Record not just “kitchen changed” but which circuit, protective device, cable and points the change affects. The next correction round then stays a limited update rather than a new survey.
May I draw the diagram myself?
The AREI states who draws up the single-line diagram: the person responsible for carrying out the work (Subsection 3.1.2.1 a). What matters is that the documents show the actual state correctly and are available during the inspection. Drawing yourself is not installing yourself: surveying live parts and installation work stay with professionals. A side-by-side comparison of both routes is in the cost comparison: DIY or electrician.
Does a PlanElec PDF mean the installation is compliant?
No. The PDF documents your project data, and the self-check tests the supported rules on an indicative basis. Whether the inspected installation meets the regulations is established by the approved body in the prescribed procedure.
What is the main cost driver?
Not floor area, but uncertainty about the as-built state and the agreed scope. Known, verified data reduces survey effort; unknown cables, several boards or technical changes increase it.
Conclusion
A sound price for an electrical plan is a project-specific quotation. Separate survey, drawing, technical review, work and inspection, value your own time too and compare equivalent services. PlanElec structures the documentation and costs nothing during early access; technical design, installation and inspection remain separate items.
From the guide to your own electrical plan
Create a project and document circuits, cables and protective devices. Check the result against the actual installation.
Fictitious sample dossier, available without sign-up.