Getting Started with PlanElec: From Floor Plan to First Export

Your first PlanElec project runs through eight steps: create the project, draw or recognise the floor plan, place devices, connect consumers, check cable routes, fill the distribution board, review the single-line diagram and self-check, and export the documents. Everything happens in one shared project model. The key principle to start with: a symbol on the floor plan fixes where a device sits. Only its electrical assignment makes it part of the single-line diagram.

1. Create the project, building and floors

After signing in, open the project overview and choose Create project. You start with the guided workflow, a template or an empty project. For your first project, take the guided workflow: it derives the next step from the actual project state, and you can pause it at any time without losing project data.

Then create the building and its floors. Open the project metadata and enter the project name, installation address and installer. PlanElec reuses these details in title blocks, the self-check report and the dossier.

2. Build the floor plan and rooms

In the Floor plan area, draw exterior and interior walls as a polygon or rectangle. If you already have a plan, import it as a reference image and calibrate it against a known distance.

Recognition is faster: put a PDF, scan or photo (PDF, PNG, JPEG or WebP) in Project files and start Recognise floor plan from the preview. PlanElec proposes walls, rooms with their area, doors, windows and supported device symbols. You confirm the scale, correct the draft and import it into an empty floor. The article Recognise a floor plan from a PDF or photo walks through the details.

As soon as walls enclose an area, PlanElec detects a room. Name and categorise every room, for example Kitchen, Utility room or Bedroom 1. Clean rooms pay off later: in equipment proposals, when grouping consumers, in the material view by room and during the technical review. Work one floor at a time and check the geometry before you place many devices; major changes are easier while the plan is still empty.

3. Place the electrical devices

Open the device palette and place sockets, switches, lights, fixed connections, junction boxes and the distribution board in their planned positions. Wall-mounted devices snap to the wall; lights sit freely in the room.

For suitable rooms, PlanElec proposes sockets, lighting, a standard fit-out or a spotlight grid. You decide what stays, based on doors, windows, built-in units, use and wet zones. The proposals are an editable starting point; the design decisions are yours.

You can also tell the PlanElec assistant in your own words what you need, for example "Place three sockets in the kitchen". Open it with the bot button in the header or with ⌘J / Ctrl+J. Every change the assistant makes is a single undo step, and PlanElec then checks the project with the AREI/RGIE self-check. Read more in AI assistant for electrical planning.

4. Connect switches, consumers and topology

Link switches to the lights they actually control. For unassigned switches and lights in a room, PlanElec proposes a switch chain. The list of unconnected components then shows what is still missing.

Next, assign consumers to the right board and circuit. Automatic assignment groups ordinary lighting and socket points and handles supported special appliances such as a cooker, washing machine or EV charger separately. With several boards, multi-board assignment spreads the loads; in three-phase installations, phase balancing distributes them across L1, L2 and L3 and warns about a clear imbalance. Check protection devices, phase and cable data in the preview, and only then apply it.

Connect junction and branch boxes as real topology nodes whenever a cable needs to be split into separate segments. Proximity is not enough: PlanElec does not insert a box into an electrical path automatically.

5. Check the cable routes

For connected devices, PlanElec calculates a cable route along the walls. Check start, end and path, and add manual waypoints where needed. A manually entered length takes precedence over the calculated one.

Cable type, cross-section, installation method and length must match the real installation. The calculated net lengths feed the cable list and material overview; you add offcuts and site reserve yourself. The guide Automatic planning explains device, cable, circuit and board automation together.

6. Fill the distribution board

Open the Distribution board area, choose the enclosure, rows and pole configuration, and start Auto-Assign. PlanElec arranges the main switch, residual current devices (RCDs) and circuit breakers in the intended order on the DIN rails and keeps 20 percent of rail space free by default.

Then check module widths, protection groups and the connections from main switch to RCD and on to the circuit breakers. Add missing connections with the connector tool and move modules by hand where needed. In multi-phase installations, also check the phase overview. Facing an existing board? PlanElec detects the visible DIN modules in cabinet photos and, once you have reviewed them, imports them into an empty board.

7. Review the single-line diagram and self-check

PlanElec derives the single-line diagram from the electrical topology. Check that consumer branches, protection devices, cable data and branches appear in full. If an assignment is wrong, correct the relationship in the shared project model, not just in the drawing, and review the diagram again.

The AREI/RGIE self-check reports findings in the rule areas PlanElec can evaluate from your project data. It is advisory: a clean run means the supported rules find no error in your data. Which rules those are is listed in What the self-check verifies. The inspection of the installed work is carried out by the recognized inspection body.

8. Export the documents

In the Export area, you produce the single-line diagram, the situation plan and the advisory self-check report as PDFs. As soon as board data exists, the distribution board PDF is available too. The selectable installation dossier bundles the documents with a cover page, index and continuous page numbering. Circuit, material and cable lists are available as a pilot: manufacturer-neutral, without prices and with visible default assumptions.

Before passing anything on, check metadata, legibility, page order and open findings. Exporting documents describes the status of each document.

Making your first run dependable

Keep your first project small and real: one floor with a board, two socket circuits, lighting and one fixed appliance. That makes it clear early on which information is spatial, electrical or documentary. A socket symbol on the floor plan answers where it is. Its circuit, protective device and cable answer how it is supplied. The export brings both views together; measurements you have not entered do not appear in it either.

Take inventory before you place anything

Record the connection type and voltage, existing boards, rooms, floors and every visible electrical point. Sealed parts stay closed, and you do not infer the earthing system from the conductor count alone. For an existing installation, photos of the labels and a careful survey by a qualified person help more than assumptions. Mark unknown data as open rather than entering a plausible-looking cable type or protection rating.

Review devices and circuits separately

Place the board and the real devices first. Link switches to the lights they really control, then assign consumers to circuits. With every automatic proposal, check whether the proposed group is technically sound. PlanElec provides guided editing and proposals; approving the electrical design is your call as the professional. Cable length, installation method, grouping, ambient conditions, voltage drop, short-circuit current and manufacturer conditions are part of your review wherever the project does not capture them.

Keep three views aligned

Use the same circuit identifiers in the board, the single-line diagram and the situation plan. After moving a device, splitting a circuit or changing a protection device, check all three views. A good interim test: can a second person start from a situation-plan symbol, follow its identifier to the right circuit and get back to the board? If so, the project is ready to be documented.

Use the export as a review stage

Generate previews first. Check page breaks, clipped labels, legend, installation address, responsible person, plan revision and date. Then reopen the PDFs and compare them with the current project. Single-line diagram, situation plan, board PDF and dossier run in the normal workflow. The material list is a pilot with visible coverage limits; it supports planning and is not an approval to order.

The AREI/RGIE self-check is advisory. A result without errors means the supported rules that can be decided from your data report no error. Measurements, manufacturer data, site conditions and unmodelled provisions are checked on site. Have the design, installed work and documents reviewed by a qualified electrician before commissioning; the official inspection is then carried out by the recognized inspection body.

When something does not add up

Saving, alternatives and collaboration

Give the project and floors stable, clear names. Before trying a major automatic proposal or restructuring, check the saved state and create a comparison export where useful. A design alternative is not yet an installed system: mark clearly which option is planned, rejected or carried out on site.

When several people work on the project, agree who owns the floor plan, electrical assignment, board and final review. Nobody quietly renames shared circuit identifiers. A short change note with date, affected area and responsible person prevents a new spatial revision from being exported with an old electrical one.

Example: plan one room end to end

Use a kitchen as an exercise. Draw and name the room, then place general sockets, lighting and the fixed appliances actually planned. Link switches to their lights and keep high-load appliances separate where your design calls for it. Do not derive cable or breaker values from an appliance name: enter confirmed data and leave unknown lengths open.

Then check the situation-plan references, every consumer's path in the single-line diagram and the board layout. Consider whether additional sources or outdoor areas affect the scope. Export both plans and trace three devices in both directions. Once that chain works, move on to the next room.

Data protection and project data

Do not use real customer data in practice projects. A real dossier needs the name, installation address and responsible parties; share them only within the authorised project circle. Before sending, check that a preview contains no internal notes, old alternatives or incomplete data. The recipient needs the approved document version, not your entire working state.

When your first project is finished

A project is finished when the spatial points match the building, electrical assignments are traceable, board and drawings use the same identifiers, open data stays visible and a qualified person has reviewed the relevant decisions. The PDF is the result of that work, not its proof. The inspection that follows assesses the installed work.

Finally, archive the approved PDFs and note the matching project revision. If a device is moved or a circuit added later, start from that state. That keeps the difference between the earlier inspection, the new design and the later as-built state visible.

Checklist before the first download

• Building, floors and rooms are fully created and named.
• All electrical devices are in the right position.
• Consumers are linked to topology, circuit and board.
• Cable routes and lengths are checked.
• Protection chain and board layout are plausible.
• Single-line diagram and situation plan are visually reviewed.
• Project metadata is complete for the intended document revision.
• Self-check findings and coverage gaps are understood and assessed.

Further reading and official source

• Create a single-line diagram step by step
• Draw a situation plan
• Plan a distribution board
• FPS Economy: official RGIE/AREI books, Book 1 V06

PlanElec takes you from floor plan to dossier. The installation work is the qualified electrician's responsibility; the official assessment is made by a recognized inspection body. You will find more guides in the help center and the full scope in the feature overview. During Early Access, registration is free.