Comparison

PlanElec vs. Excel & Paper: Why Digital Single-Line Diagrams Are Better

Single-line diagram with PlanElec, Excel or on paper: what the AREI/RGIE requires, where drawings and spreadsheets hit their limits and what PlanElec checks automatically.

Published on 5 May 2026 Updated on 5 October 2026 6 min

AuthorStephan Behm

Under the AREI/RGIE, you may draw a single-line diagram by hand or in Excel; digital is not mandatory. A planning tool like PlanElec still has three clear advantages: the single-line diagram and situation plan come from the same project model, every change flows through both plans automatically, and an AREI/RGIE self-check finds typical design errors before the inspector does. Paper and Excel remain workable for very small jobs. Once several circuits, floors or changes are involved, keeping the documents aligned by hand becomes the main source of errors.

Comparison at a glance

Criterion	PlanElec	Excel/Word	Paper
Cost today	Early Access: EUR 0	Existing licence	Paper and time
Symbols per AREI/RGIE Table 2.23	Symbol library for the Belgian context, with legend	Draw or insert yourself	Draw by hand
Building the diagram	Automatically from the electrical topology	Manual	Manual
Situation plan	From the same project data, identifiers linked	Separate file	Separate sheet
Changes	Once in the model, both plans follow	Update every view separately	Redraw
Checking	AREI/RGIE self-check for supported rules	None	None
PDF	Single-line diagram, situation plan and dossier with title block	Manual, page breaks by hand	Scan
Official inspection	By a recognized inspection body	By a recognized inspection body	By a recognized inspection body

What does the AREI/RGIE require of the single-line diagram and situation plan?

The AREI/RGIE sets content and legibility, not the tool. The key requirements from Book 1:

Requirement	Reference
Diagrams, plans and documents clearly state a number, revision and revision date	Section 3.1.2
The person responsible for carrying out the work draws up the single-line diagram and situation plan; their name, capacity, VAT number where applicable and the installation address appear on them	Subsection 3.1.2.1.a
Each circuit gets a capital letter, each lighting point, socket and control device a sequence number; the situation plan uses the same identifier	Subsection 3.1.2.1.a
Symbols per Table 2.23; where a symbol is missing, any unambiguous symbol defined in the legend is allowed	Chapter 2.13, subsection 3.1.2.1.a
The owner keeps the file with single-line diagram, situation plan and inspection report in duplicate	Section 9.1.2

A neatly drawn plan that meets these points is permitted under the AREI/RGIE. What matters is that the single-line diagram and situation plan are complete, legible and consistent. That is exactly where the tools differ.

Paper: quick to start, hard to maintain

On paper you start drawing without any learning curve. The limits show at the first change: a forgotten socket shifts the circuit numbering, and you have to update the diagram and situation plan by hand. With many circuits, that quickly becomes hard to follow. Crossed-out corrections and handwriting only you can read make the plan harder for the inspector to check. Drawing the Table 2.23 symbols cleanly and consistently takes time; every deviating symbol needs a legend.

Excel and Word: tidy, but no electrics behind it

Excel brings order to lists but knows nothing about electrical relationships. You insert symbols as images or rebuild them from shapes. You build the hierarchy of main switch, residual current devices (RCDs), circuit breakers and consumers by hand and adjust it with every change. Larger diagrams do not fit on an A4 page, and the print preview puts page breaks where they do not belong.

Above all, Excel checks nothing: no cell tells you that too many circuits hang off one RCD or that a cross-section does not match its protection.

What PlanElec does differently

One model, two plans

In PlanElec, you place devices on the floor plan and connect them to a circuit, protection device and cable. From that topology, PlanElec builds the single-line diagram with main switch, RCDs, circuit breakers and consumers; the situation plan uses the same devices and identifiers. Add a circuit, and both plans follow. More in Create a single-line diagram and Draw a situation plan.

A self-check instead of gut feeling

The AREI/RGIE self-check tests the project data against a documented subset of Book 1, version 06 (applicable since 1 April 2026). A selection:

Check	Reference
RCD of at most 300 mA at the origin of the installation	AREI 4.2.4.3
No more than 8 final circuits per RCD up to 30 mA	AREI 4.2.4.3.b
RCD up to 30 mA for socket circuits	AREI 4.2.4.3.b
Main switch of at least 40 A in domestic installations	AREI 5.3.5.1.b
Protection matched to the conductor cross-section	AREI 4.4.1.4, Table 4.11
Voltage drop from the cable length (guide values 3% / 5%)	AREI 5.2.5
RCD up to 30 mA for rooms with a bath or shower	AREI 7.1.4.3
No more than 8 single or multiple sockets per final circuit	AREI 5.3.5.2.b

A clean run means the supported rules find no error in your data. Measurements, site conditions and unmodelled rules are yours to check as the professional; the official inspection is carried out by the recognized inspection body. The full rule list is in What the self-check verifies.

Documents that match

PlanElec exports the single-line diagram and situation plan as PDFs with a title block, together with the advisory self-check report and a selectable installation dossier with cover, index and page numbering. Your installer details and logo appear on every document. The PDFs are the state you compare with the installed work on site; you maintain number, revision and date for every new revision.

What does switching cost?

Paper and Excel cost no money, but they cost time with every change. PlanElec costs EUR 0 during Early Access. The future plans, from EUR 15 per property or EUR 29 per month excluding VAT, are on the pricing page; we will announce the start date in advance. Professional review and the official inspection come on top, whatever the tool. How drawing it yourself compares with hiring an electrician is covered in the cost comparison.

When paper is enough

For a small change that does not count as substantial, AREI/RGIE subsection 3.1.2.1.a accepts a short description instead of a new single-line diagram. A very small plan with few circuits can also be drawn neatly by hand, provided identifiers, symbols, legend and title details are correct. Once the installation grows or changes, the shared model saves you the double alignment.

Conclusion

Paper and Excel are permitted, but they leave you alone with aligning diagram and situation plan and check nothing. PlanElec brings floor plan, electrical topology and distribution board together in one project, produces both plans from the same data and flags typical design errors early. Inspecting the installation remains the job of the recognized inspection body.