What Can You Do with PlanElec? From Floor Plan to Working Dossier

PlanElec is a Belgian electrical planning tool that keeps the spatial plan, electrical topology, distribution board, diagrams, and exports in one project. It is built first for electrical contractors and planners, while remaining open to owners who want to prepare a project carefully.

The short version: PlanElec takes you from a drawn floor plan to a situation plan, circuit and board planning, a generated single-line diagram, an advisory AREI/RGIE self-check, and several project documents. The exact status matters, though: some outputs are generally available, while detailed lists and the combined dossier are still in a pilot or working state.

One project model instead of separate drawings

Traditional workflows often repeat the same information in several files. PlanElec records rooms, devices, electrical connections, circuits, cables, and protection devices in one linked model.

That connection is useful when the project changes. Moving a device changes its location on the situation plan; changing its electrical connection changes the topology and single-line diagram. You still review every result, but you do not have to maintain unrelated drawings for each view.

1. Draw the floor plan and situation plan

Start by drawing exterior and interior walls, or add an existing plan image as a calibrated reference. Closed wall areas become rooms that you can name and classify. You can add doors, windows, stairs, dimensions, bathroom zones, and several floors.

Next, place the electrical symbols at their intended locations:

• sockets and switches;
• lighting points and spotlights;
• fixed appliances and dedicated connections;
• distribution, connection, and junction boxes;
• special equipment such as a heat pump or EV charger where supported by the public workflow.

The same spatial data feeds the situation plan PDF. PlanElec also includes helpers that can propose socket positions, lighting, standard equipment, and spotlight grids. These are editable proposals, not a substitute for deciding what the installation needs.

2. Build switch chains and cable routes

Switches and lighting points can be linked into switch chains. For unassigned devices in the same room, PlanElec can propose a sequence that you can edit.

Once the electrical topology is present, PlanElec creates cable segments for the actual parent-to-child connections. Its automatic router searches for a short path along the walls of a floor. You can then add or move waypoints and override the calculated length with a manual value.

Connection and junction boxes are modeled as real electrical nodes. A box only becomes part of a cable path when it is explicitly connected; physical proximity alone does not rewrite the topology.

3. Propose circuits and distribute loads

Automatic circuit assignment groups standard devices and proposes protection based on the recorded device types. Among other things, the current workflow can:

• group common lighting and socket points by room;
• limit standard circuits to eight connection points;
• assign dedicated breakers to several high-demand or fixed appliances;
• place standard groups behind 30 mA RCDs;
• handle the current special protection model for an EV charger;
• distribute loads across phases and multiple boards.

The preview remains essential. Automatic planning applies product defaults to the data you entered; it cannot assess every site condition, manufacturer requirement, or engineering decision.

4. Plan the distribution board

The distribution board editor represents DIN rails, enclosures, main switches, RCDs, MCBs, and selected accessories. You can move modules manually, change compatible pole and module-width variants, and connect protection devices to circuits.

Auto-fill arranges existing protection modules on the DIN rails and reserves spare capacity. This is separate from automatic circuit assignment: one builds the electrical protection structure, while the other lays its modules out physically in the board.

The board view also shows RCD groups and phase loads. Review the enclosure size, protection chain, module widths, spare capacity, and the actual installation constraints before treating the proposal as a design.

5. Generate and review the single-line diagram

PlanElec generates the single-line diagram from the topology rather than asking you to draw a second, unrelated scheme. The diagram contains the modeled supply, protection devices, circuits, cable data, boxes, and consumers and can span multiple PDF pages.

Because the diagram reflects the project model, missing or incorrect links remain visible. Resolve unconnected components and review circuit names, protection settings, cable specifications, and symbols before export.

6. Run an advisory AREI/RGIE self-check

The self-check evaluates a documented subset of rules that can be decided from the data in the project. It can flag supported issues and state when a check is incomplete or outside the current coverage.

It does not prove that an installation complies with the full AREI/RGIE. A clean result only means that no error was found in the currently supported, data-driven checks. Measurements, evidence, on-site conditions, and rules that are not modeled remain outside its scope.

PlanElec does not issue a certificate of conformity. Professional review and the official inspection by a recognized inspection body remain separate requirements.

7. Export more than two diagrams

The export area makes the available documents easier to find and combine:

The detailed material list is manufacturer-neutral. It can break modeled assemblies into useful quantities and show material by category or room, but it contains no prices or specific manufacturer products. Cable amounts are net lengths without an automatic waste factor. Treat it as a review and quotation starting point, not as an approved order.

The dossier builder can merge selected PDFs with a cover, document index, and continuous page numbering. A versioned final server snapshot and formally accepted real-world outputs are still open before that working dossier can be presented as a generally released final dossier.

Who is PlanElec for?

Electrical contractors and planners can use the connected model to structure a project and prepare consistent documentation. Engaged owners can use the same workflow to understand and prepare their installation, provided a qualified electrician reviews it before installation and inspection.

Early Access currently costs 0 EUR and no paid subscription or project price is active. Commercial terms will be communicated before any paid use.

Explore the workflow

• Compare the complete capability and status overview on the features page.
• Follow the practical guides in the PlanElec help center.
• Start with the getting-started guide.
• If the workflow fits your project, create a free Early Access account.

PlanElec's value is not a promise that every installation can be documented automatically. It is a connected workspace in which spatial planning, electrical structure, review, and document generation can be carried out from the same project data.