Electrical design for buildings

Electrical design turns what a building needs to do into drawings and specifications a licensed electrical contractor can price, permit and build. We design power, lighting, emergency power and new loads for commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-unit buildings, and stay involved through construction so the finished system matches the design.

Good electrical design is mostly about getting the early decisions right: how much load the building will carry now and later, where the equipment goes, how the system is split so a fault in one area does not take down another, and how the building keeps running when the utility fails. Those decisions are cheap on paper and expensive to change once conduit is in the slab.

What we design and build

• Service entrance and main distribution: service size, switchgear, metering and the route from the utility.
• Power distribution: transformers, distribution panels, panelboards, feeders and branch circuits.
• Lighting and lighting controls, including exit and emergency lighting.
• Emergency and standby power: generators, transfer switches and UPS systems.
• Mechanical equipment connections, motor control and variable frequency drives.
• New loads in existing buildings, such as EV charging, solar PV, kitchens, server rooms and production equipment.
• Grounding, bonding and surge protection.
• Studies that support the design: load calculations, voltage drop, short-circuit, coordination and arc flash.

How it works

Every project follows the same path, scaled to its size. A tenant fit-out might move through it in a few weeks; a new building takes much longer, with more review points along the way. The diagram shows how the stages connect and what the design stage produces.

1. We start with why. A new building, a tenant moving in, a production line, a failing service or a sustainability goal each leads to a different design. We ask what the space will be used for, what is planned in the next five to ten years, which loads must keep running in an outage and what budget and schedule you are working to.
2. Site survey and existing conditions. For work in an existing building we visit the electrical rooms, read nameplates, check panel schedules against the breakers and look for spare capacity, space for new equipment and conduit routes. Where records are thin, this is where the real picture comes from.
3. Design. We calculate loads, size the service and feeders, lay out panels, lighting and devices, and draw the single-line diagram. We coordinate with the architect and mechanical engineer so equipment, clearances and routes fit the building.
4. Permit drawings and tender. Drawings for permit are sealed by a licensed professional engineer where required. We prepare specifications, answer contractor questions during tender and help you compare bids on a like-for-like basis.
5. Construction support. Installation is done by licensed electrical contractors under permit. We review shop drawings, answer site questions, visit during construction and review the finished work against the design.
6. Close-out. We review deficiencies, update the drawings to show what was built and make sure panel schedules and labels are left accurate.

What to have ready

• Architectural drawings or a floor plan, even a rough one for early work.
• Existing electrical drawings, single-line diagrams and panel schedules, however old.
• Twelve months of utility bills, which show actual peak demand.
• A list of major equipment planned or already installed, with nameplate data if you have it.
• Any previous studies: arc flash, coordination, thermography or inspection reports.

What you get

A set of drawings and specifications that a licensed contractor can price and build from, sealed for permit where required. A typical set includes a single-line diagram, panel schedules, power and lighting layouts, a lighting control description, equipment schedules and details for anything unusual. Behind the drawings sit the calculations: the load calculation that sizes the service, voltage drop checks on long runs and, where the project calls for them, short-circuit, coordination and arc flash studies.

You also get a design that is written down. When the next tenant, the next charger or the next piece of production equipment arrives, the drawings show what was installed, how much capacity is left and where it can be connected.

A typical case

A light industrial building is being converted for a food processing tenant. The tenant brings refrigeration, a packaging line and a commissary kitchen. The first question is whether the existing service can carry the new load. The utility bills show the building's measured peak demand, and the load calculation adds the new equipment on top. In a case like this the answer is often that the service is adequate but the distribution is not: the existing panels are full and located at the wrong end of the building.

The design then adds a new distribution panel near the process area, fed from spare capacity in the main switchboard, with a transformer for the lower-voltage loads. Long feeders are checked for voltage drop, the refrigeration is identified as a load the tenant may want on standby power, and the kitchen equipment is laid out with the mechanical engineer so exhaust hoods and circuits match. The drawings go to permit, a licensed contractor builds the work, and the record drawings leave the next tenant with an accurate picture.

Who it's for

• Owners and developers planning new buildings or additions.
• Property managers and tenants doing fit-outs and renovations.
• Facility managers adding equipment, EV chargers or solar PV.
• Architects and general contractors who need an electrical engineer on the team.
• Industrial operators changing a process or adding production capacity.

For background, read our guides on reading electrical drawings and specifications, electrical design for tenant renovations, Canadian Electrical Code basics and electrical permits and inspections.

Common questions