All Features

Every available feature, in plain English.

The Volt Planner is software for residential and commercial electricians. You build a job estimate in minutes, sketch the wiring layout in the same window, and generate a permit-ready package with the load calculation already on the cover sheet. If you bid jobs in Excel today, count devices on a takeoff sheet, or send floor plans to a drafter to get a permit drawing, this tool replaces all of that.

The residential side follows the National Electrical Code (NEC) line by line: AFCI breakers in the right rooms, GFCI protection on the wet circuits, the right wire gauge for the load. The commercial side is checked against real bids that were actually built, ranging from $33K to $748K. The numbers are not guesses.

This page lists everything The Volt Planner can do today. If a feature is not on this page, it has not shipped. If you see a Soon badge, the feature is in the works and not ready yet.

Estimator

Builder

A four-step wizard that builds a complete residential electrical estimate. You enter the job basics, walk through the rooms, review the auto-generated materials and labor, then export a customer-ready PDF. Every line item is editable. The math behind every breaker, wire size, and demand load comes from the National Electrical Code (NEC), and every code-driven choice is shown next to the line item so you can defend it on the spot.

Who it is for: Residential electricians and small-shop owners who currently bid jobs in Excel or on paper, and want a single place to produce both a customer estimate and an internal cost sheet.

From the Builder user guide: enter the job basics, click through the rooms, and you have a professional PDF in your customer's inbox before you finish your first cup of coffee.

Four-step estimate wizardBuilder

Job Info, Room Selection, Calculation, Review and Export. Each step saves automatically, so closing the tab does not lose your work. Most jobs run from open to PDF in five to ten minutes.

Room-by-room device defaultsBuilder

Pick a room (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, garage, exterior, etc.) and the estimator pre-loads the count of outlets, lights, switches, and dedicated circuits a typical room of that type needs. The defaults follow the National Electrical Code, so a fresh estimate starts code-compliant. Every count is editable per room.

Automatic AFCI and GFCI breaker selectionBuilder

The estimator picks the right breaker type per circuit based on the room it serves. Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, hallways, and laundry get arc-fault (AFCI) breakers per NEC 210.12. Bathrooms, garages, and outdoor circuits get ground-fault (GFCI) protection per NEC 210.8. Kitchens and laundry, which need both, get a dual-function breaker.

Per-circuit breaker overrideBuilder

For any circuit on the job, swap the auto-picked breaker for Standard, AFCI, AFCI/GFCI combo, GFCI 2-pole (for 240-volt loads), or None. Picking None tells the engine the breaker is already on hand and not part of the bid; it stops adding the breaker line item but keeps the rest of the circuit math intact.

Wire sizing per dedicated circuitBuilder

For every dedicated circuit (range, dryer, water heater, EV charger, etc.) the estimator picks the wire gauge and the matching NEMA receptacle. 50-amp ranges get 6 AWG cable and a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. 30-amp dryers and water heaters get 10 AWG and a NEMA 14-30. No more cross-checking the code book mid-bid.

Equipment disconnects added automaticallyBuilder

When the estimate includes a water heater, A/C condenser, air handler or furnace, or EV charger, the engine adds the matching disconnect line item. Water heater disconnects come from NEC 422.31. A/C condenser and air handler disconnects come from NEC 440.14. The A/C condenser also gets an A/C whip line.

Smoke and CO interconnect cableBuilder

Every smoke detector in the estimate adds the right interconnect cable (14/3 NM-B, three-conductor) to the bill of materials. The third conductor is what the code requires for smoke and CO devices to interconnect. The wire run length is sized off the room footprint, so the BOM matches the job.

Specialty add-onsBuilder

Toggle on extras that are not part of the room defaults: ceiling fans, bathroom exhaust fans, range hoods, under-cabinet lighting, floor boxes, ceiling and wall speakers, security cameras (dome and bullet), recessed cans (4 inch and 6 inch), landscape lighting, garage opener outlets, elevator circuits, and surge protectors. Each one carries its own boxes, plates, switches, drivers, and labor hours.

Job complexity multiplierBuilder

Pick the job type (new construction, remodel, addition, service upgrade) and the access difficulty (easy, standard, hard, very hard) and the estimator scales labor to match. Remodels add 30 percent, hard access adds 20 percent, very hard adds 40 percent. Two-story homes add 10 percent on top, and houses over 2,500 square feet add another 10 percent. The math is shown on the estimate so you can defend it.

Labor efficiency curveBuilder

Repeat rooms get cheaper per room. The first bedroom on a job gets full labor hours. The second drops to 80 percent, the third drops to 72 percent, and four or more bedrooms run at 65 percent. This reflects the real productivity gain from doing the same wiring twice in a row.

Wire run scaling by house sizeBuilder

Bigger and taller houses use more wire. The estimator scales the average wire run length by square footage and number of stories so the bill of materials is realistic. A 4,000 square foot two-story bid carries roughly 35 percent more wire than a single-story 1,500 square foot bid, automatically.

Material waste markup for hard accessBuilder

Hard and very hard access jobs add a 5 to 10 percent waste factor on materials. Wires get cut short, boxes crack, devices walk off; the waste factor lives in the estimate so the bid covers the loss instead of eating it.

Custom labor rateBuilder

Override the default $85 per hour with your shop rate. The new rate flows through every labor line on the estimate and the PDF.

Material tax and markupBuilder

Set a markup percentage on top of base material prices and a separate tax percentage applied after markup. Final price equals base times markup times tax. Both percentages are saved on the estimate and printed on the internal cost sheet so you can see how each one affects the bottom line.

Pricing profilesBuilder

Save a set of labor rate, markup, and tax as a named profile. Apply it to a new estimate with one click. Useful when you have one rate for residential remodels and a different rate for new construction.

Inline editing of every lineBuilder

Quantity, unit price, description, labor hours, and overhead amounts are all editable directly on the Review screen. No popups, no separate edit mode. Click and type.

Add custom line itemsBuilder

Add anything the estimator does not know about (specialty fixtures, trenching, demolition allowance) directly on the Review screen. The custom item flows through to the customer PDF and the BOM.

Reset overridesBuilder

Reset a single line back to its auto-calculated value, or clear every override on the estimate at once. Useful after a few experimental edits when you want to compare against the engine's original math.

Aggregated bill of materialsBuilder

The internal cost sheet PDF includes a summary that groups every material by part number and rolls up quantities and total cost. Hand it to your supply house and have everything pulled in one trip.

NEC v1 review panelBuilder

A live punch list at the top of the Review screen runs every estimate through the rule library: GFCI in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, exterior, and laundry (NEC 210.8); AFCI in bedrooms, living, hallways (NEC 210.12); two small-appliance circuits in the kitchen (NEC 210.52(B)); a 20A/120V branch circuit in laundry and bathroom (NEC 210.11(C)); dwelling service load vs. installed panel (NEC 230.42 / 230.79 with the 2026 NEC 2 VA/ft² rule); wet-exterior in-use covers (NEC 406.9(B)); branch-circuit overcurrent minimums (NEC 240.4). Findings carry the exact section number, a one-line fix, and a one-click 'Apply' button for GFCI and AFCI mistakes. Five more rules are stubbed in code (210.52 spacing, 314.16 box fill, 250.66/250.122 grounding, 110.26 working space, 700/701/702 standby) and will activate when the supporting data lands.

QuickBooks CSV exportBuilder

From the Review screen, export the estimate as a QuickBooks-compatible CSV that you can import straight into QuickBooks Online or Desktop. Material rows, labor rows tagged with [Labor], and overhead rows tagged with [Overhead] all come through with the right invoice number and customer name. Project names that contain commas are properly RFC-4180 quoted so QuickBooks does not split the field.

Circuit and panel-slot validationBuilder

The estimator counts the breaker slots used by your circuits and compares against the panel capacity for the service amperage you picked. A 100A panel holds 20 slots, a 200A panel holds 40, a 400A panel holds 80. If the job needs more slots than the panel holds, you get a warning in the Review pane and on the internal PDF.

Customer PDF exportBuilder

A clean line-item PDF with your company name, license number, and logo on every page. Final prices only. No internal notes, no profit margin breakdown. Ready to send to the customer.

Internal cost sheet PDFBuilder

A second PDF with everything the customer version hides: unit cost (what you pay), unit price (what you charge), profit margin, modification notes, BOM summary, and any circuit warnings. The filename ends in '_Internal.pdf' so you do not accidentally email it to the customer.

Unlimited estimatesBuilder

Save, duplicate, and revisit as many estimates as you want. No caps. Saved estimates appear at the top of the estimator page; click any one to reload it.

Save as templateBuilder

Save any estimate as a reusable template. The next kitchen remodel starts pre-filled with the same room mix, dedicated circuits, and pricing.

Zero out breakersBuilder

One click strips all breakers from the BOM. Useful when the breakers are on hand and not part of the bid.

RecalculateBuilder

Re-run the estimate engine from scratch. Pulls in any room or job-info changes you made and discards line-item edits, so the estimate matches the inputs again.

Export JSONBuilder

A complete data dump of the estimate, including every override. Re-importable, so you can move work between machines or back up an estimate before a major change.

CSV price import from your supply houseBuilder

Upload a CSV (or TSV, or pipe-delimited file) from your supply house and the tool fuzzy-matches descriptions against the material catalog. Each match gets a confidence rating: exact, high, medium, low, or none. Exact and high are auto-accepted. Lower-confidence rows show a dropdown so you can manually pick the right material. Updates wholesale cost only; your markup is preserved.

Inline feedback ratingBuilder

A small thumbs-up, okay, thumbs-down bar at the bottom of every estimate, with an optional comment box. We read every comment.

Volt AI AssistantBuilder

A draggable chat bubble that knows what you are working on. Ask Volt about the current estimate, the NEC, your pricing, or anything else; the answer streams back referencing the values on screen. Position is saved across sessions so it stays where you put it.

Volt agent: chat to edit your estimateBuilder

On the Review screen, Volt is not just read-only. Tell it 'set labor to $95/hr' or 'bump the master bedroom outlets to 6' or 'add a $200 trip charge' and it proposes the edits as a one-click Apply card. Multiple changes in one message become one batch, so you can review every line before anything saves. Discarded proposals stay in the chat history so you can see what you said no to. Powered by Gemini 2.5 function calling, validated client-side before any line item is touched.

Sketch Generator

Builder

An interactive electrical drawing tool that turns a saved estimate (or a plain-English job description) into an editable floor-plan-style layout. Devices land where they actually go on a residential plan: outlets along the walls, switches near the entry, lights and smoke detectors on the ceiling. Wires draw themselves between switches and fixtures. Every symbol is the standard ANSI/IEEE shape your inspector and your apprentice already recognize. Export to SVG, DXF, JSON, or print directly to PDF.

Who it is for: Residential electricians who want a permit-ready electrical sketch without paying a drafter, and who need to make changes mid-walkthrough without restarting from scratch.

From the Pro user guide: a job that used to take 30 minutes of walking and sketching comes together in a fraction of that time, from the truck seat to the customer inbox.

Generate from a saved estimateBuilder

Pick a saved estimate from the dropdown and the Sketch Generator places every room, every device, and every circuit on the canvas in seconds. Nothing to draft.

Generate from JSON, CSV, or text-PDF uploadBuilder

Drop in a JSON file from the estimator, a CSV with line items, or a text-based PDF (a competitor's quote, a takeoff sheet) and the tool parses it into rooms and devices. Important: the PDF parser reads text, not images. It does not work on scanned drawings or blueprints.

Plan Import from photo or PDF (Claude Sonnet 4.6 vision)Builder

Snap a phone photo of a hand-drawn or printed floor plan, or upload a vector PDF, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 vision reads the image in four narrow passes (rooms, openings, fixtures, annotations) and proposes a complete sketch. Every imported room, wall, door, window, and electrical fixture lands in a review pane with a low-confidence orange chip and a quarantine flag set. Accept or reject each one, then click 'Apply accepted to canvas' to drop them into the live sketch. Schema validation runs after every Claude pass and a geometric watertightness validator catches floors that float in space, doors that miss their walls, fixtures outside their room , minor issues drop the per-room score by 0.1, major issues drop it by 0.3. Out of scope: stairs, MEP, HVAC, structural, multi-page PDFs.

Scale calibrationBuilder

Click two points on the canvas, type the real-world distance ('30 ft', '12'-6"', '6 in', or a fraction like '1/2'), and the entire sketch locks to that scale. Every device placement, every wire run length, and every printed dimension downstream of calibration carries the correct feet. The parser handles imperial typos like '30 '' or '30 ft 6 in' and rejects metric input cleanly in V1.

Background image referenceBuilder

Upload an architect's plan or a hand-drawn sketch as a translucent background image behind the canvas. Calibrate the scale once against a known dimension, then trace rooms and place devices over the top. The background is for reference only; it never appears in the print or export output.

Measured wire runsBuilder

Every auto-generated wire (switch leg, home run, 3-way traveler) is measured to the canvas in actual feet using the calibration set on the sketch. The total LF (linear feet) per circuit shows in the panel schedule sidebar and on the printed sheet. Edit a device position and the wire run length updates live.

Confidence system with quarantineBuilder

Every device on the canvas carries a confidence tier: high (placed by the engine from a saved estimate, renders normally), medium (placed from a room template, gets a blue halo and a circular 'i' badge), or low (placed by AI plan import, gets an orange halo, a triangular '!' badge, and a quarantine flag that blocks PDF exports until you Confirm). One click on the badge upgrades a low-confidence device to high. Colors are CVD-safe , blue and orange stay distinguishable for the common forms of color vision deficiency.

From scratch with 13 room templatesBuilder

Skip the estimate and build a sketch from blank. Pick from 13 room templates: Bedroom, Living, Kitchen, Bathroom, Garage, Dining, Office, Laundry, Hallway, Closet, Porch, Utility, or Empty. Each one starts pre-loaded with the typical device count for that room type.

Floor-plan auto-layoutBuilder

Devices land where they actually go on a residential plan. Outlets sit on the bottom wall, GFCI on the top wall, switches near the entry on the left wall, lights and smoke detectors on the ceiling. The result reads like a permit drawing, not a wireframe.

ANSI/IEEE black-and-white symbolsBuilder

Every device uses the standard symbol your inspector and your apprentice already recognize: outlets, GFCI, AFCI, lights, recessed cans, ceiling fans (with and without lights), switches (single-pole, 3-way, 4-way, dimmer), smoke and CO detectors, panels, disconnects, surge protectors, and a full set of dedicated-equipment symbols (range, dryer, dishwasher, disposal, microwave, washer, water heater, HVAC). Black ink on white background, like a real permit drawing.

Auto-generated wiringBuilder

Switch-to-fixture lines, home runs, and 3-way and 4-way traveler wires draw themselves. Each wire type sits on its own layer, so you can hide or restyle them later in CAD.

CAD canvas with pan, zoom, grid, and snapBuilder

Mouse-wheel zoom, click-drag pan, fit-to-view, 1-foot grid overlay, snap-to-grid for precise placement. The canvas grows to fit your job; rooms are never compressed to make them fit a fixed sheet.

Drag-and-drop symbol paletteBuilder

Sidebar palette grouped by Power, Lighting, Control, Safety, and Equipment. Drag any symbol onto any room. The room highlights to confirm the drop target.

Move, rotate, duplicate, delete devicesBuilder

Click to select. R rotates 90 degrees. D duplicates. Delete or Backspace removes. V switches back to the select tool.

Resize rooms and custom polygonsBuilder

Drag the edge of a room to resize. For non-rectangular rooms (an L-shaped great room, a bumped-out kitchen) draw a custom polygon and the walls follow whatever shape you give it.

Multi-page sheetsBuilder

Spread rooms across multiple sheets for big jobs. Assign each room to a page and the print and PDF outputs honor the page break.

Multi-floor supportBuilder

Name a room '2nd Bedroom' or 'Upstairs Bath' and the tool drops it on the second floor automatically. Single-story jobs stay on one floor with no extra setup.

Editable circuitsBuilder

Open the circuit table below the drawing and rename a circuit, change the breaker amperage or voltage, or move a device to a different circuit. The drawing and the panel schedule update as you edit. NEC minimums are enforced; you cannot drop a 240-volt circuit below a 2-pole breaker by accident.

Editable plan notesBuilder

A notes section in the sidebar for general-condition notes, AHJ-specific (Authority Having Jurisdiction) call-outs, or anything else that should print on the sheet. Click any note to edit in place. Click + to add a new line. Notes appear in both the editor and the print or PDF output.

Stats barBuilder

A live count at the top of the canvas: room count, breaker slots used, total circuits, and disconnect count. A quick sanity check while you work.

Auto-placed disconnectsBuilder

When the project includes an A/C condenser, water heater, or EV charger circuit, the matching disconnect appears next to the panel on the service row, sized and placed automatically.

Live panel-schedule sidebarBuilder

A panel schedule on the right side of the canvas that lists every circuit with its breaker type, amperage, and voltage. Edits in the circuit table show up here immediately.

Export SVGBuilder

Scalable vector file for opening in Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, or Bluebeam. Edit the layout in any vector tool while keeping every layer and label intact.

Print and PDF (landscape)Builder

A landscape print-ready view. Use your browser's Print dialog to save as PDF or send straight to a plotter.

Export DXFBuilder

Export your sketch to DXF for use in AutoCAD or LibreCAD. Walls, devices, wires, text labels, and a title block all come through on named layers (WALLS, DEVICES, TEXT, WIRES_HOMERUN, WIRES_SWITCH_LEG, and so on).

Export JSONBuilder

A full project export including every override on every device and circuit. Re-importable, so you can move work between machines or back up before a major change.

Keyboard shortcutsBuilder

V (select), H (pan), G (toggle grid), S (toggle snap), R (rotate), D (duplicate), Delete (remove), 0 (fit to view), + or - (zoom), Esc (clear selection). Scroll wheel zooms at the cursor; middle-click drag pans.

Volt AI Assistant in sketchBuilder

Same Volt assistant from the estimator, in the sketch tool. Ask about a circuit, a symbol, an NEC requirement, or anything else; the answer references whatever you have selected on the canvas.

Permit Package

Pro

A wizard that produces a permit-ready PDF for residential panel upgrades, rewires, and new builds. The package includes a cover sheet, the NEC 220.82 Optional Method dwelling load calculation, a panel schedule, a compliance notes page, and signature lines. Every NEC calculation is shown step-by-step and references the section it came from. The form auto-fills from any saved estimate, so you do not retype the project address, square footage, customer name, or circuits.

Who it is for: Residential electrical contractors who file their own permits, especially in the Tampa area, and want the load calc, conductor sizing, and inspector-facing notes generated in a few minutes instead of an afternoon.

From the Pro user guide: every calculation in the permit package PDF shows its inputs, the NEC section it came from, and the final number side by side. No black boxes. If an inspector questions anything, you can point to the exact code section on the page.

Seven-step wizardPro

Import-or-fresh, Project Info, Contractor Info, Service Details, Load Calc, Circuits, Review. Every step has a Back button, so you can change a number without losing the rest of your data.

Import from estimatePro

Pick any saved estimate and the wizard pre-fills the project address, customer name, square footage, stories, job type, and the full circuit list from your room calculations. You can still edit any pre-filled field on the next steps.

Tampa Accela-specific fieldsPro

When the project city is Tampa, the form shows the exact subtype dropdown the Accela Citizen Access portal expects: Disconnect/HVAC, Re-wire, Fixtures and Devices, Panel/Meter Can/Riser, Photovoltaic Systems, or Safety Check. There are also fields for the TECO (Tampa Electric Company) Layout Number, violation affiliation with a CMP number, and owner-builder status.

Saved contractor infoPro

Your company name, license number, qualifier, phone, email, and address are saved on your account and pre-fill on every new permit package. Enter them once.

NEC 220.82 dwelling load calculationPro

The Optional Method calculation, broken into the four sections the code defines. Section A: general lighting (3 VA per sqft), small-appliance circuits (2 at 1,500 VA), and laundry (1 at 1,500 VA). Section B: fixed appliances at nameplate. Section C: cooling and heating, larger of the two. Section D: EV chargers at 100 percent. The first 10,000 VA at 100 percent, the remainder at 40 percent. Every line shows its inputs and its NEC reference.

Conductor sizing in the packagePro

The PDF includes a service sizing table with copper and aluminum side by side: service entrance conductor, neutral conductor, supply-side bonding jumper, and raceway size. Wire sizes come from NEC Table 310.16 (75-degree column). Bonding jumpers come from NEC Table 250.102(C)(1). Raceways are sized for 40 percent fill with a 2-inch minimum.

Neutral demand calculationPro

NEC 220.61 reduction is applied: first 3,000 VA of general lighting at 100 percent, remainder at 35 percent; 240-volt appliances at 70 percent of their connected load. The resulting neutral conductor size shows on the package.

Four-page permit PDFPro

Page 1 is the cover sheet (project, contractor, and service info). Page 2 is the NEC 220.82 calc breakdown with every section spelled out. Page 3 is the panel schedule. Page 4 is the compliance notes and signature lines. Letter size, portrait, ready to upload.

Compliance notes pagePro

A page of pre-written notes that cite the codes the job satisfies: NEC 210.12 for AFCI in living areas, NEC 210.8 for GFCI in wet locations, NEC 406.9 for in-use weatherproof covers on outdoor receptacles, and Florida R314 for smoke alarm interconnect. Designed to answer the inspector's questions before they are asked.

Signature linesPro

Three signature blocks on the final page: contractor signature, date, and license number. Sign before you submit.

Editable circuit schedulePro

Add, remove, or edit any circuit row. Each row has circuit number, description, breaker amps, voltage, wire gauge, breaker type, and pole count. 240-volt circuits auto-set to 2 poles.

Edit and regeneratePro

Change any input on any earlier step and click Generate again. The PDF rebuilds in seconds. The package is regenerated from scratch, not patched, so every version is internally consistent and code-compliant.

Auto Submit

Soon

One-click submission of your permit package to your county's permit portal. Pro users will be able to file directly from the Permit Package wizard without leaving the tool. Until it ships, the manual upload to your county portal takes about a minute. Tampa is first in line.

Who it is for: Pro and Commercial subscribers who file permits regularly and want to skip the portal step.

One-click portal submissionSoon

Submit a generated permit package straight to your county's permit portal from the wizard. In development. No date yet. Tampa (Accela Citizen Access) is the first integration target.

Commercial Estimator

Commercial

A five-step wizard that builds a complete commercial electrical bid in the same format big shops produce in Accubid. You enter project info, work the scope checklist, do an itemized division takeoff with NECA labor units, set your coefficients (sales tax, direct job expense, tools, non-productive labor, overhead, profit), and review the bid. The output is a one-page customer cover sheet plus a four-to-five-page Accubid-style internal bid summary. The math is calibrated against a real contractor's historical bid corpus and round-trips that corpus to within $0.01 and 0.01 percent.

Who it is for: Commercial electrical estimators bidding warehouses, retail, offices, tenant improvements, multifamily, schools, and industrial work in the $33K to $748K range, who want the rigor of Accubid without the seat license.

Start with the one-click sample project (Caterpillar RC Office Building, $748K, 17,300 sqft) to walk through the wizard end to end before you bid your first real job.

Five-step wizardCommercial

Project Info, Scope Checklist, Division Takeoff, Coefficients, Review. Each step writes to a single bid object, so you can go back at any time and change a number without losing the rest.

Drawing Takeoff from PDF (Claude Sonnet 4.6 vision)Commercial

Upload a multi-page commercial drawing set (up to 60 pages in V1, drag-drop or browse) and Claude Sonnet 4.6 vision reads every page in narrow passes scoped to the sheet type: legend, floor plan, single-line / one-line, and panel schedule. Receptacles, switches, light fixtures, junction boxes, panels, fire alarm devices, home runs, and horizontal conduit lengths all flow into a review grid. Each row carries a CSI MasterFormat Division 26 code, a 0-1 confidence chip, the source page number, and a bounding box hint for review. Single-line diagrams are NEVER measured for length , they return equipment counts only , and vertical risers are NEVER hallucinated. A 'Approximate cost: $0.015-$0.06 per page' banner sets expectations before extraction starts.

Multi-page PDF preprocessing with vector text hintsCommercial

Every page is rendered to 200 DPI then resized to 2000 px on the longest edge, with the resulting image kept under 5 MB so Claude can process it without downsampling away the small subscripts. In parallel, pdfjs-dist extracts every machine-readable text span with its bounding box , that vector text rides under a <vector_text_hints> tag in the prompt so Claude does not waste tokens trying to OCR a tiny S3 subscript that pdfjs-dist already read for free. A heuristic sheet-type classifier reads the same vector text and seeds the pass plan.

Cumulative legend cache across pagesCommercial

Symbols defined in the legend on page 1 (S, S3, GFCI, WP, FACP, etc.) ride along into every downstream page's prompt under a <legend_context> tag. Later pages inherit the meanings learned earlier so the same symbol on page 14 is classified the same way it was on page 1. Duplicates are deduped on merge.

Review grid with keyboard shortcutsCommercial

Every extracted line item lands in a virtualized data grid (one row per proposal) with CSI code, category, type, quantity, unit, description, source page, confidence chip, and Accept / Reject buttons. Click a row to select it, then press Space to accept and advance, or Backspace to reject and advance. Filter chips above the grid scope the view by CSI code, category, or source page. Hundreds of rows process in minutes instead of hours of manual review.

Bulk actions: Accept, Reject, Confirm, Add riserCommercial

A toolbar at the top of the review grid runs four bulk operations: Accept all rows currently in view (filter-aware), Reject N selected rows, Confirm N selected rows (clears the AI quarantine flag so PDF exports unblock), and 'Add N feet of vertical riser to selected home-runs' (the spec-recommended fix for the 2D-flat-plan-vs-3D-real-conduit problem). The riser footage is added to the LF total for every accepted home-run row in one click.

Deterministic post-validatorCommercial

After every Claude pass, the merged draft runs through a deterministic validator that catches semantic errors the schema cannot: unknown CSI codes, non-positive quantities, receptacles tagged 'LF' or home runs tagged 'EA', confidence outside [0, 1], single-line passes that emitted a home_run (which they should never do), and the big one , 'panel_count_mismatch': if the same panel name shows up in both a floor-plan page and a single-line page with counts more than 10% apart, the validator flags it before the takeoff makes it into a bid. Each issue subtracts from the per-page score (1.0 minus 0.1/minor, 0.3/major).

CSI to NECA mapping on applyCommercial

Accepted line items carry industry-standard CSI MasterFormat Division 26 codes (26 27 26 wiring devices, 26 05 33 raceway, 26 24 16 panelboards, 26 51 00 lighting, etc.). On 'Apply accepted to takeoff', each CSI code is translated to the matching NECA division the engine already uses (09 Trim, 04 Above Ground Branch Raceway, 07 Switchgear, 08 Lighting, 12 Special Systems, 18 Misc), preserving the calibrated bid math. Existing manually-entered line items are never overwritten.

Quarantine + export gateCommercial

Every AI-imported line item carries an 'aiImported' flag and a 'quarantined' flag. The cover sheet and bid summary PDF exports refuse to run while any quarantined item is on the takeoff. A refusal modal shows the count of items pending review, with 'Open Review' (jumps back to the Division Takeoff step) and an 'Export anyway' checkbox that, when toggled, lets the export proceed with a low-confidence-items footer note. A 'Confirm all AI items' banner on the Review screen clears quarantine in one click after a final visual check.

Cancel and resumeCommercial

Cancel an in-flight extraction mid-batch and the orchestrator cleanly aborts every pending Claude call. Partially-extracted pages come back with a 'PARTIAL' badge on the review header and the existing takeoff is never touched. Close the tab during review and the staging state persists in local storage , open the wizard again and the review grid is exactly where you left it.

Nine building typesCommercial

Pick the closest match for your job: warehouse or shell, small standalone office, retail with showroom, corporate office with generator, tenant improvement, multifamily, school or healthcare, industrial, or other. The choice drives the suggested coefficients on the next steps.

NECA-style itemized takeoffCommercial

Enter line items per division with quantity, unit price, and NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association) labor units in hours per unit. Same way Accubid users build a bid, in the browser instead of a desktop seat.

Quoted-lump divisionsCommercial

For divisions where a supplier already gave you a quote (light fixtures, switchgear, fire alarm), enter the quote as a single dollar amount instead of itemizing. Quoted lumps are excluded from the per-division factor adjustment.

Scope checklistCommercial

For every line of work on a typical commercial bid, mark YES (in scope), NO (excluded), or N/A (does not apply). Pre-filled with the defaults from real commercial bids; flip whatever is different on your job. The checklist prints on the cover sheet you hand the customer, so the GC and the inspector see the same scope you did.

Labor mix presetsCommercial

Three one-click presets for crew composition: all-journeyman (small or simple jobs), 50/50 journeyman + helper (mid-size jobs), or 35/33/32 journeyman + helper + Journeyman 2 (big-project blend). Or set the percentages manually.

Labor rate cardCommercial

Set base rate plus burden in dollars per hour for each role: journeyman, helper, and journeyman 2. The total burden percent shows on the cover sheet.

Coefficients with historical-reference tooltipsCommercial

Sales tax percent; direct job expense (DJE) percent and basis (material plus direct labor, or material only); tools and miscellaneous percent; non-productive labor percent; overhead method (percent of prime cost or dollars per labor hour); and profit percent. Each field has a tooltip showing what the same coefficient was on real commercial bids in the calibration corpus, so you have a sanity check while you set them.

Subcontract line itemsCommercial

Add any number of subcontract lines (drilling pole bases, standing light poles, anything subbed out) directly to the bid. Each one shows on the cover sheet.

Closest-historical-project sidebarCommercial

As you build the bid, a sidebar shows the closest matching project from the calibration corpus by square footage and building type. You see its bid total, dollars per square foot, and the delta against your current bid in real time. A reality check while you work.

Calibrated against $33K to $748K bidsCommercial

The bid math is decoded from a real electrical contractor's historical bid corpus and round-trips that corpus to within $0.01 and 0.01 percent. The math is not an approximation; it matches actual jobs that were bid, won, and built.

Bid roundingCommercial

Optional: round the final bid price to the nearest $50 or $250. The unrounded number stays available for your records.

Two-PDF outputCommercial

A one-page customer cover sheet for the GC or owner, plus a four-to-five-page Accubid-style bid summary for your records. The summary shows divisions, labor, coefficients, and the math behind the final number.

Sample-project seedCommercial

A one-click 'load sample' button pre-fills the wizard with a real $748K project (Caterpillar RC Office Building, 17,300 sqft) so you can walk through the entire wizard end to end before you bid your first real job.

Volt AI Assistant in commercialCommercial

Same Volt assistant from the estimator and sketch tool, in the commercial estimator. Ask about a coefficient, a division, or anything else; the answer references the live bid state.

Comparison table

Every feature on this page, mapped to the tier that includes it. Higher tiers include everything from the lower tiers. For pricing on each tier, see the Pricing page.

FeatureBuilderProCommercial
Estimator: Four-step estimate wizard
Estimator: Room-by-room device defaults
Estimator: Automatic AFCI and GFCI breaker selection
Estimator: Per-circuit breaker override
Estimator: Wire sizing per dedicated circuit
Estimator: Equipment disconnects added automatically
Estimator: Smoke and CO interconnect cable
Estimator: Specialty add-ons
Estimator: Job complexity multiplier
Estimator: Labor efficiency curve
Estimator: Wire run scaling by house size
Estimator: Material waste markup for hard access
Estimator: Custom labor rate
Estimator: Material tax and markup
Estimator: Pricing profiles
Estimator: Inline editing of every line
Estimator: Add custom line items
Estimator: Reset overrides
Estimator: Aggregated bill of materials
Estimator: NEC v1 review panel
Estimator: QuickBooks CSV export
Estimator: Circuit and panel-slot validation
Estimator: Customer PDF export
Estimator: Internal cost sheet PDF
Estimator: Unlimited estimates
Estimator: Save as template
Estimator: Zero out breakers
Estimator: Recalculate
Estimator: Export JSON
Estimator: CSV price import from your supply house
Estimator: Inline feedback rating
Estimator: Volt AI Assistant
Estimator: Volt agent: chat to edit your estimate
Sketch Generator: Generate from a saved estimate
Sketch Generator: Generate from JSON, CSV, or text-PDF upload
Sketch Generator: Plan Import from photo or PDF (Claude Sonnet 4.6 vision)
Sketch Generator: Scale calibration
Sketch Generator: Background image reference
Sketch Generator: Measured wire runs
Sketch Generator: Confidence system with quarantine
Sketch Generator: From scratch with 13 room templates
Sketch Generator: Floor-plan auto-layout
Sketch Generator: ANSI/IEEE black-and-white symbols
Sketch Generator: Auto-generated wiring
Sketch Generator: CAD canvas with pan, zoom, grid, and snap
Sketch Generator: Drag-and-drop symbol palette
Sketch Generator: Move, rotate, duplicate, delete devices
Sketch Generator: Resize rooms and custom polygons
Sketch Generator: Multi-page sheets
Sketch Generator: Multi-floor support
Sketch Generator: Editable circuits
Sketch Generator: Editable plan notes
Sketch Generator: Stats bar
Sketch Generator: Auto-placed disconnects
Sketch Generator: Live panel-schedule sidebar
Sketch Generator: Export SVG
Sketch Generator: Print and PDF (landscape)
Sketch Generator: Export DXF
Sketch Generator: Export JSON
Sketch Generator: Keyboard shortcuts
Sketch Generator: Volt AI Assistant in sketch
Permit Package: Seven-step wizard·
Permit Package: Import from estimate·
Permit Package: Tampa Accela-specific fields·
Permit Package: Saved contractor info·
Permit Package: NEC 220.82 dwelling load calculation·
Permit Package: Conductor sizing in the package·
Permit Package: Neutral demand calculation·
Permit Package: Four-page permit PDF·
Permit Package: Compliance notes page·
Permit Package: Signature lines·
Permit Package: Editable circuit schedule·
Permit Package: Edit and regenerate·
Auto Submit: One-click portal submissionSoonSoonSoon
Commercial Estimator: Five-step wizard··
Commercial Estimator: Drawing Takeoff from PDF (Claude Sonnet 4.6 vision)··
Commercial Estimator: Multi-page PDF preprocessing with vector text hints··
Commercial Estimator: Cumulative legend cache across pages··
Commercial Estimator: Review grid with keyboard shortcuts··
Commercial Estimator: Bulk actions: Accept, Reject, Confirm, Add riser··
Commercial Estimator: Deterministic post-validator··
Commercial Estimator: CSI to NECA mapping on apply··
Commercial Estimator: Quarantine + export gate··
Commercial Estimator: Cancel and resume··
Commercial Estimator: Nine building types··
Commercial Estimator: NECA-style itemized takeoff··
Commercial Estimator: Quoted-lump divisions··
Commercial Estimator: Scope checklist··
Commercial Estimator: Labor mix presets··
Commercial Estimator: Labor rate card··
Commercial Estimator: Coefficients with historical-reference tooltips··
Commercial Estimator: Subcontract line items··
Commercial Estimator: Closest-historical-project sidebar··
Commercial Estimator: Calibrated against $33K to $748K bids··
Commercial Estimator: Bid rounding··
Commercial Estimator: Two-PDF output··
Commercial Estimator: Sample-project seed··
Commercial Estimator: Volt AI Assistant in commercial··

A check means the feature is included in that tier. A dot means it is not. Soon in any column means the feature is in development and not yet ready.

Last updated

May 25, 2026

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