At recent demonstrations of PowerCalc(tm), electricals have discussed concerns, projects, and the changing needs of their clients.

What's going on? (i) the world has speeded up, (ii) the client expects fast response with increasingly quick turns on engineering designs, including electrical designs, and (iii) these changes are combined with increasingly complex buildings such as hospitals (pictured), data centers, and manufacturing facilities all with sophisticated equipment. Theonly way to meet these challenges is through automation of the design process. 

In this 1st of 3 articles, we are going to start the discussion:  how PowerCalc meets and exceeds the challenges of today's technical world. Through five (5) unique functions,PowerCalc not only automates the electrical design process, but materially slashes design time. 

1.  Automated calculations instead of manual ones. Put your calculator and those Excel spreadsheets away. As patented, with just 3 inputs per circuit (load kVA, load type and number of poles), PowerCalc produces over 300 NEC compliant outputs. No need to keep doing lots of different calculations. No need to use the NEC lookup tables. Once these values are input, then at the same time and using these same inputs, all calculations across the design are performed in a single calculation.  This is a one time only process...automation is now set up for the life of the design project in your office and afterwards...it is forever bundled (see #3).

2. Equipment Schedules track all the characteristics and electrical requirements for all equipment, even the most sophisticated. All in one place with inputs again populating the entire design. 

3. One integrated system and bundled calculation. This is the real secret: everything in PowerCalc is connected so the result is one integrated system with instantaneous updates for changes. Any input or change in one place and the entire design changes automatically. 

4. As part of the bundled calculation and like magic, the 1 Line Diagram is automatically and simultaneously generated. Gone are the continuous changes to this required graphic and laborious task at the end of the project's design. Plus, the user has a visual reference throughout each step of the design process.

5. Finally, there is cloning of multiple floors or buildings.  Design one floor and you've designed them all. This really speeds up the design of high rise buildings, multiples of the same building such as greenhouses, etc...any facility with multiples.

Couple all of these factors with impeccable accuracy that results in fewer lawsuits, change orders, and building department comments, to save at least 40% in design time. That puts the PowerCalc user way ahead of their competition and earns your business more revenue and client satisfaction. Today's client is not waiting around, but instead, like today's technical world, expects immediate results. 

In the next 2 articles we will discuss the specifics of these points. But, it is important to recognize (i) how the electrical design world has changed and (ii) what today's client expects and needs.