Electrical 路 Free
Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution
How a building or plant electrical system is designed on paper before anyone buys a cable: AC and DC fundamentals, star and delta, power factor, connected and demand load, diversity and demand factors, load estimation in Excel, reading drawings, power factor correction, panel boards and single-line diagrams, fuses and circuit breakers with trip curves, AF and AT and breaking capacity, cable construction, derating, sizing and voltage drop, conduits, fault level, earthing systems, UPS, transfer switches and lightning protection.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Electrical Fundamentals for Designers
Online Courses
Loads, Demand and Diversity
Online Courses
Load Estimation in Practice and Reading Drawings
Engr. Ahmed / Khadija Academy
Power Factor Correction
Engr. Ahmed / Khadija Academy
Panel Boards, Single-Line Diagrams and Fuses
Engr. Ahmed / Khadija Academy
Circuit Breakers: Curves, Ratings, Fault Level and Selection
Engr. Ahmed / Khadija Academy
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Estimate loads with demand and diversity factors, build a load schedule, correct power factor with capacitor banks, draw a panel single-line diagram, select fuses and breakers by frame, trip and breaking capacity, choose cable construction and size cables by current, derating and voltage drop, size conduits, and specify UPS, automatic transfer switches and lightning protection.
- Revise AC, DC, star, delta, power and power factor
- Estimate loads with demand, diversity and load factors and build a load schedule
- Size capacitor banks and draw panel single-line diagrams
- Select fuses and circuit breakers by curve, frame, trip and breaking capacity
- Specify and size cables with derating, voltage drop and conduits
- Estimate fault level and choose an earthing system that meets the loop impedance limit
- Size UPS and transfer switches and design lightning protection
For you
Taking Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$23.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 16 hours
LV distribution design for a 500 kVA garment factory: load list, breakers, cables, earthing and UPS
Design the low-voltage distribution of a four-floor knitting and garment factory in Kaduna, Nigeria, from the connected loads to the last sub-board: a load list with demand and diversity factors, a capacitor bank, the single line with the main LT panel and eleven sub-distribution boards, breakers chosen by frame, trip and breaking capacity with a discrimination check, cables sized for current, voltage drop and short-circuit withstand, the earthing system, the UPS and the DG transfer switch. You deliver your own load list, cable schedule and breaker report to the shape of the sample pack, which shows what a design consultant hands the contractor.
Sample document pack, 7 documents, filled in for the scenario
- PlanElectrical Design Basis: Kingsley Knit Wear, Kakuri Unit
- Load listElectrical Load List and Demand Calculation
- Single lineSingle Line Diagram and Panel Schedule: Main LT Panel and Sub-Distribution Boards
- Cable scheduleCable Schedule with Sizing Calculations
- ReportBreaker Selection, Discrimination, Earthing, UPS and Transfer Switch Report
- Drawing listDrawing and Document List: LV Distribution, Kakuri Unit
- DatasheetDatasheets: Transformer TR-1 and Main Incomer ACB Q-INC
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
10 modules 路 48 lessons 路 11h 53m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Electrical Fundamentals for Designers6 lessons34m
- 02Loads, Demand and Diversity6 lessons1h 29m
- 03Load Estimation in Practice and Reading Drawings4 lessons1h 23m
- 04Power Factor Correction2 lessons33m
- 05Panel Boards, Single-Line Diagrams and Fuses2 lessons57m
- 06Circuit Breakers: Curves, Ratings, Fault Level and Selection8 lessons2h 18m
- 07Cables: Construction and Classification6 lessons1h 1m
- 08Cable Sizing, Derating, Voltage Drop and Conduits6 lessons1h 45m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner to intermediate. Basic electrical knowledge helps; the fundamentals are revised in module 1.
- Software
- A spreadsheet (Excel or LibreOffice) for load schedules; no CAD needed. What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None required.
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
No CAD needed. A spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc) is enough for the load schedules.
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 01Free
LibreOffice
The Document Foundation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11, macOS 11 or newer (Intel or Apple silicon), Linux
- Account
- None needed
- Size
- up to 1.5 GB of disk space on Windows
LibreOffice is free, open-source software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, for any use including business. Calc is its spreadsheet.
Steps
- 1.Open the LibreOffice download page.
- 2.Check the page has picked your operating system, then select Download.
- 3.Run the installer (administrator rights are needed on Windows).
- 4.Start LibreOffice Calc for spreadsheet work.
- 5.Save as .xlsx if you need to share files with Excel users.
- Choose the latest main version unless your organisation asks for the older, more conservative release.
Official download pagelibreoffice.org
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution at a glance
Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in electrical design and panel building. It has 10 modules and 11h 53m of video lessons by Khadija Academy (Engr. Ahmed), Online Courses, Circuit Masterclass and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in electrical design and panel building
- Format
- 10 self-paced modules, 11h 53m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Basic electrical knowledge helps; the fundamentals are revised in module 1.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- A spreadsheet (Excel or LibreOffice) for load schedules; no CAD needed.
- Hardware
- None required.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Khadija Academy (Engr. Ahmed), Online Courses, Circuit Masterclass, Gaurav J - TheElectricalGuy, eFIXX (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
Electrical 路 FreeETAP Power System Analysis: Load Flow, Short Circuit, Protection, Arc Flash and StabilityThe power-system studies every substation, plant and data-centre project needs, done in ETAP: single-line modelling, load flow and the per-unit system, cable and transformer sizing, short circuit by IEC 60909 and ANSI, relay setting and coordination with Star view, differential, distance, busbar and motor protection, arc flash, capacitor placement and power factor, motor starting and re-acceleration, transient stability, harmonics and filters, and earthing grid design.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
PLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.More free courses: Free electrical design and control panel courses 路 Free power system and ETAP courses
Learning paths with this course
- Power systems and electrical design 路 3 coursesFrom the load schedule to the signed study: electrical design engineering for loads, cables and breakers, ETAP for load flow, short circuit, coordination and arc flash, and motor control for what the drawings feed.
- Building services engineer 路 4 coursesThe MEP consultant's toolkit: electrical design for the loads, Revit MEP for the BIM model, DIALux evo for the lighting and a BMS course for how the building is controlled once built.
Learner reviews
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Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Which standards are used?
IEC by default, with NEC and IEEE factors where the lectures reference them; the method is the same under national wiring rules.
Is this the same as the panel-building course?
No. This is the design that comes before the panel: loads, protection and cables. The panel course builds what this course specifies.
Do I need ETAP or AutoCAD?
No. A spreadsheet is enough; the ETAP and AutoCAD Electrical courses follow on from here.
Is the Electrical Design Engineering course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Electrical Design Engineering course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the Electrical Design Engineering course take?
Plan on about 17 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the ten modules at your own speed.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- Khadija Academythe complete guide to professional electrical system design
- Online Coursesthe electrical design course fundamentals
- Circuit Masterclassa lesson in "Circuit Breakers: Curves, Ratings, Fault Level and Selection"
- Gaurav J - TheElectricalGuya lesson in "Earthing, UPS, Transfer Switches and Lightning Protection"
- eFIXXa lesson in "Earthing, UPS, Transfer Switches and Lightning Protection"
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.