Electrical
Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution
Estimate loads, size cables and breakers, correct power factor and draw single-line diagrams for a building or panel.
Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building. It has 11 modules and takes about 5 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 5 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A spreadsheet (Excel or LibreOffice) for load schedules; no CAD needed. Hardware: none required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Estimate loads with demand and diversity factors
- Build a load schedule and draw a single-line diagram
- Correct power factor with capacitor banks
- Select fuses and circuit breakers for a circuit
- Size cables for current, derating and voltage drop
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Basic electrical knowledge helps; the fundamentals are revised in module 1.
What you need
Software: A spreadsheet (Excel or LibreOffice) for load schedules; no CAD needed..
Hardware: None required.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
11 modules in order, at your own pace. 5 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Electrical Fundamentals for Designers7m
- 2Loads, Demand and Diversity32m
- 3Demand and Diversity Factors from IEEE, IEC and NEC48m
- 4Load Estimation in Practice and Reading Drawings1h 14m
- 5Power Factor Correction, with lab practice: 33m
- 6Panel Boards, Single-Line Diagrams and Fuses, with lab practice: 57m
- 7Circuit Breakers: Curves, Ratings, Fault Level and Selection, with lab practice: 2h 18m
- 8Cables: Construction and Classification1h 1m
Show the other 3 modules
- 9Cable Sizing, Derating, Voltage Drop and Conduits, with lab practice: 1h 45m
- 10Earthing, UPS, Transfer Switches and Lightning Protection1h 48m
- 11Final Assessment10m
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.
Show what to download (1 tool)
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.
Practise in the 3D lab
Read a single-line diagram, size a motor circuit, check breaker ratings against the fault level and correct power factor, the same sums a design file needs.
- Read the single-line diagramSubstation and MCC labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Read the single-line diagram
- Size a motor circuitSubstation and MCC labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Size a motor circuit
- Fault level and breaker checkSubstation and MCC labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Fault level and breaker check
- Correct the power factorSubstation and MCC labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Correct the power factor
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 16 hours
LV distribution design for a 500 kVA factory: load list, breakers, cables, earthing and standby power
Design the low-voltage distribution of a two-storey factory from the connected loads to the last sub-board. You produce a load list with demand and diversity factors, a capacitor bank, a single line with breakers and a fault level, a cable schedule sized three ways, earthing, a UPS, a generator and a transfer switch. Your documents follow the shape of the sample pack.
- 7documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 16 hof work, at your pace
- PlanElectrical Design Basis: Northfield Works
- 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, Standby Power and Lightning Report
- Drawing listDrawing and Document List: LV Distribution, Northfield Works
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Electrical Design
Eight short weeks of single-line diagrams, load schedules, cable sizing and protection: notes, diagrams, a few videos and self-checking design exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Electrical design engineer
- Panel designer
- Electrical technician
- Maintenance engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Khadija Academy (Engr. Ahmed), Circuit Masterclass, Gaurav J - TheElectricalGuy, eFIXX. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Khadija Academy · Circuit Masterclass · Gaurav J - TheElectricalGuy · eFIXX. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
What does an electrical design engineer do?
An electrical design engineer works out on paper how a building or plant will be powered: the loads, the distribution boards, the protective devices and the cables, before anything is bought or installed. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes electrical engineers as people who design, develop and test electrical equipment and systems, and reports their median annual wage as $120,630 in May 2025. This course follows that design sequence: load schedules, single-line diagrams, breaker selection, cable sizing, earthing and backup supplies.
Which standard covers the design of low-voltage electrical installations?
Outside North America, the main reference is the IEC 60364 series on low-voltage electrical installations. The IEC states that IEC 60364-1 defines the scope and objective of the series and specifies the fundamental safety requirements for an electrical installation; its sixth edition was published in September 2025. In the United States the equivalent is the National Electrical Code, which is why this course uses IEC by default and notes NEC and IEEE factors where the lectures use them.
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.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the Electrical Design Engineering course cover, module by module?
The Electrical Design Engineering course has 11 modules. It opens with "Electrical Fundamentals for Designers", goes through "Loads, Demand and Diversity", "Power Factor Correction", "Circuit Breakers: Curves, Ratings, Fault Level and Selection" and "Earthing, UPS, Transfer Switches and Lightning Protection" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Electrical Design Engineering course?
After the Electrical Design Engineering course: 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. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Electrical Design Engineering course, and does it cost anything?
For the Electrical Design Engineering course, software: A spreadsheet (Excel or LibreOffice) for load schedules; no CAD needed. Hardware: none required. The course itself is free.
Is the Electrical Design Engineering course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Electrical Design Engineering is rated beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Basic electrical knowledge helps; the fundamentals are revised in module 1. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building, and takes about 5 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Electrical Design Engineering course?
Skills from the Electrical Design Engineering course (for example: revise AC, DC, star, delta, power and power factor) are used in roles such as electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer, and in electrical engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.