AI estimating for electrical contractors
Electrical estimating software that prices on your numbers
Electrical estimating software reads the lighting and power plans, counts devices and fixtures, measures conduit and wire runs, and prices each line on your own labor units and material costs. Ruh's electrical takeoff software does the AI takeoff from your drawings, then prices it against the labor rates and price book you already use, so the numbers match how your shop actually buys and installs. Every count, assembly, and feeder is laid out for an estimator to review and sign off before the bid goes out.
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Book a walkthroughThe electrical estimating problems this solves
Conduit and wire are two takeoffs that have to stay linked
A homerun is not one number. It is conduit lf, times the conductor count in that raceway, times the wire lf, and if the route or the device count changes, all three have to move together. Doing conduit and wire as separate manual passes is where pull counts drift out of sync and the wire quantity quietly stops matching the raceway.
Fixture counts on the plan rarely match the fixture schedule
You count type A, B, and C off the reflected ceiling plan, then the schedule lists a type F that was added in an addendum and never made it onto the sheet you took off. Reconciling the lighting plan against the fixture schedule by hand, fixture type by fixture type, is slow and easy to miss, and a dropped type can be a five-figure swing on a mid-size job.
Gear and feeders price off one-lines, not floor plans
Panelboards, switchgear, transformers, and the feeders between them live on the one-line diagram and the panel schedules, not the power plan. Estimators routinely take off branch work cleanly but under-scope the feeder lf and conductor sizing because that information sits on a different drawing set. Getting gear, feeder lengths, and conductor sizing pulled from the right sheets is its own discipline.
What a electrical takeoff counts and measures
| Item | Unit | How it is measured and priced |
|---|---|---|
| Receptacles, switches, and devices | ea | Counted off the power plan by type, then priced as an assembly: box plus ring plus device plus plate plus a conductor allowance, with a NECA-style labor unit per device |
| Lighting fixtures | ea | Counted by type off the reflected ceiling plan and reconciled against the fixture schedule; each type carries its own material cost and a labor unit by mounting method |
| Conduit (EMT, RMC, PVC) | lf | Measured by run and broken out by size and type; priced per lf with separate labor units, since RMC and PVC install very differently from EMT |
| Branch and feeder wire (THHN) | lf per conductor | Wire lf in a raceway times the conductor count; sized by THHN gauge and priced per conductor-lf so the wire quantity tracks the conduit it runs in |
| Homeruns | ea / lf | Linked assembly: conduit lf times conductor count times wire lf back to the panel, so the raceway, the pulls, and the wire footage stay in sync |
| Panelboards and switchgear | ea | Taken off the one-line and panel schedules by amperage and configuration; priced as gear line items, not derived from floor-plan device counts |
| Transformers | ea | Counted off the one-line by kVA rating; priced per unit with a labor unit for setting and connecting |
| Feeders | lf | Routed from the one-line and riser, measured in lf by conductor size, with conductor count per feeder driving the wire and termination labor |
| Junction and pull boxes | ea | Counted off the plans and added where long or complex runs require them; priced per box by size with a labor unit for mounting |
A worked electrical example
Take a small tenant-improvement branch scope. Devices: 24 duplex receptacles as a full assembly (box, ring, 20A device, plate, conductor stub) at $58/ea material = 24 x $58 = $1,392. Labor at 0.5 hr/ea x 24 = 12 hr, at $48/hr = $576. Branch raceway: 380 lf of 1/2 in EMT at $1.65/lf = $627. Branch wire runs three #12 THHN conductors on average through that raceway: 380 lf x 3 = 1,140 conductor-lf at $0.22/lf = $250.80. One homerun back to the panel: 90 lf of 3/4 in EMT at $2.40/lf = $216, carrying four #10 THHN conductors (2 hot, neutral, ground): 90 lf x 4 = 360 conductor-lf at $0.34/lf = $122.40. Material total = $1,392 + $627 + $250.80 + $216 + $122.40 = $2,608.20. Add the $576 device labor and the scope lands at $3,184.20 before gear, overhead, and markup. Illustrative US pricing.
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How Ruh runs your electrical estimates
Ruh's takeoff agent reads the power and lighting plans, the fixture schedule, the one-line, and the panel schedules together, so device counts, fixture types, conduit, wire, gear, and feeders all come off the right sheets in one pass. It builds the linked conduit-and-wire assemblies and homeruns for you, reconciles the fixture count against the schedule, and prices every line on your own labor units and material costs rather than a generic database. The estimator reviews the counts, the assembly logic, the fixture reconciliation, and the gear and feeder takeoff from the one-line, then adjusts unit costs, labor factors, and markup before signing off. The AI does the measuring and the math; the estimator owns the number that goes on the bid.
Electrical estimating software FAQs
How accurate is the AI takeoff on device and conduit counts?+
On clean drawings the device and fixture counts and the conduit runs come out close to a careful manual takeoff, and every count is shown on the plan so you can check it. It is built to give the estimator a reviewable starting point, not a black-box number, so you catch a misread symbol or a missed run before it reaches the bid.
Can it price on our own labor units and price book?+
Yes. The whole point is that it prices on your labor units (NECA-style or your own factors) and your material costs, not a generic catalog. You load your price book and labor rates once, and the takeoff extends against those, so the estimate reflects how your shop actually buys and installs.
Does it replace our existing estimating software?+
It does not have to. Ruh handles the takeoff and the priced extension, and the output is structured so you can keep using your existing estimating package, spreadsheets, or bid forms. Most shops run it alongside what they have and bring the reviewed quantities into their current workflow.
What stays the estimator's job?+
Judgment. Scope interpretation, plan-versus-schedule calls, productivity factors, site conditions, risk, and final markup all stay with the estimator. The AI does the counting, the conduit-and-wire linking, and the arithmetic; the estimator reviews it and owns the number that goes out the door.
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Figures on this page are illustrative. Construction estimates depend on project-specific conditions, source documents, market pricing, and professional judgment. Ruh's AI assists the estimator and does not replace professional review: your team reviews, validates, and approves every estimate, bid, and pricing decision.