AREI check for your single-line diagram, while you draw
Volter holds your installation against the rules of Book 1 of the AREI that a diagram can show. Every finding names the article, so you can look the rule up yourself. It is a tool to catch mistakes early, not a guarantee that the installation complies.
How the check works
Volter checks while you draw. The bottom of the screen shows the number of errors and warnings. The Validation panel lists them all, with a filter for errors, warnings and info, and a search field.
Click a finding and Volter selects the devices or the circuit it concerns. Every finding carries its reference, such as AREI Book 1, 5.3.5.2.
Which rules Volter checks
A selection of what the check covers, with the article from Book 1 in brackets.
Circuits and wiring
- The cross-section against the breaker (4.4.1.4): 1.5 mm² up to 16 A, 2.5 mm² up to 20 A, 4 mm² up to 25 A and 6 mm² up to 40 A.
- Socket outlets on at least 2.5 mm², and nothing thinner than 1.5 mm² outside the board (5.2.1.2).
- Enough cores for a protective conductor (5.4.3.6).
- At most eight socket outlets or equivalent fixed appliances per circuit (5.3.5.2).
- At least two lighting circuits in a home with more than two rooms (5.3.5.2).
Residual current devices
- A main RCD of at most 300 mA (4.2.4.3) and at least 40 A (5.3.5.3).
- 30 mA for circuits with lighting, socket outlets, a washing machine, dryer or dishwasher, and for every circuit to a room with a bath or shower (4.2.4.3).
- At most eight circuits behind one 30 mA RCD (4.2.4.3).
- At least type A, not type AC (5.3.5.3).
Dedicated circuits
- Oven, hob, washing machine, dryer and dishwasher each on a circuit of their own, as well as fixed heating (5.2.1.2).
- An EV charging station on a circuit of its own (7.22.3), with its own RCD (7.22.4).
Rooms, solar panels and home automation
- Ordinary socket outlets in a damp room (5.3.2.2) and a distribution board in a room with a bath or shower (7.1.4.3).
- Solar panels without peak wattage and an inverter without maximum power, because the inspection report asks for them (7.112.4), and inverters totalling more than 10 kVA (7.112.1).
- A home automation module without a power supply or without overcurrent protection, and a push button or detector on an output with no load.
Completeness
- Devices that are not on any circuit, and rooms without a light point.
- Devices that are on the single-line diagram but not yet on the floor plan (3.1.2.3).
A finding looks like this: Circuit "Kitchen": 1.5mm² wire supports max 16A, breaker is 20A. Click it and Volter selects the circuit. Change the breaker or the cross-section in the distribution board, and the finding disappears.
What the check does not see
The check works with what is on the diagram. What an inspector establishes on site, such as insulation resistance, earth resistance, whether the RCDs trip and the condition of the equipment, is outside it. Even a diagram without findings is something you hold against the installation yourself.
When the AREI changes, we update the rules and you get them with an update. What changed is listed in the changelog.
Questions from installers
Is a diagram without findings approved?
No. No findings means Volter found nothing against the rules it checks. The inspection happens on site by an accredited body, with measurements that are on no diagram. Checking that the installation complies remains the installer's job.
Does the check also work for an existing installation?
Yes. You draw the installation as it is, and the check immediately shows where it deviates from the current rules. Useful to see what needs doing before a re-inspection.
What is the difference between Bath or shower and Damp room?
Bath or shower is a room with a bath or shower, including a bedroom with an open shower, but not a separate toilet. Every circuit to that room must sit behind 30 mA. A damp room is for example a basement, garage, laundry room or covered terrace, and it needs splash-proof socket outlets.
Which part of the AREI does the check follow?
Book 1, on low-voltage and extra-low-voltage installations. Every finding shows the article, so you can read the rule yourself.
Read on
- Drawing a single-line diagramStep by step: set up the distribution board, assign devices to circuits, check the diagram and export it.
- Single-line diagram from your floor planWhy Volter derives the single-line diagram from the floor plan, and what that saves you compared with two separate drawings.
- Drawing a floor planSet up or import the floor plan, place symbols, assign circuits and work across several storeys.
See the check at work
Open the demo home and the Validation panel. Put a socket outlet on a circuit with 1.5 mm² and see which finding appears. No account needed, and nothing you change is saved.
The demo home opens in your browser, no account needed.