FAQ

Is this an electrical certification?

No. PowerSense is a planning aid: it compares your list with guideline values. The real installation is designed, built and inspected by a qualified electrician. That sentence is in the tool, on the printout and on every page of this guide on purpose.

What does PowerSense not check?

Everything that depends on the real installation and on measurements: earthing and bonding (generators included), loop impedance and disconnection time — whether a fault trips the breaker fast enough — RCDs, how the cables are actually laid, the condition of connectors and sockets, and anything measured on site. It warns about neutral current from LED and switch-mode loads but does not size the neutral. The printout lists these in a "not checked" box.

Which rules does the installation follow?

The rules where you work, applied by the electrician — in Germany for example DIN VDE 0100-711, DIN 15767 and DGUV Vorschrift 3; in the UK BS 7909 with BS 7671; in the US the NEC (Articles 520, 525 and 590) and the local inspector. PowerSense borrows some guideline values from tables like these, but it does not check your installation against any of them.

Is PowerSense free?

Yes, with a free Squaresmile account. It works on a phone as well as a tablet or laptop.

Which regions are there?

Europe uses 230/400 V, mm² and metres; UK 230/400 V; North America 120/208 V, AWG and feet; Japan 100 V single-phase and 200 V three-phase. The feed presets change with the region — Schuko and CEE 16–125 A in Europe; 13 A plugs (BS 1363), blue 16/32 A and red 16–125 A CEE in the UK; Edison 15/20 A and 30/60/100 A three-phase in North America; 100 V 15/20/30 A and 200 V three-phase in Japan. In North America mode, more than 80 % of a breaker is flagged, because the NEC does not allow that for continuous loads. A Schuko socket or a 13 A plug turns amber above about 10 A, because neither is meant for full current for hours. UK mode uses the same cable guideline values as Europe; Japan mode uses guideline values for 2PNCT rubber cabtyre cable, and reminds you that east Japan runs on 50 Hz and west Japan on 60 Hz. Changing the region asks first.

Does it handle three-phase devices?

Yes. Mark a device 3-ph and its load lands on L1, L2 and L3. A device in W or VA is split evenly; an amp-plated three-phase device (a hoist plated 16 A, say) loads every phase with that current. Earlier versions (before August 2026) split plated amps three ways and under-read the draw.

What does auto-balance actually do?

Devices set to auto are placed largest-first on the phase that is currently lightest. A row with several units is split across the phases, and the row shows where its units landed. Pin auto phases freezes that placement so the printed plan stays valid.

What about generators?

Choose a Generator feed, or mark a custom feed as a generator. The list is compared with the kVA rating and with the kW the engine can deliver at your power factor. It turns amber from 70 % continuous load and red from 90 %. Avoid running a diesel near-empty for long, too — around 30 % is a common floor.

Why does it warn about LED fixtures?

LED fixtures and switch-mode supplies produce third harmonics that add up in the neutral instead of cancelling, so the neutral can carry as much as a phase. Mark such a list mostly LED / switch-mode and PowerSense warns and rates the cable lower. See Check cable runs.

Which power factor should I use?

0.95 (typical rig) for a mixed audio and lighting rig. 1.00 for purely resistive loads. 0.80 for motor-heavy or worst-case planning. The safety margin is a separate setting for inrush and peaks.

Are the cable ratings the ones in my country's standard?

Not exactly. They are guideline values for flexible rubber cable (H07RN-F / SOOW) in free air; in North America mode they follow NEC Table 400.5(A)(1) (3-phase runs use the three-conductor column). Tell the run whether it is on a drum, bundled or in the heat and the rating is derated — but how the cable is really laid is for the electrician to judge.

Can I type 2,5 or 1.500?

Yes. A decimal comma works, and 1.500 W typed the German way stays 1500 W.

Can I save my gear?

Yes. Press ☆ on a row and it lands in My gear for one-tap adding, with its unit and phase mode. Gear and lists sync with your account across devices. See Account sync.

Which languages does it speak?

All eleven platform languages, chosen from the platform language picker. This guide is in English and German. Device preset names stay in English; you can rename them in the row.

Can I share the plan with the venue?

Yes — Export CSV or print the draft for the electrician. The printout lists which device plugs into which phase, the cable runs, your assumptions, what is not checked and a blank sign-off box. See Hand the plan to the venue.