Avenler

Electrical drawing symbols and notation

In a building electrical installation plan, a graphical symbol stands for a device: a switch, a socket-outlet, a luminaire or a distribution board. The overview below shows the symbols available in Avenler by group, searchable – from the same symbol set the program uses to draw the plan and the legend.

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How to read electrical drawing symbols

An electrical drawing symbol stands for a device in the plan: a switch, a socket-outlet, a luminaire, a sensor or a distribution board. On the floor plan, the position of the symbol is the position of the device, and the label next to it tells you which circuit it belongs to (F3/2 is the 2nd device of circuit F3; without a circuit, D7 is the prefix and the sequence number). A wall-mounted symbol sits against the wall and faces into the room; ceiling-mounted and free-standing symbols can be placed anywhere.

On cables the program draws diagonal marks showing the number of cores, with a label for the type and the cross-sectional area next to them. The legend is automatic: it lists only the symbols and linetypes actually used, and it appears on printouts and in the drawing set too.

Symbols in Avenler by group

All built-in symbols are arranged in eight groups: switches, socket-outlets, lighting, distribution, low-current systems, sensors, fixed connections and energy. The search also finds matches without accents, and the drop-down lets you see how the same symbol looks in another country's symbol set.

57 symbols in 8 groups

Switches

  • One-way switch (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Double-pole switch (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Two-circuit switch (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Two-way switch (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Intermediate switch (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Push-button (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)

Socket-outlets

  • Socket-outlet (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Double socket-outlet (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Protected socket-outlet (IP44) (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Three-phase socket-outlet (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)

Lighting

  • Ceiling light (ceiling-mounted)
  • Wall light (wall-mounted, default: 2 m)
  • Linear (fluorescent) luminaire (ceiling-mounted)
  • Recessed light (ceiling-mounted)
  • Emergency light (ceiling-mounted)

Distribution

  • Distribution board (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Main earthing terminal (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Junction box (wall-mounted, default: 2.3 m)
  • Lightning down conductor (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Earth electrode (free-standing)

Low-current systems

  • Bell (wall-mounted, default: 2 m)
  • Telephone (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • TV outlet (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Data outlet (RJ45) (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Door intercom (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Camera (wall-mounted, default: 2.5 m)
  • Alarm keypad (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Alarm siren (wall-mounted, default: 2.5 m)
  • Wi-Fi access point (ceiling-mounted)
  • Network cabinet (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Loudspeaker (ceiling-mounted)
  • Satellite TV outlet (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)

Sensors

  • Motion detector (ceiling-mounted)
  • Smoke and heat detector (ceiling-mounted)
  • Alarm motion detector (PIR) (ceiling-mounted)
  • Door/window contact (wall-mounted, default: 2.1 m)
  • Thermostat (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Water leak detector (free-standing)
  • CO detector (ceiling-mounted)

Fixed connections

  • Cooker (wall-mounted, default: 0.3 m)
  • Water heater (wall-mounted, default: 1.8 m)
  • Air conditioner (wall-mounted, default: 2.2 m)
  • Boiler (heating) (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Gate opener (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Other fixed connection (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Oven (free-standing)
  • Hob (free-standing)
  • Cooker hood (free-standing)
  • Dishwasher (free-standing)
  • Shutter motor (wall-mounted, default: 2.2 m)
  • Fan (ceiling-mounted)
  • Underfloor heating (free-standing)

Energy

  • PV panel (ceiling-mounted)
  • PV inverter (wall-mounted, default: 1.5 m)
  • Battery storage (free-standing)
  • EV charger (wall-mounted, default: 1.2 m)
  • Heat pump (free-standing)

Today the Hungarian (IEC), the German–Austrian and the British symbol sets have their own drawings; the other countries' sets show the base drawing for now.

Symbol set by country

The project's symbol set can be selected in the top bar: Hungary is the default, plus Austria, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The choice applies to the drawing, printing, the legend, the quotation and the DXF export as well. Genuinely different drawings currently exist for the Hungarian (IEC), the German and Austrian, and the British families; the other countries show the base drawing for now.

Custom symbols

If a symbol is not in the set, you can add a custom symbol: you enter its name, group, mounting type and default catalogue code, and upload its drawing as an SVG file. The program takes over simple elements (line, polygon, rectangle, circle, text, simple path); if the file contains more, it warns you what it left out or changed. A custom symbol works on the drawing, in the take-off, in printing and in DXF.

Where the symbols come from, and responsibility

The symbols are simplified symbols following the graphical symbols of MSZ EN 60617 (IEC 60617), adapted to Hungarian building installation practice. They do not replace the text of the official standard, so it is worth having an electrical designer review the set before use. Mounting heights are the program's defaults: they can be changed per device on the drawing and do not replace the designer's responsibility.

Related pages

In detail in the tutorial

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