Drawings in. Bid out. Same afternoon.
Upload a PDF drawing set. VOLTA's AI drafts the takeoff, you price it with your own labour rates, markups and tax — every number a slider — and send a client-ready quote.
Then $9.99 CAD/mo · cancel anytime · + applicable tax · runs in your browser
VOLTA Electric is estimating software made in British Columbia — not an electrical contracting company.
Why contractors switch to VOLTA
Free for 30 days · then $9.99 CAD/mo · cancel anytime
Maintenant en français.
VOLTA parle français — le site et l’estimateur au complet. Un clic sur FR et tout bascule : relevé, cockpit des prix, soumission. / VOLTA now speaks French — flip the toggle and the whole thing switches.
Three steps between the tender package and your quote
The whole workflow is PDF to electrical takeoff to priced bid — in your browser, nothing to install.
Upload the drawings
Drop the PDF tender set straight into your browser. VOLTA reads the sheets, detects the systems on the drawings, and opens a reference viewer so you can zoom into dense areas.
AI drafts the takeoff
A first-pass count across lighting, power, fire alarm, data, distribution, and wire appears in seconds. Every quantity is a stepper — you refine, the bid updates instantly.
Tune the price, send the quote
Slide labour rates, markup, contingency, and crew size in the pricing cockpit. Add your company details and exclusions, and export a clean, client-ready quotation.
The panel schedule
Everything on the circuit. Nothing you don't need.
PANEL "VOLTA" — FEATURE DIRECTORY
120/208V · 12 CCTAI takeoff draft
Reads the drawing text and drafts quantities across all 12 divisions so you start from a count, not a blank page.
Live pricing cockpit
Bill rate, cost rate, markup, waste, overhead, contingency — all sliders. The whole bid recalculates as you drag.
Real-market defaults
2024–2025 reference rates from BC, Canada baked in — journeyman $105–$135/h billed, 18–25% material markup — and every one is a slider you set to your own market.
NECA labour factors
Wood frame to occupied building (×1.00–×1.75), plus working-condition columns — applied to every labour hour automatically.
Multi-res assemblies
In-suite packages, corridor-per-floor, main service, feeders, generators, EV rough-in — priced the way multi-family actually bids.
Tax done right
GST/PST defaults for BC, Canada — plain percentages you can set (or switch off) for your own region. Client totals show what they'll actually pay.
Drawing viewer
Page through the PDF beside your takeoff and zoom into dense ceiling plans without leaving the estimate.
AI plain-language summaries
Overview, scope, takeoff notes, financial analysis, and a quote cover letter — drafted for you, editable by you.
Schedule reality-check
Crew size and hours-per-day turn the labour total into calendar days, so you see if the bid matches the timeline.
Client-ready quotes
Company details, tax number, validity period, and exclusions — output a quotation that looks like a real shop sent it. Electrical quote software and proposal software in one: the plain-language cover letter drafts itself.
Project files
Save the whole estimate as a file, reopen it later, or hand it to your partner. Your numbers stay yours.
Nothing to install
Runs entirely in your browser — cloud-based, works on any device, no app to install. Laptop, tablet, or phone in the truck; your drawings are processed on your device.
The same estimate — at a fraction of the cost
Honest comparison. Whether you're a solo electrician or a large contractor with a full estimating team, VOLTA does the same work for a fraction of what the legacy suites charge.
| Typical cost per estimator, per year | Install | Real rate & tax defaults | AI first-pass takeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| VOLTA — ~$120 CAD ($9.99/mo) | None — browser | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud takeoff suites (Esticom-class) — ~$2,000+ | Browser | No | Partial |
| Desktop estimating (McCormick-class) — ~$2,500–$5,000+ | Windows install | No | No |
| Enterprise suites (Accubid-class) — $5,000–$10,000+ | Install + training | No | No |
| Excel + late nights — "$0" | — | If you type it | You, at 11pm |
Competitor figures are typical published/quoted ranges for comparison only and change over time; verify current pricing with each vendor.
Built in British Columbia. Ready for anywhere.
VOLTA was built from the Lower Mainland out — one of the most expensive, code-strict construction markets in North America. The defaults are real numbers from real bids, not placeholders. And because every rate, markup and tax is a slider, contractors anywhere set their own market in minutes.
- → Journeyman and apprentice rates calibrated to Lower Mainland union and non-union shops
- → PST-on-materials handling for BC real-property contracts
- → Exclusion presets that mention the things BC GCs argue about — BC Hydro fees, FA verification, temp power
- → Mass-timber (CLT) labour factoring, because this is where those buildings are going up
- → Bidding outside BC? Slide the rates and set your own tax — the engine works the same everywhere
Rates last reviewed: September 2026. Reference sources: Job Bank — electrician wages (Canada) · Job Bank — journeyperson electrician (BC) · NECA Manual of Labor Units · BC PST for real-property contractors · CRA — GST/HST. Billed-rate ranges shown on this site are VOLTA's own market estimates — set your own in the app.
Frequently asked
What is VOLTA?
Who is it for?
Can I use VOLTA outside Canada?
Is the AI takeoff accurate enough to bid from?
Where do my drawings go?
How is tax handled?
What does it cost?
How does AI electrical takeoff software work?
Is AI accurate for electrical takeoffs?
The tender closes Friday. Your first draft can be done by coffee.
Start 30-day free trialFree for 30 days · then $9.99 CAD/mo · cancel anytime