THE CALCULATION BENCH
Small calculations. Better decisions.
Every tool includes units, editable assumptions, an example and a related guide. All calculations run locally in your browser.
Insulation
Browse this topic07Dew point & surface margin
Compare an indoor surface temperature with the estimated dew point.
Assembly heat loss
Compare heat flow through a wall, roof or window area.
Extra insulation thickness
Estimate an ideal continuous layer needed to reach a target U-value.
Ventilation heat loss
Estimate the heating load associated with outdoor-air ventilation and heat recovery.
Insulation heat and energy savings
Screen the annual transmission-heat, purchased-energy and cost reduction from improving one building element.
Air changes to ventilation airflow
Convert floor area, average ceiling height and a chosen air-change rate into continuous airflow.
Ventilation fan electricity
Estimate daily and period electricity use from the measured or rated supply and extract fan power.
Wells & water
Browse this topic22Rainwater collection & overflow
Estimate one rainfall event and the amount a tank can receive.
Household water demand
Estimate daily use and an explicit buffer-storage volume.
Well drawdown & specific capacity
Interpret water levels from a recorded pumping test.
Pump head & electrical power
Combine lift, delivery pressure and friction in a first-pass pump calculation.
Water velocity in a pipe
Convert flow and internal pipe diameter into water velocity.
Water volume in a round tank
Estimate the water held in a vertical cylindrical tank from its internal dimensions.
Water pressure to head
Convert water pressure into metres of head and psi using a stated density.
Hot and cold water mixing
Estimate hot and cold volumes needed to reach a target mixed-water temperature.
Water stored above a well-pump reserve level
Estimate the cylindrical water column and volume above a protected pump-intake level.
Observed well water-level recovery
Convert a measured rise in a cylindrical well into equivalent volume and an average recovery observation.
Rainwater storage balance for a dry period
Compare usable tank water with expected demand and dependable inflow over a chosen period.
Bladder pressure-tank drawdown estimate
Estimate the water delivered between pump cut-out and cut-in pressures from a precharged bladder tank.
Well-pump cycle-rate screening
Estimate one pressure-tank draw-and-refill cycle under a steady water demand below pump capacity.
Well supply and peak-demand buffer
Compare a measured source flow and usable stored water with one defined period of peak household demand.
Water volume inside a pipe
Calculate how many litres a straight pipe run holds from its internal diameter and length.
Tank fill time with simultaneous demand
Estimate how long a tank takes to reach capacity when water is entering and may also be used.
Pressure-tank nominal size from required drawdown
Estimate the nominal bladder-tank volume needed to provide a chosen usable drawdown between switch pressures.
Water lost through a leak
Turn an observed leak flow and daily duration into water volume and an estimated bill impact.
Hot-water wait time and wasted water
Estimate how long cooled water must run before hot water arrives, plus the daily and annual water sent to the drain.
Well specific-capacity and pumping-level screen
Turn one stabilized pumping observation into specific capacity and a cautious linear screen for another flow.
Rainwater first-flush volume
Estimate the initial roof runoff to divert before sending rainwater toward storage.
Gravity-tank water pressure at an outlet
Estimate the pressure available from the lowest tank water level after elevation and entered flow losses.
Independent energy
Browse this topic15Generator running & starting load
Check one documented motor start against other running loads.
Daily electricity budget
Add three appliance groups using power and actual daily running time.
Solar array energy balance
Estimate DC array size from daily energy and a monthly solar assumption.
Battery autonomy
Convert a daily load into nominal battery capacity with stated losses.
Energy to heat water
Estimate heat and input energy for a known water volume and temperature rise.
Shower water, energy and running cost
Estimate water use, water-heating energy and combined operating cost for a household shower pattern.
Battery recharge time
Estimate ideal recharge time between two states of charge.
Generator fuel runtime
Convert usable stored fuel and measured consumption into a simple operating-time estimate.
Solar energy balance over a low-sun period
Compare estimated solar production with critical-load demand over several days.
Generator-assisted battery recharge plan
Estimate recharge time, generator-side demand and fuel for a stated battery deficit.
Battery autonomy after load shedding
Compare battery runtime before and after reducing the daily critical-load budget.
Pump electricity use and operating cost
Estimate electricity and cost from measured input power, daily run time and a chosen period.
Hot-water recirculation energy and cost
Estimate annual pump electricity and the energy needed to replace heat lost from a hot recirculation loop.
Hot-water tank recovery time
Estimate the energy, cost and ideal time needed to heat a stored volume between two temperatures.
Usable hot-water storage
Estimate the mixed-water volume, shower time and stored heat available from a hot-water tank.
Frost & ground
Browse this topic04Pipe cover to trench depth
Convert an established pipe-cover requirement into a trench section.
Heat-trace energy use
Estimate connected load and energy use for a thermostatically controlled heating cable.
Foundation frost-depth screening comparison
Compare a planned bearing depth with a locally established frost-protection target.
Foundation bearing and excavation elevations
Translate final grade, bearing depth and a working layer into site elevations and excavation depth.
Wastewater
Browse this topic06Wastewater hydraulic load
Explore daily wastewater volume and a holding-time scenario.
Gravity drain fall
Convert pipe length and slope into vertical fall and a downstream invert depth.
Wastewater pump outage buffer
Estimate how long the known usable volume in a pump chamber can accept reduced household flow.
Septic solids service interval
Use measured sludge and scum layers to estimate when a chosen service threshold may be reached.
Sump pit storage and pump cycling
Estimate active pit volume, fill time, drain time and starts per hour from measured levels and flows.
Sump pump battery runtime
Estimate outage runtime from usable battery energy, pump duty cycle and standby load.
Water treatment
Browse this topic05Filter-media contact time
Estimate empty-bed contact time and hydraulic surface loading for a cylindrical media vessel.
Filter service-life planner
Turn a rated treated-water capacity into a conservative replacement date estimate.
UV intensity × exposure time
Show the unit relationship between ultraviolet intensity, exposure time and nominal dose.
Water-softener regeneration and salt estimate
Relate hardness load, daily treated volume and usable exchange capacity to an estimated regeneration interval.
Filter backwash flow and water use
Check the backwash flow required by a cylindrical media vessel against the water supply available at the filter.
Construction
Browse this topic16Concrete volume and order allowance
Calculate geometric concrete volume and a separate ordering allowance.
Trench excavation volume
Estimate in-place and loosened spoil volumes for a straight trapezoidal excavation.
Roof runoff peak flow
Estimate peak roof runoff from connected area, rainfall intensity and a runoff factor.
Pipe bedding and surround material volume
Estimate separate bedding and pipe-surround volumes for one uniform trench segment, including pipe displacement and an order allowance.
Masonry unit quantity
Estimate blocks or bricks from net wall area, unit face size, joint thickness and an explicit allowance.
Floor screed volume and bag estimate
Convert measured floor area and average screed thickness into volume and bags using the product’s declared yield.
Paint quantity and can estimate
Convert measured paintable area, coats and the product’s declared coverage into litres and whole cans.
Tile quantity and pack estimate
Estimate full tiles, order area and packs from the net surface, tile dimensions and a stated cutting allowance.
Roof pitch and slope length
Convert a measured rise and horizontal run into pitch angle, slope percentage and sloping length.
Roof covering area and pack estimate
Convert a simple horizontal roof footprint and pitch into sloping area, order area and whole packs.
Roof outlet and downpipe count
Convert roof catchment and design rainfall into a preliminary number of rated outlets or downpipes.
Gutter fall and support set-out
Turn gutter length, intended fall and maximum support spacing into end level and evenly spaced support points.
Flooring area and pack quantity
Estimate net floor area, layout allowance and whole packs from effective pack coverage.
Wallpaper area and roll quantity
Estimate wall area and whole rolls using the product’s effective coverage after pattern matching.
Plaster mix and bag quantity
Estimate dry plaster mix from finished area, average thickness, product consumption and allowance.
Drywall sheet quantity
Estimate whole boards from net lined area, sheet size and a layout-specific allowance.
Electrical power
Browse this topic07DC cable voltage drop
Estimate copper-cable voltage drop, percentage loss and heat at a steady current.
Inverter DC input current
Convert an AC load and inverter efficiency into approximate battery-side power and current.
Battery runtime from a steady load
Estimate ideal runtime from nominal energy, usable fraction, inverter efficiency and load.
Inverter running and motor-start screen
Compare one documented motor start plus other loads with derated continuous and surge inverter ratings.
DC cable area for a voltage-drop target
Estimate the copper conductor area needed to keep steady DC voltage drop below a chosen percentage.
Single-phase AC load current
Convert real input power, voltage and power factor into apparent power and approximate steady current.
Single-phase copper voltage-drop screen
Estimate the resistive part of voltage drop and cable heat for a two-conductor single-phase run.
Heating
Browse this topic06Heat-pump design-load coverage
Compare building heat loss with heat-pump and auxiliary capacity at the same outdoor design condition.
Heat-pump daily electricity
Convert useful heat from the heat pump and auxiliary heater into an ideal daily electricity estimate.
Cost per useful heat delivered
Compare input energy and cost for a useful heating demand and seasonal performance factor.
Hydronic heating flow rate
Convert a heating load and design supply-return temperature difference into a water-flow estimate.
Radiator output at lower water temperature
Estimate how a radiator’s published heat output changes at a different supply, return and room temperature.
Heating buffer tank volume
Estimate the water volume needed to absorb surplus heat for a chosen minimum heat-source run time.