Featured in Professional Electrician, November 2025
Joshua Hammerton, Co-founder at Enkin, takes a closer look at visual rendering technology: a new tool in the electrician’s arsenal.
For decades, electricians have relied on practical skills, hands-on expertise, problem solving and a deep knowledge of electrical systems. However, a new reality has emerged with digital tools starting to transform the industry.
New digital solutions such as visual rendering technology offer untapped opportunities and tools for electricians to boost customer interactions, improve job efficiency and expand their offering.
Why do people use this technology?
Electricians (and lighting designers, architects and engineers) use visual rendering technology to help them plan, test and visualise how lighting will look in a real space before installation. It can help technically with brightness and coverage, and aesthetically with look and feel, before physical wiring and fixtures installation takes place.
In today’s fast-paced digital world end users desire this reassurance. Being able to present customers with a visual of their finished room provides immediate peace of mind and clarity.
Thanks to recent advancements in visual rendering and the increasing accessibility of these tools, electricians and installers now have a powerful new resource at their fingertips.
How does the technology work?
By inputting details such as switch types, socket layouts and lighting configurations into rendering software, it’s now possible to generate highly realistic 3D visualisations of an installation before a single cable is even run.
This technology offers real benefits on-site and during the planning stages. Installers can collaborate with clients to confirm the exact placement, height, and style of electrical fixtures, right down to assessing how the lighting will look in the finished space.
These conversations, traditionally left until late in the process or resolved on the spot, can now happen upfront. That means fewer delays, fewer questions during installation, and a much smoother workflow overall.
While basic visual planning tools have existed for some time, they were often limited in both quality and availability, typically used by a small number of specialist firms. Today, a greater number of electricians can access these systems at a lower cost, with vastly improved results.
The visual finish is sharper, more detailed and far more representative of the end product. This helps clients make well-informed decisions and helps tradespeople provide a service with greater accuracy. It’s a mutually beneficial situation for everyone involved.
What are the benefits?
The software creates a virtual 3D environment to realistically simulate and test different lighting fixtures, colours, socket layouts and lighting intensities within a digital space before implementation in a real-world setting. This makes it significantly easier for clients to visualise the end result.
All parties are able to get a realistic preview of the final space design, eliminating guesswork. It also improves efficiency, allowing for quick and easy experimentation with different lighting options and socket/switches.
Furthermore, client communication is improved through a clear conversation, showing precisely how their space will look and feel.