Ballast Load Calculator

Challenge

W&H Hetmaniok needed a tool that would bring together rooftop PV system design and reliable ballast and wind-load calculations in one place. In practice, preparing a quote and a design required tedious, manual calculations and moving data between spreadsheets and documents, which made it difficult to compare panel layout variants, extended the time needed to prepare pricing, and increased the risk of errors (especially across different roof types, wind zones, and non-standard layouts). An additional issue was the lack of a consistent verification process—structural engineers received information in varying formats, without the full project context.

Solution

We designed and delivered a web application where the user starts by creating a project (location, name, client details) and then goes through roof and system layout configuration. The core of the system is a calculation engine based on wind-load algorithms compliant with Eurocode 1, which, using the project parameters, computes the required ballast and its distribution across the roof’s individual zones. The application enables fast creation and comparison of variants (e.g., changes in layout, orientation, zones, or assumptions) while maintaining full data consistency. After completing the configuration, the system generates the summaries needed to prepare the quote/design package.

Results

• Significantly reduced time to prepare designs and quotes thanks to automated calculations and the elimination of manual data re-entry.
• Lower risk of calculation errors and consistent design assumptions, particularly for complex roofs and non-standard panel layouts.
• Ability to quickly compare variants (layout/settings/zones) without losing control over the data.
• A standardized verification workflow—structural engineers receive complete, well-structured project data along with full context, improving approvals and communication.