RV Solar Calculator

Pre-loaded for full-time RV/van living. Toggle appliances, adjust hours, get instant system specs.

Appliances (toggle on/off, adjust hours)

Mini Fridge (12V compressor)
~50% duty cycle = real 30W avg
60W
h/d1,440 Wh
Laptop
65W
h/d520 Wh
LED Lights (4x)
40W
h/d200 Wh
Phone Charger (2x)
40W
h/d120 Wh
Wi-Fi Router / Starlink
Starlink Standard draws 50-75W
75W
h/d1,800 Wh
Electric Fan
45W
h/d360 Wh
TV / Monitor
80W
h/d
Coffee Maker
High draw — check inverter rating
900W
h/d
Induction Cooktop
Requires 2000W+ inverter
1800W
h/d
Air Conditioner (5000 BTU)
Major draw — needs large system
500W
h/d
Electric Blanket
100W
h/d
Water Pump
60W
h/d30 Wh

Your System

Daily Use
4,470 Wh
Battery
11.2k Wh
Solar
1084W
Inverter
482W
2d backup · 5.5h sun · LiFePO4 80% DOD

Tips

  • LiFePO4 is mandatory for daily RV cycling — Li-ion degrades too fast
  • Oversize solar by 30-50% for cloudy days and non-ideal panel angles
  • Use 12V DC appliances where possible to skip inverter losses (10-15% savings)
  • Check your power station's max solar input — this is often the bottleneck
  • Consider expandable systems — start with 2kWh, add batteries later
  • Fridge duty cycle is ~50%, so real draw is about half the rated watts