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Campervan electrical planning

Campervan electrical planning: daily-energy worksheet

Start with what you need to power and when you use it. This manual worksheet turns that list into daily energy use, with the unknowns still visible. Then plan storage, charging and individual circuits.

Checked Oct 21, 2026 · 12 V DC planning · your manual wins

Two campers review a notebook and a lantern at a table beside their solar-equipped campervan.

Start with evidence

Inputs for a campervan electrical load list

Your trip

Describe a real day

Record the season, location, people travelling and the time you want to spend without charging. Make a second sheet for a demanding day if your use varies.

Your equipment

Collect numbers you can trace

Use a manual, a label or an appropriate meter. Record which one, the operating mode and any uncertainty. A maximum input rating is not necessarily typical consumption.

Your schedule

Count actual operating time

Add short uses together and convert minutes to hours. For cycling equipment, record compressor-on time or measured energy over a representative period. Include standby devices.

Your measurement

Name where the number comes from

Mark each value as appliance-side or battery-side. A battery monitor shows net flow: charging during the measurement can hide part of the load. Record charging separately.

Your daily-energy worksheet

Blank daily-energy worksheet

Select and copy this table into a document or spreadsheet, then duplicate rows as needed. You can also print this page and fill it by hand. These cells are a blank template; they do not calculate or save entries.

For a steady draw, quantity × watts per item × operating hours = Wh. If you already have measured Wh for a whole day, use that energy directly; do not multiply it by hours again. Keep AC appliance energy separate until you know the corresponding battery draw.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Blank daily-energy worksheet
Appliance & quantityDC / AC supplyConsumption & measurement pointHours / dayCycling / occasional useSource & uncertaintyDaily Wh & accounting side
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Battery-side subtotal

______ Wh/day · include each load once

Still unknown

______ · leave unresolved consumption visible

Time without charging

______ days · describe the expected conditions

Charging opportunities

Driving ______ · shore ______ · solar conditions ______

Count inverter consumption once.

An AC appliance's Wh leaves out the inverter's own consumption. If you measure the inverter's DC input with the appliance running, that reading already includes conversion losses and operating overhead. Do not add the AC Wh or another loss factor to it. Record extra time with the inverter on but unloaded separately. If you only know AC Wh, leave the battery-side amount unresolved until you have suitable measurement or manufacturer data for that operating point.

Worked example

Worked daily-energy example: 586 Wh

Every number below is an invented planning assumption, not a measurement or a recommended appliance rating. Replace the values with your own evidence.

For this example, the DC watts represent each branch's draw at the battery supply, including any losses along that branch. The laptop's AC draw is shown for comparison; only the inverter's DC input enters the battery subtotal. No charging is subtracted.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Invented campervan daily-energy example
ApplianceQuantity & assumed drawOperating timeDaily energyAssumption to verify
LED lights4 × 3 W, DC battery-side4 h each48 WhAll four at this draw for the stated time.
Ventilation fan1 × 15 W, DC battery-side6 h90 WhOne assumed speed; other settings need their own figures.
Water pump1 × 48 W, DC battery-side15 min = 0.25 h12 WhTotal on-time across all short uses.
Compressor fridge1 × 40 W while running, DC battery-side8 compressor-on hours in 24 h320 WhAssume no off-cycle draw here. Actual cycling and standby remain to be checked.
Laptop at AC outlet1 × 45 W, AC appliance-side2 h90 Wh AC; excluded from battery subtotalSame laptop session as the next row, not another load.
Inverter powering laptop1 × 55 W, DC battery-side2 h110 WhAssumed total input while the laptop is running; includes conversion and operating overhead.
Inverter left on, unloaded1 × 6 W, DC battery-side1 additional hour6 WhOnly idle time outside the two loaded hours; off for the rest of the day.
Battery-side subtotal48 + 90 + 12 + 320 + 110 + 6 = 586 Wh/day

The inverter uses 110 Wh to deliver the assumed 90 Wh AC during that session: 20 Wh is the difference, already included in 110 Wh. Its separate idle hour adds 6 Wh. This does not establish a general inverter efficiency.

This is a subtotal for the listed equipment only. Heating controls, device charging, alarms or other loads are still unknown until listed. Fridge runtime also changes with conditions. Measure a representative day and revisit the worksheet instead of adding an unexplained percentage.

A separate power check

What might run at the same time?

Daily Wh does not size an inverter, a battery/BMS current limit, a cable or a fuse. Keep the operating and starting demands beside the daily schedule.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Simultaneous-load checklist
ScenarioLoads running togetherRunning demandStarting demand & durationEvidence still needed
Example: eveningLights, fan, fridge, laptop through inverter; pump may start.Record battery-side demand and AC output demand separately.Obtain pump and compressor startup data; daily hours do not describe it.Actual ratings, inverter limits, battery/BMS limits and equipment manuals.
Your scenario________________________________________________________________

Check both the continuous demand and any relevant surge with its duration against the selected equipment. An appliance's AC watts are not its DC input current; conversion and the battery's operating voltage matter. Collect those inputs before choosing an inverter or protection.

Turn the list into a plan

Battery storage, charging and circuit planning

  1. Storage and operating limits

    Use the desired time without charging and your daily scenarios to describe the energy requirement. Nominal Ah alone does not prove usable capacity: voltage, chemistry, discharge conditions, temperature and manufacturer limits matter. Check 12V vs 24V compatibility and battery-system compatibility before selecting a bank.

  2. Charging opportunities

    Record driving time, shore access and the location, season and shading for solar. Work out what each source can actually deliver during that window, including charging losses and equipment limits. Panel nameplate watts are not a daily yield. The DC-DC charger tool helps examine the vehicle charging path; it does not guarantee a recharge time.

  3. Circuits, wiring and protection

    Draw each charging path and load with its return. Gather actual cable lengths, routing conditions and terminal limits. Use the wire and cable tool and, for a LiFePO₄ bank, the battery fuse tool as separate checks. Confirm installation details against equipment manuals and the rules that apply to your vehicle.

  4. Explore one state, then return to the schedule

    The runtime guide explores a selected constant state. It does not integrate this daily worksheet, automatically cycle your fridge or model changing weather. Use it to compare conditions, then keep daily-energy assumptions in your own record. Read what Crimp checks before treating a drawing as a finished design.

Keep goingPut your requirements beside a campervan diagramCompare a DC solar or B2B example with your own load list. The diagrams do not cover a complete mains AC installation; AC distribution, earthing and protective-device design need separate review.

Try it in Crimp

Campervan solar, fridge and lighting example

Crimp connects the equipment in a drawing so you can explore its wiring and compare a selected operating state. Try this solar, fridge and lighting example, then open an editable copy for your own plan.

Open this campervan example in Crimp →

Opens an editable copy of the starting example. Preview changes are not transferred.

Live Crimp simulation. Set solar to Off, then switch the cabin lights off and on. Compare Net power now and Time to empty. Choose Wiring to follow the cable routes.

View full screen

Red = positive · dark = return. Crossings are not junctions. Read the assumptions before adapting a circuit.

Explore one operating state

Change sunshine, equipment states or starting battery charge in the preview. Runtime holds those conditions constant and stops at a planning reserve; it does not predict a whole day.

Make the wiring your own

Open the example in Crimp, select a cable and enter its actual length. Inspect its sizing and voltage-drop results, and review the warnings as you adapt the drawing.

This is a separate 12 V example, not the worksheet's 586 Wh day. Crimp does not import the worksheet, automatically cycle the fridge or simulate a daily schedule. Keep your energy and simultaneous-load lists alongside the drawing.

The example demonstrates planning, not installation approval. Verify the actual battery, equipment limits, fuse and holder, fault-current rating and protection placement. Read what Crimp checks and the runtime example assumptions.

Sources and scope

Daily-energy method and limitations

The references explain energy accounting and battery-monitor limits. The worked figures are invented arithmetic examples, not values taken from a product manual.

RenogySolar sizing: start with daily energy useThe load-list method in Step 1: power multiplied by operating hours gives energy. This guide does not adopt its example appliance ratings, battery sizes or solar-yield assumptions.Victron EnergySmartShunt: operation and time remainingSections 5.1–5.2 distinguish accumulated consumption, net battery flow and an estimate at the present load. Charging can mask consumption in a net battery reading.Victron EnergyBattery capacity and Peukert exponentRated Ah depends on discharge conditions. A nameplate capacity is not a promise of usable energy under every load.

This manual guide adds no automatic battery, inverter or solar sizing. Your output is a consumption inventory, a daily Wh subtotal with unknowns, and a list of simultaneous loads to investigate.