Power audit worksheet
Size the system around the loads you actually run.
A battery bank is only as useful as the load estimate behind it. Use this worksheet to catch the fridge, router, furnace, work gear, kitchen bursts, and seasonal loads before you buy panels or batteries.
Choose your next move
Start where the estimate is still fuzzy.
The fastest path is usually not opening every calculator. It is finding the weak assumption, fixing that number, then sizing the system from there.
I need wattage examples
Open the data table when the label is missing or the load is still a guess.
Open wattage dataI have a daily Wh total
Send the total into the solar calculator to check panels, recharge, and reserve.
Size solarI need a reusable sheet
Use the spreadsheet when you want sortable rows and a cleaner handoff.
Preview spreadsheetPlanning boundary
This worksheet cleans up the load list. It does not design the electrical system.
Treat the worksheet as a first pass: list the loads, separate daily energy from peak watts, and identify the numbers worth measuring before you size solar, batteries, inverters, or charging gear.
Use it for
Building a first daily watt-hour estimate, catching peak AC loads, and deciding which calculator to run next.
Do not use it for
A final electrical design, wire/fuse selection, or a promise that one battery, panel kit, or inverter will fit every rig.
Verify next
Measure uncertain loads, check manuals, and confirm installer or manufacturer limits before buying hardware.
Worksheet
Fill the audit in the order that catches the expensive misses.
The goal is not perfect math. The goal is a defensible daily watt-hour estimate, a peak-watt check, and a recharge plan that matches the way you camp.
Free worksheet preview
Build the number you will actually size around.
A useful power audit is not a shopping list. It is a short map of what runs, how long it runs, what peaks hard, and what must still work after a cloudy day.
Daily energy
Wh/day
Peak draw
watts
Recharge plan
solar, alternator, generator
Reusable version
RV Power Audit Spreadsheet for $29
Use the spreadsheet when you want sortable rows, a printable summary, and a cleaner handoff into solar and battery sizing.
Instant Lemon Squeezy checkout opens directly. Receipt and file access go to the checkout email.
Fill this first
Always-on and overnight
Fridge, propane detector, furnace blower, CPAP, router
Write down: Watts, hours, and whether it runs while you sleep.
Workday and internet
Laptop, monitor, hotspot, cellular router, Starlink
Write down: Normal workday hours plus the backup you need for calls.
Kitchen bursts
Coffee maker, kettle, microwave, induction, toaster
Write down: Peak watts for the inverter and realistic minutes per day.
Comfort and seasonal
Fans, air conditioner, dehumidifier, electric heat
Write down: Weather assumptions, duty cycle, and whether shore power is available.
Audit flow
Work from daily use to hardware, not the other way around.
Inventory 1
List the loads before you pick parts
Start with what actually runs: fridge, fans, furnace blower, laptop, router, CPAP, lights, pumps, and anything left on overnight.
Separate 2
Keep peak watts and daily energy apart
Peak watts decide inverter stress. Watts times hours per day decides battery reserve and solar recovery.
Flag 3
Mark the short-burst AC loads
Coffee makers, microwaves, kettles, induction, and hair dryers may be brief, but they can still be the reason a small inverter feels wrong.
Size 4
Move the cleaned-up total into calculators
Once the daily watt-hour number is believable, use the solar and battery calculators instead of guessing from kit listings.
Common misses
The audit is mainly here to catch the sneaky stuff.
Always-on loads
Small watts can become big daily energy when the load runs all night.
Inverter stress
Short AC loads can be easy on daily Wh and still hard on the inverter.
Recharge reality
Solar only helps if the route, shade, season, and alternator/generator plan can recover the bank.
Next resources
Once the load list is cleaner, use the right follow-up.
Each link answers a different question. Do not make one calculator carry the whole decision.
Shareable page link
https://www.offgridrvhub.com/tools/power-audit-worksheet
RV appliance wattage data
Use common wattage ranges when you do not have the label or meter reading yet.
Open RV appliance wattage dataSolar calculator
Turn the audited daily watt-hours into panels, charge controller, and battery reserve.
Run the RV solar calculatorBattery sizing calculator
Check usable amp-hours, reserve days, and whether the battery bank is realistic.
Run the battery sizing calculatorRV electrical system diagram
Use the system map when shore power, inverter, converter, and battery terms start blending together.
Read the RV electrical system diagramShare this worksheet
Give people the audit before the shopping list.
This is the link to use when an article, forum thread, or club page needs readers to list loads before choosing solar panels, lithium batteries, inverters, or generators.
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[RV power audit worksheet](https://www.offgridrvhub.com/tools/power-audit-worksheet) - OffGridRVHub's free worksheet helps RVers list daily loads, separate watts from watt-hours, and hand a cleaner number into solar and battery calculators.HTML citation
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