Knowing your power consumption is the difference between comfortable free camping and anxiously watching a battery gauge drop. Most new caravanners have no idea how much power their van uses until they run out. This guide gives you the numbers so you can plan rather than panic.

What Uses Power (And How Much)

Everything electrical in your caravan draws power from your 12V house battery. The key measurement is amps (A), and your daily consumption is measured in amp-hours (Ah). An appliance drawing 5A for 2 hours uses 10Ah.

Appliance Draw (Amps) Typical Daily Use Daily Ah
LED lights (all on) 2–5A 4–5 hours 8–25Ah
Compressor fridge 3–6A (cycling) 24 hours 30–50Ah
Water pump 5–8A 15–30 min total 2–4Ah
Phone charging 1–2A 2–3 hours 2–6Ah
Laptop (via inverter) 5–8A 3–4 hours 15–32Ah
12V fan 1–3A 8–10 hours 8–30Ah
TV (12V) 2–4A 2–3 hours 4–12Ah
Range hood 1–2A 30 min 0.5–1Ah

Typical Daily Consumption

Couple, basic use (lights, fridge, phone charging, water pump): 40 to 60Ah per day.

Couple, moderate use (add laptop, TV, fans): 60 to 90Ah per day.

Family of 4, moderate use: 80 to 120Ah per day.

Heavy use (remote workers, multiple devices, fans running all night): 100 to 150Ah+ per day.

Your fridge is the biggest constant draw. It runs 24 hours and typically accounts for 30 to 40% of total consumption. Everything else is intermittent.

Matching Consumption To Capacity

Your battery capacity needs to cover at least one full day of use, ideally two (for cloudy days when solar output drops). With AGM at 50% usable capacity: a couple using 60Ah/day needs at least 120Ah of AGM battery (usable 60Ah). With lithium at 85% usable: the same couple needs a 75Ah lithium battery (usable ~64Ah).

If your consumption exceeds your capacity, you have three options: use less power (turn things off), add more battery capacity, or ensure your charging (solar and DC-DC) replenishes what you use each day.

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Tip

Track your actual consumption for a week using a battery monitor. Real-world numbers are more useful than estimates. You may find you use less than expected, or discover one appliance that’s drawing more than it should.

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Key Takeaway
  • Your fridge is the biggest power draw (30 to 50Ah/day). Everything else combined is typically less.
  • A couple using basic appliances needs 40 to 60Ah per day. A family needs 80 to 120Ah.
  • Your battery capacity should cover at least one full day of use, ideally two for cloudy days.
  • Track actual consumption with a battery monitor rather than relying on estimates.