Solar & battery sizing for a tiny home
A full-time tiny home on solar with a fridge, lighting, laptop work, induction cooking and water pump.
Open this tiny home setup in the calculator →
Example daily load
| Device | Power | Use | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridge | 70 W | 24 h/day | 1680 Wh |
| LED lights | 50 W | 6 h/day | 300 Wh |
| Induction hob | 1500 W | 0.7 h/day | 1050 Wh |
| Laptop | 50 W | 6 h/day | 300 Wh |
| Water pump | 400 W | 0.4 h/day | 160 Wh |
| Total | 3490 Wh/day |
Sized system (LiFePO4, 48V, 2 days autonomy)
Open this setup in the calculator — then adjust for your own devices →
Notes for a tiny home
These figures assume 4.5 peak sun hours and 2 day(s) of autonomy. If your location is cloudier, your usage is higher, or you want more buffer, increase autonomy or array size. The button above opens the full calculator pre-loaded with this tiny home setup, so you can change any device, voltage or chemistry and see the system resize instantly — the example is a starting point, not a prescription.
Frequently asked questions
How many batteries does a tiny home need?
For the example load of 3490 Wh/day with 2 day(s) of autonomy on LiFePO4 at 48V, you need roughly 9.88 kWh of battery (206 Ah). Your actual needs depend on your devices and how many cloudy days you want to cover.
What size solar array for a tiny home?
About 1124 W at 4.5 peak sun hours, to recharge the daily load. Cloudier locations or higher usage need more.
Looking for a definition or a quick answer? See the solar & battery glossary for terms used on this page, or the FAQ for common sizing questions.
Sources & standards
- NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code (NEC), Articles 690 & 705 — Governs PV source/output circuits (Art. 690) and interconnected power production sources (Art. 705) in the US.
- NFPA 1192 — Standard on Recreational Vehicles — Construction requirements for RVs, including low-voltage DC electrical systems.