Daily living · Daily energy, water and household budgets · living-5

Learn to read your battery monitor every day

Your battery monitor is the fuel gauge of the house. Checking it at the same times every day turns surprises into routine decisions.

How

Ask your installer to show you where the monitor shows battery voltage, state of charge, power in and power out. US DOE lists these as the core readings a stand-alone system should track.
Check state of charge at three set times: morning (after the night's use), solar noon (charging) and evening (before night loads).
Write morning state of charge, daily generation (kWh) and daily use (kWh) in the logbook (living-18).
Learn the safe lower limit for your battery type from the manufacturer. As a general guide, lead-acid banks are often designed to cycle only 20 to 40 percent of capacity daily, while lithium can usually go much deeper; follow your own battery's datasheet.
Know what the low-voltage disconnect does: the charge controller or inverter can cut loads to protect the battery. If it trips, find out why before resetting.
Use the daily energy balance calculator below to see how many days you can run if generation stays low.

Safety: Batteries store large amounts of energy. Do not touch terminals or cables. Keep the battery area ventilated and clear.