Normal costs 910Wh. Recovery costs 440.
Three modes, three daily budgets. Pick one at breakfast and the day's hundred small power decisions are already made.
The single biggest lever: a laptop workday costs about what the fridge costs.
What each mode actually costs
A full-time setup on a warm day, built from the same measured loads as the rest of the site.
Conservation isn't a hundred small sacrifices. It's one. The laptop is 350Wh, which is within 10Wh of what the fridge costs all day. Drop it and you've cut 38% of the day, without touching a light, a fan or a phone. That is the entire reason this system is three modes and not a list of tips.
Set against a 700Wh station's 560Wh usable: Normal spends 1.6 batteries a day, Conservation spends exactly one, Recovery spends 0.79 and finally buys back margin. That is what "already behind" means in numbers.
Totals are Estimate, summed from the loads on what 700Wh actually runs: fridge 360Wh on a warm day, roof fan 120Wh overnight, lights and phones 80Wh, laptop 350Wh for a work day. Your climate and hours will move them. Run yours in the calculator →
Step 1 · Pick today's mode
Three modes. One per day. The card tells you the rules.
You've got margin
Sun, drive planned, refill windows holding. Run the full day, laptop included. This only works while recovery keeps up with 910Wh, so it is a mode, not a default.
- DC-first by default, AC in planned windows
- Baseline always protected
- Morning + overnight checks run
Margin is thinning
Cloud cover, shade parking, no drive, heat building. Tighten early, before the math forces you. One move gets you here: the laptop comes off battery.
- Baseline-first, comfort-second
- Tight inverter discipline
- Recovery planning at top of day
You're already behind
Woke up tight. Multiple weak days stacked. Baseline slipping by midday. At 440Wh you are finally spending less than a full battery, which is the only way the hole closes.
- Plug in early if available
- Driving recovery when practical
- Baseline-only until stability returns
Step 2 · Not sure which mode?
Tap what's actually happening. Get the mode.
✅ Baseline feels stable. Refill is reliable. → Normal
Stay in Normal Mode. Run morning + overnight checks. Don't add optional loads late.
⛅ Weather weakening. Refill not certain. → Conservation
Switch to Conservation early, before you need it. Trim optional loads now, not later.
📉 Already behind. Margin slipping. → Recovery
Recovery Mode immediately. Plug in if you can. Baseline-only. Exit only after stability returns.
🔌 I can plug in today. → Recovery reset
Treat the plug-in as a planned Recovery reset. Refill, then return to Normal. Don't burn it on convenience.
🚐 I'll drive today. → Drive recovery
The drive is doing recovery work, so let it. Keep optional loads low until you stop.
🌙 Evening margin looks tight. → Tighten one level
Drop one mode level before bed. Don't spend tomorrow's power tonight.
Step 3 · Open the rule sheet you need
Tap any section to expand. Skip the rest.
Normal Mode rules+
- Keep DC-first for routine tasks.
- Use AC intentionally: do the task, switch back.
- Run the morning + overnight checks.
- Keep your next recovery window visible.
- Don't add optional loads late in the day.
Conservation Mode rules+
Triggers: cloud cover, shade parking, no drive planned, heat stacking baseline demand.
- Protect fridge, ventilation, essentials first.
- Trim optional loads immediately, not later.
- Inverter usage stays brief and intentional.
- Recovery planning is the first thing on the day.
- Re-check mode before evening.
Recovery Mode rules+
Triggers: woke up behind, multiple weak-weather days stacked, baseline unstable by midday.
- Recover first, spend later.
- Optional loads off.
- Shore as anchor when possible.
- Layer driving and solar where practical.
- Exit only after baseline stability returns.
Inverter rules (the leak most people miss)+
Most "mystery drain" is workflow drain: small AC habits stacking all day. The battery speaks DC. Every time you run AC, you're paying a translator.
- Default OFF. Turn AC on only when actively using it.
- Plan AC windows. Do the task, return to DC-first.
- Protect overnight margin. Baseline only: fridge, ventilation, essentials.
- Tighten earlier in weak weather. Don't wait until you're already behind.
- Two trigger checks: inverter state before bed, before you drive.
The hidden one: an inverter on with nothing plugged in still draws power. That's the leak most people don't see.
DC-first habits+
Run on DC where possible:
- Phones (USB / USB-C)
- DC lighting
- Ventilation fans
- 12V fridge
- DC-input routers
AC isn't bad; it should just be intentional, not the default.
Workday power boundaries+
Remote work turns power into a promise. "We'll figure it out" isn't a plan.
Define work baseline as categories, not devices: essential computing + connectivity, minimum lighting, simplest comfort needed to stay functional. Baseline expands in heat.
- Work baseline stays. If something gets cut, it isn't work baseline.
- Optional comfort is conditional. Not banned, just conditional on staying recoverable.
- Power decisions in a shared van are joint decisions. If we argue, we're overdue for a reset. Don't negotiate while reactive.
End-of-day check: what mode now? Stable for the night? Tomorrow's first recovery move?
Weekly reset (10 minutes)+
Most failures aren't sudden. They're drift. Once a week:
- Name the week. Stable or fragile? Heat? Clouds? Heavy workdays? Lots of driving?
- Pick your default mode. Normal, Conservation, or Recovery.
- Stop one leak. Inverter staying on, AC-first habits, background entertainment: pick one.
- Choose one recovery plan (shore, drive, or solar) that you can actually execute.
- Set two guardrails. Yes/no boundaries. "No convenience loads until after a recovery window."
- Lock daily anchors. Morning sets mode. Night protects tomorrow.
- Couple check-in (2 min) if shared. Baseline stays. Here's the leak. Here's the plan. Here are the guardrails.
Mid-week mini-reset (3 min): mode check, stop one leak, choose one recovery move.
If the same failure keeps showing up, it isn't bad luck. It's design.
Modes alone won't fix it
If routine is solid and you still run out, the system is too small.
Start with the upgrade guide if you're sizing up. The recovery stack is the full hardware picture.