Anyone else running a dedicated solar setup just for their garden office?

Been running my garden office off-grid for about 8 months now and honestly can't believe I didn't do it sooner. Currently got 2x 200W Renogy panels on the roof feeding into a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15, with a single 100Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 handling storage. Runs the monitors, lighting, and a small fan heater on the lower settings without much drama.

Biggest headache has been the winter months — December and January were grim. Two or three dull days in a row and I was dipping below 20% SOC more than I'd like. Ended up cutting the heater out entirely and switching to a small oil rad plugged into the mains as a backup, which felt like a defeat tbh.

Thinking about adding a third panel but the roof space is awkward. Has anyone gone down the route of a ground-mounted panel just next to the office instead? Wondering if the tilt angle flexibility actually makes a meaningful difference in low sun conditions or if it's marginal.

@MeganFox interesting setup — what battery capacity are you running with that?

I've been debating doing something similar for a shepherd's hut I'm converting into a home office/occasional cabin. Currently sketching out whether 2x 200W panels would actually cover a monitor, laptop, and small heater through the winter months when the sun angle is so low here in the UK.

Did you find the Victron SmartSolar sufficient or did you wish you'd gone bigger from the start? I keep going back and forth between the 75/15 and 100/30 — seems like the 100/30 is worth the extra £40 or so for future expansion headroom.

Also wondering whether Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 is worth the premium over a basic AGM for a relatively low-draw setup like this?

@MeganFox snap! Running almost identical on my shepherd's hut — though I told the missus it was for "quiet working from home" and she's yet to notice I've basically built a second living room out there with a kettle, mini fridge and a 65" telly 😂

Victron SmartSolar is the dog's

@MeganFox nice one! I've got something similar running my workshop/office combo — 3x 200W panels into a Victron SmartSolar 100/30, paired with 200Ah of lithium. The Victron ecosystem really does spoil you once you're in it, especially with VRM monitoring.

One thing worth flagging if you haven't already — check your shading throughout winter. My setup was brilliant all summer but I lost a surprising amount of output once the sun dropped lower and my neighbour's oak started casting shadows across the panels in the afternoon. Ended up repositioning one panel at a slightly different tilt to compensate.

@ExJoiner32 ha, the "quiet working environment" justification is doing a lot of heavy lifting there 😄

What inverter are you running @MeganFox? That's often where people hit limitations before the panels or batteries become the bottleneck.

Good thread this! @MeganFox solid choice on the Victron kit — been running a similar setup on my garden office for about 14 months now and it's been rock solid.

One thing worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet — if you're doing proper video calls or running a monitor all day, keep an eye on your consumption during the shorter winter days. I got caught out last November thinking my battery reserve was sufficient and ended up scrambling for an extension lead mid-Teams call. Embarrassing doesn't cover it.

@SolarDoug battery capacity is absolutely the critical question here. I'd honestly say don't underestimate it — I bumped mine up after that winter wake-up call and haven't looked back since.

What's everyone using for monitoring actual consumption? I've got the Victron app but wondering if anyone's gone further with proper energy logging.

Great thread @MeganFox! I've been running my garden office off-grid for just over a year now and the Victron ecosystem is hard to beat once you're in it. One thing worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet — have you connected yours up to the VRM portal for remote monitoring? Absolute game changer for keeping an eye on things when you're away from the office. I can see exactly what my panels are pulling and what the batteries are sitting at from my phone. Also worth checking your shading situation as the seasons change — I lost a surprising amount of generation in November just from the neighbour's oak tree casting shadows in the afternoon that weren't an issue over summer. Made a noticeable difference once I adjusted the tilt angle slightly. What inverter are you running with it all?

Great to see so many of us running garden offices this way! @MeganFox what's your battery capacity like? I'm running a similar setup but found that during the darker winter months I had to add a small backup from the mains for the odd gloomy week — not ideal but kept things ticking over. Curious whether others have gone fully off-grid year-round or kept a hybrid approach. Also worth mentioning earthing and RCD protection if anyone's just starting out — easy to overlook when you're focused on the solar side of things.

Great to see so many garden office setups in this thread! @MeganFox what battery capacity are you running with those 200W panels? I've got a similar arrangement — 400W going into a SmartSolar 100/30 — but I found winter was the real test. November through January my 200Ah lithium bank was sometimes struggling on overcast days, especially with a monitor, laptop and a decent desk lamp all running simultaneously. Ended up adding a small 240V backup feed from the house on a relay just for those darker months, which I rarely actually need but gives peace of mind. Worth considering if you haven't already. Also curious whether anyone's integrated their garden office setup into VRM portal for remote monitoring — I find it genuinely useful for keeping an eye on state of charge without trudging down the garden in the cold!

Funny timing on this thread — I've been doing almost the same thing but on a narrowboat-turned-office hybrid (long story involving a very understanding marina and a very ununderstanding planning department).

The garden office crowd and the liveaboard lot have more in common than you'd think. One thing I'd flag that nobody's mentioned yet: shading from nearby trees or fences absolutely murders your output in winter when the sun angle drops. Caught me completely off guard first December. Worth modelling with something like PVWatts before you commit to panel placement. Saved me considerable grief on the tiny house I sorted afterwards. 📐