Anyone else running Victron Cerbo GX in a shepherd's hut — what sensors are you actually using?

Just got my Cerbo GX set up in the hut and it's pulling data from the MPPT and the multiplus fine. But I'm wondering if I'm underusing it. Currently only monitoring battery SOC and PV input, nothing else.

Thinking about adding a temperature sensor inside the hut — it gets proper cold here in winter and I want to know if the LiFePO4s (Fogstar 200Ah) are dropping below the safe charge threshold overnight. Worth doing or does the BMS handle all that anyway?

Also seen people wiring in a energy meter on the AC side. Is that straightforward on a small single-phase setup like this? Only running about 800W peak load max — kettle, a few lights, small inverter fridge.

What sensors or integrations have you found actually useful day-to-day vs stuff that seemed clever but you never look at?

@Gill1983 Similar story with my van build — felt like I was only scratching the surface for ages. The two sensors that genuinely changed how I use the data rather than just watch it:

Temperature sensors on the battery bank. Victron's own ones are cheap and the Cerbo logs everything. Caught my Fogstar cells dropping efficiency on cold nights before it became a real problem.

Grid/shore power input monitoring — even off-grid you want to know when your backup generator kicks in and how long it runs. I've got a relay trigger set up so the Cerbo logs every generator start automatically.

If you're in a static hut rather than mobile, a tank level sensor is worth looking at too. Victron's GX Tank 140 handles resistive senders and surfaces it all in the same VRM dashboard. Keeps everything in one place rather than juggling separate monitors.

@Gill1983 The temperature sensors are worth adding if you haven't — I run one on the battery bank and one for ambient, and the Cerbo will throttle charging automatically if things get too warm. Genuinely useful rather than just nice-to-have data.

Also, if you've got a water tank in the hut, the tank level sensor integration is surprisingly solid. I use it on the boat and it feeds straight into VRM alongside everything else.

One thing people overlook: connect a Victron Smart Shunt if you're not already using one as your battery monitor. The SOC accuracy is massively better than relying on the MPPT estimate alone, especially with partial state-of-charge cycling which shepherd's huts tend to do a lot of in winter.

VRM portal remote monitoring is the real payoff once you've got all those inputs feeding in properly.

Great setup @Gill1983! Beyond what @LazyNomad and @Gazza have mentioned, I'd strongly recommend adding a Victron Smart Shunt if you haven't already — it gives you proper current monitoring in both directions, which makes the SOC readings far more accurate than relying on the MPPT alone. Particularly useful in a shepherd's hut where you might have multiple small loads running simultaneously.

I also have a tank level sensor wired into mine for fresh water monitoring, which sounds daft but is genuinely handy when you're off-grid for longer stretches. The Cerbo's analogue inputs handle it nicely.

Finally, don't overlook the relay outputs — I've got one triggering a small alarm if battery drops below 20% overnight. Takes twenty minutes to set up in VRM and has saved me a flat bank twice now.

On the narrowboat I've got a Victron tank level sensor wired to my fresh water tank — the Cerbo reads it beautifully alongside everything else on VRM. Absolute game changer for not waking up to an empty tank mid-winter.

For a shepherd's hut I'd also think about a door/contact sensor feeding into the digital inputs. I've got one on my battery compartment hatch; if it's left open overnight the temperature drop can mess with your readings and genuinely stress LiFePO4 cells in a cold snap.

The other underrated one is grid/shore power monitoring if you ever hook up a hookup point for guests — seeing exactly what's being drawn versus what your solar is contributing tells a proper story on the VRM dashboard rather than just raw numbers.