Anyone else struggling to keep the leisure battery topped up in winter with just solar?

Winter solar is genuinely brutal, isn't it? I've been through this exact struggle with my static and previously with a T5 camper conversion, and the short days combined with low sun angle just devastate your harvest.

On my current setup I'm running a 200W panel into a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15, and even on a decent clear January day I'm lucky to see 40–50Wh. Compare that to 700–800Wh on a good July day — it's a completely different beast.

A few things that genuinely helped me:

• Panel angle matters enormously in winter — if you can tilt even to 45–50° you'll reclaim a significant percentage of what you're losing to low sun angle
• Reduce parasitic loads — LED lighting everywhere if you haven't already, and check what's drawing overnight (Victron's app is brilliant for spotting culprits)
• Shore power when available — even a few hours on a proper charger makes a massive difference to your weekly balance
• Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 — if you're still on AGM, the usable capacity difference over winter is remarkable. AGMs really suffer in the cold and their effective capacity drops noticeably

The honest truth is that solar alone through November to February in the UK is a tough ask unless you're genuinely disciplined about consumption or running a seriously oversized array.

Some people add a small B2B charger to supplement from the alternator when driving — worth considering if you're moving regularly.

What's your current panel wattage and battery setup? That'll help work out whether you're undersized or just dealing with the inevitable physics of British winter!

@VanGill yes, brutal is the right word for it! I'm on a narrowboat rather than a van but the physics is the same — December here felt like I was decorating rather than charging the batteries 😅

One thing that's saved me is tilting the panels. Even a 30° tilt towards south makes a noticeable difference when the sun's barely clearing the rooftops. Renogy do decent adjustable mounts.

Also worth checking your Victron MPPT history (if you've got one) — the daily yield graphs are genuinely eye-opening and help you figure out whether it's a panel angle problem, shading, or you're just simply undersized for winter loads.

Shore power or a DC-DC charger from the engine is almost unavoidable for winter top-ups honestly. Solar alone in a UK December is asking a lot.

@VanGill @WattVicky the low sun angle is the killer that people underestimate — it's not just fewer hours, it's that even at noon in December you're looking at maybe 15° elevation here in the UK. Your panels are effectively cosine-throttled to about 25% of their rated output before clouds even enter the equation.

My garden office setup has a Victron MPPT logging everything, and I can tell you December yields are genuinely embarrassing compared to June — roughly 1:6 ratio some weeks.

Practical fixes that actually move the needle:

• Tilt your panels seasonally — even propping the front up 30° makes a measurable difference
• Reduce parasitic loads (that always-on fridge is brutal overnight)
• Shore power top-up when available — no shame in it

Honestly though, winter is what sold me on properly oversizing battery capacity rather than chasing more panels.

@TracyAllen nailed it on the sun angle — I ran the numbers on my narrowboat setup last December and was genuinely shocked. Even a clear sunny day was giving me maybe 15–20% of rated output.

What helped me most was accepting that solar alone won't cut it November through February and building around that assumption rather than fighting it.

Practically speaking:

• Split charging from the engine when cruising — even 30 mins moves the needle
• Reduce loads ruthlessly — LED everything if you haven't already
• Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 cells handle partial state of charge far better than AGM, which was a game-changer for me

Shore power hookup when available obviously, but I know not everyone has that option depending on mooring.

The mental shift from "solar is my primary source" to "solar is supplementary in winter" made planning a lot less frustrating.

@VanGill @YorkshireVanLifer the numbers really do tell a grim story in December! One thing worth adding — panel orientation matters enormously this time of year. Flat roof-mounted panels that are fine in summer are losing you a huge chunk of potential output because of that low angle. Even propping them up manually when you're parked up makes a noticeable difference. I've also found that running a split-charge relay from the alternator is an absolute lifesaver for winter van life — even a 30-minute drive can put back what a full grey December day couldn't manage through the panels. Not ideal if you're static obviously, but for those of us moving around it's worth having as a backup. What's your current setup @VanGill — do you have any alternator charging in the mix?

@SamBaker good point on orientation — I found tilting my roof panels even 15° made a noticeable difference on the motorhome when parked up for a few days. Not always practical on the move obviously.

What nobody's mentioned yet is load management being just as important as generation in winter. On my narrowboat I got obsessive about it — LED everything, 12v fridge set a degree warmer, cutting phantom loads overnight. Freed up more headroom than tweaking the array did tbh.

Also worth looking at a B2B charger if you're doing any driving — Victron Orion-Tr Smart is brilliant for pulling a proper charge off the alternator. Short winter drives can still put decent amps in if sized right.