Build your system
Build your van, and watch it come together
Tell us what is in the van and what you want on the screen. The list builds itself as you go, with a running total and the reason for every line - and often the answer is that you need nothing extra at all.
First, the van
Just a couple, and only the ones that apply. They change what we recommend rather than what it costs, and none is a trick question.
What are we working with?
It points us at the right guides. The last answer also changes what we show you.
The panel itself
Both sizes run the same software. It comes down to the hole you have and how much you want to see at a glance.
Which screen size?
Both run exactly the same software. It is about the hole you have got and how much you want to see at a glance.
The mounting plate is a 7 inch part, so a 5 inch screen is bonded straight on and cannot be taken back off.
How is it going on the wall?
Only the 7 inch gives you a choice here, and it is worth making deliberately - one of these cannot be undone.
Sticking it on is permanent - worth knowing now, not later. A screen bonded straight to the wall breaks if it is ever prised off, and that is not covered by warranty. The bolted mounting plate is £10 and lets you take it back off again. If you think you might ever want the screen off, that is the one to pick.
What are you planning on installing in your van?
Tap whatever is going in - your battery, your heater, your tanks. We match our parts to it, and say plainly when you need nothing from us at all.
Before any of it: eight switched circuits are built into the panel, so anything you only want to turn on and off is covered. Name them however you like, put them on a timer, and they cost nothing extra.
The control panel already in the van
If there is one, there may be a version of SavvyVan3 that drops straight into the hole it leaves and reuses the wiring already there - which turns a wiring job into an afternoon.
Batteries
Which battery is in the van? Quite a few of them tell the panel what they are doing without anything in between.
How much current will ever pass through it?
Size a shunt by the biggest thing on the system - your charger and your inverter, not your fridge. Getting it too small is the mistake worth avoiding.
Charging
Anything that puts power back in.
Lighting
What sort of lighting is going in?
Water
Which tanks do you want to see on the screen? Each one needs its own probe, and the module is shared.
How deep is the tank, inside?
We stock four lengths and they cannot be cut down, so this is the one measurement worth taking before you order rather than after. Deeper tanks are not a problem - the probes go longer, we just do not keep them on the shelf.
Gas
An underslung LPG tank can show its level beside the water, and the gas can be shut off from the screen.
Heating
Which heater is going in? The add-on replaces its controller rather than the heater itself.
Which Propex is it?
The gas models bring their own LPG level and solenoid with them, which changes what else you need. The electric-only one has no gas bottle to read.
Hot water
A water heater runs from one of the eight switches through a high-current relay, with scheduling and charge overflow on top.
What about hot water?
We sell the Pundmann range and support it on the panel - scheduling, and a charge-overflow mode that heats water off surplus solar.
Getting online
The panel wants a connection for the clock, the weather and updates - and the app can only reach the van while the van is online.
Levelling and extras
The two things here you would buy from us rather than already own.
Inside and outside temperature, battery voltage, the clock and the weather are on the screen already - nothing to add for any of them.
A few last things
Only what your answers made relevant - anything heavy to switch, who is fitting it, and whether it is going on a business account.
Is the van 12V or 24V?
The panel handles both. It changes which relay you would need, and which version of some batteries.
Anything big to switch?
The eight built-in circuits handle 10 amps each. Above that, or on mains, something else does the switching and the panel just asks it to.
How many circuits over 10 amps?
One relay per circuit - they cannot be shared, so the count is the order.
How many mains circuits?
One solid state relay per circuit, and each one is 230V work.
Who is fitting it?
No wrong answer, and it does not change the price. It changes what we send you.
Are you buying for a business?
Converters, dealers and installers get different pricing, and panels that arrive already set up for the loom you use.
Every line says why it is here. Take anything off you do not want - nothing goes into your basket until you say so.
Questions people ask
- How do I know which SavvyVan products I need?
- Answer a few questions about your van - the control panel already fitted, the battery in it, the heater you have, and what you want on the screen - and we will list what it takes, with the reason for each item. Often that includes things you do not need to buy: eight battery brands report themselves with no shunt required, and the panel switches lights without a lighting module.
- What does the SavvyVan3 panel do without any add-ons?
- On its own it switches eight circuits at 10A each, reads battery voltage, and reads inside and outside temperature, with a clock, weather and updates over WiFi. It also reads a Starlink dish if you already have one. Tank levels need SavvyTanks, a true state of charge needs a shunt or a battery that reports itself, heating needs the Propex or Autoterm module, and dimming needs SavvyLights.
- What if I do not know what is in my van?
- "I am not sure" is an answer to every question here, and it never guesses on your behalf. It tells you what to go and look at, and offers to put you in touch with us instead. No question is too basic - the people this exists for are the ones who do not yet know what a shunt is.