By the Numbers
By the Numbers
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- Category: By the Numbers
Q: What’s a kilowatt hour (kWh) anyway?
A: The amount of energy consumed by a load of 1,000 watts operating for one hour.
The basic unit of electric power is a watt. The higher the wattage, the more energy the electrical device will need to operate. Of course, how long a bulb or other device is operating also determines the amount of electricity used.
The amount of power consumed multiplied by the duration (measured in hours), creates a kilowatt hour.
For example, a lamp using a 100-watt bulb that is left on for 10 hours will use 1,000 watt hours of energy, which translates to one kilowatt hour. Similarly, a lamp that uses a 40-watt bulb and is left on for three hours will use 120 watt hours of energy, which translates to 0.12 kilowatt hours.
The average home uses about 600 kilowatt hours of power each month, while the average farm uses approximately 1,800 kilowatt hours per month.
Here’s how the use of household appliances may impact residential electricity bills:
