What is a Kilowatt-Hour? kWh Explained.

When you receive your utility bill, do you wonder how your energy use is measured? The Wire is here to help!  Energy is measured by kilowatt-hours (kWh). Understanding what a kilowatt-hour is can help you read your utility bill.  

What's a Watt?

A watt is a unit of power. In technical terms, a watt is a current of one ampere, pushed by a voltage of one volt. Volts x amps= watts.

Kilo-What?

“Kilo” is from the Greek, meaning“thousand.” Just like a kilometer is 1,000 meters, a kilowatt is 1,000 watts of power. A megawatt is equal to 1,000 kilowatts – or 1 million watts.

'Watt" does it all mean?

Energy is power generated over time.  Energy companies base their services around kilowatt-hours, which are 1,000 watts of electrical power, over the course of one hour.  Kilowatt-hours are measurements of energy, and you’ll see them abbreviated a kWh (big W, and little k and h).

The average U.S. household uses 11,000 kWh of energy each year (according to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration).   If you are curious, you can often determine the amount of wattage appliance uses simply by reading the label on your household appliances to determine if they are energy efficient.  If it is not listed on the label you can calculate the kilowatts yourself (here is a step by step guide for calculating).