What is kilowatt hour

Skip navigation. We Can Help! What is a Kilowatt Hour? Quick Links. Here's what one kilowatt-hour can do for you: View more at www. Time hrs - Time appliance is "on" in hours. On your energy bill, the kWh measures the amount of energy that an appliance or device needs to run for one hour. You can quickly convert watts W to kilowatts kW by diving your wattage by 1, A kilowatt-hour measures the energy an appliance uses in kilowatts per hour.

For example, if you clean your floors with a 1,watt vacuum cleaner for one hour, you consume 1 kWh of energy. Your kilowatt-hour consumption factors in how many watts your appliances use and how often you use them. The difference between kWh and kW , and what you see on your bill, is that kW reflects the rate of electricity you use, and kWh indicates the amount of electricity you use.

The power you use on a daily basis can quickly add up to 1 kWh if you are frequently using high-wattage appliances in your home. Are you a heavyweight or a featherweight energy user?

Where are the hotspots in your home? Do you leave laptops plugged in? TV on standby? You can also seek out energy efficient appliances like smart lightbulbs or washing machines. Next time you choose a tariff , you'll feel in greater control of your choices and finances. If you're on an EDF tariff, you find the exact pricing details on your tariff information label. You can also view our tariffs and compare prices. We hope this gives you greater confidence both in managing your energy but also understanding how your price is calculated and how it applies to you.

Either way, now you know your kW from your kWh, you can make positive changes to the way you use and save energy. And this in turn will have a positive impact on your wallet and the planet! To find out more about saving energy and cutting your carbon take a look at our energy efficiency tips.

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Insulation advice. Energywise blog. Electric cars. Electricity tariffs for cars. Home charge points. Car leasing. Cost vs petrol. Charging advice. So, if you have a 1, watt drill, it takes 1, watts or one kW to make it work.

Obviously, every appliance in your home will use a different amount of power. Here are some of the usages for the more or less common items in a home:. Or consider this for your business office. That 2-warmer Bunn coffee maker in the break room? Run that from 6am to 6pm, Monday through Friday?

The Energy Guide label on newer appliances will include the estimated yearly electricity usage. Multiply that by your rate per kilowatt-hour and you have the cost to use that device. If you want to know more about the Energy Guide label and what appliances use the most electricity , we have additional resources for you. You can calculate how much power they use with a simple exercise. This can help you figure our how many kWh your house uses per day and where the power goes. Hours used per day: 8 hours while it keeps your food cold all day long, the motor is only running about 8 hours a day.

There are also several online resources and calculators that can help you with this, if you prefer that to pen, paper and calculator!