What is kilowatt-hour (kWh)?

Kilowatt-hour definition

Kilowatt-hour is an energy unit (symbol kWh or kW⋅h).

One kilowatt-hour is defined as the energy consumed by power consumption of 1kW during 1 hour:

1 kWh = 1kW ⋅ 1h

One kilowatt-hour is equal to 3.6⋅106 joules:

1 kWh = 3.6⋅106 J

The energy E in kilowatt-hour (kWh) is equal to the power P in kilowatts (kW), times the time t in hours (h).

E(kWh) = P(kW)t(h)

Kilowatt-hour example

For example what is the energy consumed when consuming 2kW for 3 hours?

Solution:

E(kWh) = 2kW ⋅ 3h = 6kWh

kWh to Wh, MWh, BTU, kBTU, J, kJ, MJ, GJ conversion

1kWh = 1000Wh = 0.001MWh

1kWh = 3412.14163312794 BTUIT = 3.41214163312794 kBTUIT

1kWh = 3.6⋅106J = 3600kJ = 3.6MJ = 0.0036GJ

kWh to Wh, MWh, BTU, kBTU, J, kJ, MJ, GJ conversion calculator

Convert kilowatt-hour to watt-hour, megawatt-hour, BTU, kiloBTU, joules, kilojoules, megajoules, gigajoules,

Enter the energy in one of the text boxes and press the Convert button:

           
  Enter watt-hour: Wh  
  Enter kilowatt-hour: kWh  
  Enter megawatt-hour: MWh  
  Enter BTU: BTUIT  
  Enter kiloBTU: kBTUIT  
  Enter joules: J  
  Enter kilojoules: kJ  
  Enter megajoules: MJ  
  Enter gigajoules: GJ  
         
           

kWh to BTU, Joule conversion table

Kilowatt-hour

(kWh)

BTUIT Joule (J)
0.1 kWh 341.2142 BTU 3.6⋅105 J
1 kWh 3412.1416 BTU 3.6⋅106 J
10 kWh 34121.4163 BTU 3.6⋅107 J
100 kWh 341214.1633 BTU 3.6⋅108 J
1000 kWh 3412141.6331 BTU 3.6⋅109 J
10000 kWh 34121416.3313 BTU 3.6⋅1010 J

kWh meter

kWh meter is the electric meter that measures the amount of electrical energy in kWh that was consumed in the house. The kWh meter has a counter display that counts units of kilowatt-hour (kWh). The energy consumption is calculated by calculating the difference of the counter's reading in the specified period.

Cost of electricity bill

The cost of electricity bill is calculated by multiplying the number of kWh that were consumed by the cost of 1kWh.

For example, the electricity bill's cost for consumption of 900kWh per month with cost of 10 cents for 1kWh is

900kWh x 10¢ = 9000¢ = 90$.

How many kilowatt-hour does a house use?

Energy consumption of a house is about the range of 150kWh..1500kWh per month or 5kWh..50kWh per day.

It depends on the weather that affects the heating or air conditioning requirements and the number of people that live in the house.

 

Kilowatt (kW) ►

 


See also

ELECTRICITY & ELECTRONICS UNITS
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