Kilowatt-hour

A unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour, or 3.6 megajoules. It is commonly used to measure electricity consumption.

Energy: A conserved physical quantity that can be transferred or transformed to produce change. A kilowatt-hour measures energy, not the rate at which energy is used.
Electricity meter: A device that measures electrical energy supplied to a building or circuit. Residential meters commonly record cumulative consumption in kilowatt-hours.
Kilowatt: A unit of power equal to 1,000 watts. A kilowatt measures a rate; a kilowatt-hour measures energy accumulated over time.
Electric power: The rate at which electrical energy is transferred in a circuit. A load’s electrical power, integrated over its operating time, gives its energy use.
Energy intensity: Energy use per unit of economic output, activity, or service. Kilowatt-hour data can help quantify how much electricity an activity requires.
Power: The rate at which energy is transferred or converted. Multiplying power by elapsed time gives the energy measured in kilowatt-hours.
Electricity billing: The process of charging customers for electrical service, often according to measured consumption. Utilities commonly multiply kilowatt-hours consumed by an applicable rate.
Kilowatt-hour per year: A rate of energy use expressed as kilowatt-hours accumulated over a year. Annualized consumption adds a time basis that the kilowatt-hour alone does not contain.
Electrical load: A device or system that draws electrical power from a supply. Loads with different power ratings accumulate kilowatt-hours at different rates.
Carbon footprint: The greenhouse-gas emissions associated with an activity, product, or organization. Electricity use in kilowatt-hours can be converted to emissions using a grid-specific factor.

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