residential utility customer was 10,812 kilowatthours (kWh), an average of 901 kWh per month. 'In 2015, the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. One kWh will light a 100 watt bulb for 10 hours'. One kilowatt hour is equal to 1000 watts of power used for one hour of time.įrom Con Ed Bill -'We measure yur electricty by how many kilowatt hours ((kWh) you use. The total amount of electrical energy used depends on the total power used by all your electrical devices and the total time they are used in your home.Įlectical Energy is measured in kilowatt-hoursĮnergy =Power x Time or Kilowatt-hours = Kilowatts x Hours Where: Q is electric charge in coulombs, t is time in seconds, I is electric current in amperes and V is electric potential or voltage in voltsĮlectrical Energy = Power x Time.

P = work done per unit of time = VQ/t = (V)(I) or Power = Voltage x Current or Volts x Amperes The term wattage is used to mean 'electric power in watts.' The electric power in watts produced by an electric current I consisting of a charge of Q coulombs every t seconds passing through an electric potential (voltage) difference of V is: Electric utilities measure power using an electricity meter, which keeps a running total of the electric energy delivered to a customer.Įlectric power, is the rate of doing work, measured in watts, and represented by the letter P.

Electric power is usually sold by electric companies as the kilowatt hour (3.6 MJ) which is the product of power in kilowatts multiplied by running time in hours. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second.Įlectric power is usually produced by electric generators, but can also be supplied by electric batteries. (See also: What is Work, Energy and Power?) Electric Power is the rate at which electricity does work or provides energy. Electric Power is the rate at which work is done.

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