Update: I am actually searching for really simple, intuitive ways to explain it. I have a background in engineering, but am struggling to explain why we “pay for kwh”, and not kw (on our electricity bill) to someone who doesn’t. I have tried in many ways but maybe I’m not giving the right examples or making the right comparisons. I am really searchig for a way to ELI5.
In: 24
One is a rate of power expenditure, and one is a quantity of energy spent (or stored.. batteries also have a Wh value associated with them, or more commonly mAh which can be converted to Wh using the voltage of the battery (milliAmp hours)). Power (Standard unit of Watts) is defined as energy per time (Joules/Second)
kW is the *rate* of power consumed when you use a device.
If a device requires 1 kW and you use it for 1 hour, you have used a *quantity* of 1 kWh.
This is how energy companies measure your power usage, by how many kWh you use per month. Different amounts put you in different tiers, which give you different rates.
Edit: added the words “spent (or stored)” for clarity, changed a few things for accuracy
Latest Answers