9 April 2020

Difference Between kW and kWh

The main key difference between the kW and kWh is that the kW measure the power generated and the utilize by the devices whereas the kWh measure the energy consumed by the electrical equipment. Here this article gives information about the difference between kW and kWh to better understand this topic.


Definition of kWh:

  • The kW stands for kilowatt, which measures the power delivered by the electrical device with respect to time or we can say that it calculates the work performed by the electrical appliances regarding time. The home appliances like the fan, the lamp, electrical heater have rated power and this power is measured in kilowatts.

Definition of kWh:

  • The kWh stands for kilowatt-hour which measures the work performed by the appliances at the given period. The kWh measures the energy utilized by the machines. The small consumption of the energy is measured in kilowatt-hour and the large consumption of energy is measured in megawatt-hours.
The main difference between kilowatt and kilowatt-hour is that kW shows a unit of power and kWh is a unit of energy.

  • kW - Power required 
  • kWh - Energy needed to keep the power going

The main key difference between kW and kWh:

  • The kW stands for kilowatt and the kWh stands for kilowatt-hour. The kWh measures the energy which is the product of the total power consumed by the devices and the time in an hour.
  • The kW is the unit of measuring the power utility and consumption by the electrical measures like motor, generator, heater, etc but the kWh measure the energy consumed by the electrical appliances.
  • The kW measures the power consumed by the electrical appliance like a bulb, electric heater, fan, etc while the kWh is mainly used for calculating the energy utilized by the machines.
  • The formula of kilowatts (kW) is joule/second*1000 while in kWh(kill watt-hour) is kW*hour.
  • kW is the amount of power used simultaneously at an any given amount of time while kWh is a unit of 1 kW per hour of time.
How to convert kW to kWh:

kWh can be calculated from kilowatts and the number of hours the appliance has been in operation. With the energy being equal to the power times the period of time, to put it scientifically E(kWh) = P(kW)*t(hours).

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