Definition

1. Noun:
   • A unit of energy: A kilowatt hour is a derived unit of energy equal to 3.6 megajoules. It represents the amount of energy equivalent to a power consumption of one kilowatt sustained for one hour.

Usage

• The kilowatt hour is the standard unit of electrical energy for which consumers are billed by utility companies.
• It is used to measure electricity production, consumption, and transfer over time.

Examples

• Noun:
  • My electricity bill shows I used 450 kilowatt hours last month.
  • This appliance consumes approximately 1.5 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
  • A typical solar panel system can generate several thousand kilowatt hours annually.

Advanced Usage

• "per kilowatt hour": Used to express a rate or cost associated with energy.
  • The cost of electricity is 15 cents per kilowatt hour.
• In technical and scientific contexts, the kilowatt hour may be converted to joules (1 kWh = 3.6 × 10⁶ J) for compatibility with the International System of Units (SI).

Variants and Related Words

• kWh: The standard abbreviation for kilowatt hour.
• Megawatt hour (MWh): A unit of energy equal to 1,000 kilowatt hours.
• Watt-hour (Wh): A unit of energy equal to one watt of power expended for one hour. A kilowatt hour is 1,000 watt-hours.

Synonyms

• Unit of electrical energy: A general descriptive synonym.
• Board of Trade unit: An older, largely obsolete term for the kilowatt hour.

Related Phrases

• Kilowatt-hour meter: The device (electricity meter) that measures cumulative energy consumption in kilowatt hours.
  • The electrician read the kilowatt-hour meter to determine our usage.
• Cost per kilowatt-hour: A common phrase in economics and utility billing.
  • We compared the cost per kilowatt-hour from different providers.

Noun

1. a unit of energy equal to the work done by a power of 1000 watts operating for one hour