A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy used to measure energy consumption or generation. Electricity providers use kWh to determine how much electricity you consume. If you've ever looked at or compared electricity rates, you will see that these rates are priced per kWh.

While that basic explanation may help you understand what you're looking at on your electric bill, you may also have questions about how they're calculated, how many you should consume each month and what appliances use the most of them. In this post, we cover all that and more.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh) vs Kilowatts (kW)

To understand the kWh, it's important to note that kilowatt-hours and kilowatts are not the same. A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy, while a kilowatt is a unit of power.

One kilowatt-hour (kWh) equals the amount of energy used if a 1-kilowatt applianceequal to a 1,000-watt applianceruns for one hour.

Confused? Let's use a car analogy to explain the difference between the two:

• A kW Is The Rate At Which Energy Is Used – You can think of kW as similar to miles per hour (mph), or the speed of a car.
• A kWh Is The Amount Of Energy Used – You can think of kWh as similar to miles, or the distance traveled by a car.

To put it in perspective using a household appliance, a 100-watt light bulb needs electricity at a rate of 100 watts (or .1 kW). Kilowatt-hours tells you the amount of electricity that light bulb used based on how long it was operating. If that 100-watt light bulb runs for 10 hours, it will consume 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity.

Calculating Kilowatt-Hours

Now that you know the relationship between kilowatts and kilowatt-hours, you can understand how kilowatt-hours are calculated. In fact, you can use this information to calculate the electricity consumption of your household appliances. Here's the formula:

• Kilowatt-hour consumption = (Appliance Wattage Hours Used) 1000

Let's use this formula in an example. Say you ran a 700-watt microwave for two hours straight. How many kilowatt-hours would it consume?

• Kilowatt-hour consumption = (Appliance Wattage Hours Used) 1000
• Kilowatt-hour consumption = (700 2) 1000
• Kilowatt-hour consumption = 1400 1000
• Kilowatt-hour consumption = 1.4

Using this formula we can see that the 700-watt microwave would consume 1.4 kWh if it ran for two hours.

You can use this formula with any electrical appliance in your home. You just need to know its wattage and how long it was used.

How Many kWh Does a Typical Home Use?

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), theaverage home uses about 887 kWhof power monthly, but this can vary significantly based on a variety of factors. Most of these factors revolve around your heating and cooling usage, and your climate:

• A/C Usage In Hot Climates – Since air conditioners use a lot of electricity, warmer climates like those in Texas use more kWh to keep their homes cool.
• Electric Heating In Colder Climates – If you have electric heating in a colder climate like in Connecticut, you can see similar spikes in your electricity consumption in the winter months.
• The Size Of Your Home – Larger homes need more electricity to keep temperatures comfortable when it is hot or cold outside.
• The Age Of Your Home – Older homes tend to have poorer insulation, and in turn, need to consume more energy to heat or cool it.

How Many kWh Do Your Household Appliances Use?

Because appliances have different wattages depending on the specific model, it can be difficult to say exactly how many kWh they consume. That said, we compiled the average kWh consumed and the average cost for common electrical appliances to give you an idea:

Source: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey

Average Cost Based On National Average Residential Electricity Rate

Kilowatt-hour (kWh) FAQs