Kilowatte

Kilowatte is not an officially recognized unit of measurement in the International System of Units. The standard unit for electrical power is the watt, symbol W. A kilowatt, symbol kW, equals 1000 watts. The prefix kilo- denotes a factor of one thousand, and the watt is named after James Watt, an 18th‑century inventor. The kilowatt is widely used to express the power rating of electrical devices, motors, and power plants, as well as the output of renewable energy installations. It is also common to see kilowatts used in the context of generators, HVAC equipment, and electric vehicle charging rates. The watt remains a unit of power, whereas the kilowatt‑hour is a unit of energy representing the amount of energy used if a device operates at one kilowatt for one hour. One kilowatt-hour equals 3.6 megajoules.

The term "kilowatte" may appear in informal writing or transliteration, or as a brand name; it is not an official SI spelling. When used to denote power, the correct term is kilowatt (kW). If precision is required, use kW for power and kWh for energy.

See also: Watt, Kilowatt-hour, Horsepower, SI prefixes.