Kilowattimme

Kilowattimme, commonly written kilowatt-hour in English, is a unit of energy equal to the energy transferred when a constant power of one kilowatt is sustained for one hour. The symbol is kWh. It is defined as 1000 watts multiplied by 3600 seconds, which equals 3,600,000 joules (3.6 MJ).

It is a unit of energy, not power. The kilowatt (kW) measures power; the kilowatt-hour measures energy consumption. It is widely used to quantify electricity usage by households, industries, and devices. Energy meters typically record consumption in kWh; tariffs are often quoted per kWh.

Standardization and terms: The kilowatt-hour is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. In German-language contexts the common term is Kilowattstunde; Kilowattimme is a variant encountered in everyday speech. The abbreviation kWh is used internationally.

Example: A 2 kW electric heater running for 3 hours consumes 6 kWh of energy. Conversions: 1 kWh equals about 860 kilocalories, and equals 3.6 megajoules. The kilowatt-hour remains the standard unit for consumer electricity pricing and energy accounting.