Units of Energy and Power

The standard unit for measuring energy and power is the Watt. For measuring electrical consumption we use Kilowatt-hour. See below further explanation of these units.

Watt

A watt is a unit of power equal to one joule per second. Watts are calculated by multiplying amps with volts. Larger measurements are:

• Kilowatt (kW) – 1,000 watts
• Megawatt (MW) – 1,000 kilowatts
• Gigawatt (GW) – 1,000 megawatts
• Terawatt (TW) – 1,000 gigwatts

Kilowatt-Hour

The most common measure of electrical energy, measured as 1,000 watt-hours (Wh), the amount of energy consumed by an appliance with a one-watt demand running for an hour. A kilowatt-hour is written in the form kWh. Larger measurements are:

• Megawatt-hour (MWh) – one million Wh or 1,000kWh
• Gigawatt-hour (GWh) – 1,000MWh
• Terawatt-hour (TWh) – 1,000GWh, or one trillion Wh

British Thermal Unit

A British Thermal Unit, or BTU, is the amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is roughly the same amount of energy produced by the burning of a single match.
One thousand BTU is expressed MBtu, while one million is written as MMBtu.