How to Convert Hours to KWH

KWH is the primary billing unit used by electricity companies.

A kilowatt hour (KWH) is a unit of energy calculated by multiplying the wattage of a device by the number of hours it is in use for. The KWH is primarily used by electricity companies as the billing unit to measure a home's electricity usage. To determine the exact number of KWH being used, the following formula is applied: hours (h) x kilowatts (KW) = kilowatt hours (KWH).

Instructions

1. Monitor and record the total usage hours of the device you are trying to measure. For example, you may want to determine the number of kilowatt hours used when a lightbulb has been on for 5 hours.

2. Locate the device's number of kilowatts. The number can be found on the device itself or in the device manual. If the unit provided is in watts, divide it by 1,000 to convert the amount to kilowatts. For example, to determine the number of kilowatts of a 100-watt lightbulb, divide 100 by 1,000 and the result is 0.1 kilowatt.

3. Multiply the hours of usage by the number of kilowatts. This total represents the amount of kilowatt hours. For example, to determine the kilowatt hours of a 100-watt lightbulb that's been on for 5 hours, multiply 0.1 kilowatt (step 2) by the number of hours the lightbulb has been on (5). The total KWH is therefore 0.5.

References

• Electric-Echo: What Is kWh?
• Natural Resources Canada: What Is a Kilowattt Hour?