Notes 7.3 : Calculating Electric Power + Electrical Energy
The Electric Power equation The electric power used depends on the voltage difference and the current. Electric power (in watts) = current (in amperes) x voltage difference (in volts) P= IV The unit power is the watt (W), since watt is a small unit of power, the electric power is often expressed in kilowatts (kW). One kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts.
Electrical Energy. Using electric power costs money, Although the electric companies charge by the amount electrical energy used rather than by the electric power used. Electrical energy is usually measured in units of kilowatt hours, (kWh), it can be calculated by this equation : Electrical energy (in kWh) = electric power (in kW) x time ( in hours ) E=Pt Electric power in the equation is in units of kW. The time is the number of hours that the electric power is used.