What Is a Kilowatt-Hour?

Jason Fogelson 08/17/2022 1:35pm

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a measure of the amount of energy a device needs to run for one hour, commonly used as the billing unit for residential or commercial electrical service. For example, ten 100-watt lightbulbs left on for one hour would use one Kilowatt-hour of electricity. Electric vehicles also measure their battery capacity by the number of Kilowatt-hours the batteries can hold. See also kilowatt, watt.

Jason Fogelson

Jason Fogelson is the Managing Editor of Publication Operations for Cox Automotive Inc. He works with the editorial team to ensure everything you read on Kelley Blue Book is factual, grammatically correct, well-written, and relevant. Jason contributed to KBB for years before joining the staff in 2022 as part of a long career as a freelance automotive journalist and editor for magazines and websites. His first book, “100 Things for Every Gearhead to Do Before They Die,” was published by Reedy Press in 2016. Jason was President of the Motor Press Guild (MPG) for two terms and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA), the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA), and the International Motor Press Association (IMPA). He lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife, dog, two cats, motorcycle, and van. He’s always on the hunt for an inexpensive roadster to fill an empty slot in his garage.
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