The simple answer: A kilowatt (kW) is a measure of 1,000 watts of electrical power.

What’s the difference between kWh and kW?

Simply put, a kilowatt is the measurement of power while a kilowatt hour (kWh) is the length of time something can use a kW. One kilowatt hour is equal to one thousand watts sustained for one hour.

While that still sounds technical, let’s use a real example. If you take a 60-watt light bulb, it tells us that it sustains 60 watts of energy as it is used. That means the light bulb is about .06% of 1000 watts, which translates to .06kWh.

kWh is usually how electric companies charge for the power that is used by their customers. Continuing with the light bulb example, if you were to have your 60-watt light bulb on for 6 hours a day every day for 30 days, you would be charged for about 180 hours of energy for the month.