💡 Power Converter
Free online power converter. Convert between watts, kilowatts, megawatts, horsepower and BTU per hour.
Conversion Reference Table
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Power Conversion Guide
Power is the rate at which energy is used or produced. The SI unit of power is the watt (W), named after James Watt. One watt equals one joule per second. In everyday life, power comes up when comparing appliance energy use (watts), car engine output (horsepower or kilowatts), and electricity generation (megawatts).
One horsepower (hp) equals 745.7 watts or 0.7457 kilowatts. This unit was originally defined by James Watt himself to help sell steam engines by comparing them to horses. A typical car engine produces 100–300 horsepower (75–224 kW). A large power station generates hundreds of megawatts (MW) or even gigawatts (GW).
Electricity and Power Bills
Your electricity bill charges you for kilowatt-hours (kWh) — the amount of energy used. A 1,000-watt (1 kW) appliance running for 1 hour uses 1 kWh of electricity. A 100-watt light bulb running for 10 hours also uses 1 kWh. Understanding the relationship between watts (power) and kilowatt-hours (energy) helps you manage your electricity costs.