What does watts measure

A "volt" is a unit of electric potential, also known as electromotive force, and represents "the potential difference between two points of a conducting wire carrying a constant current of 1 ampere, when the power dissipated between these points is equal to 1 watt. The characteristics of voltage are like that of water flowing through pipes. This is known as the "water-flow analogy", which is sometimes used to explain electric circuits by comparing them with a closed system of water-filled pipes, or "water circuit", that is pressurized by a pump.

Refer to the image below to visualize how voltage and electric current works Current I is a rate of flow and is measured in amps A. Ohms R is a measure of resistance and is analogous to the water pipe size. Current is proportional to the diameter of the pipe or the amount of water flowing at that pressure. Voltage is an expression of the available energy per unit charge which drives the electric current around a closed circuit in a direct current DC electrical circuit.

Increasing the resistance, comparable to decreasing the pipe size in the water circuit, will proportionately decrease the current, or water flow in the water circuit, which is driven through the circuit by the voltage, which is comparable to the hydraulic pressure in a water circuit. The relationship between voltage and current is defined in ohmic devices like resistors by Ohm's Law. Skip to Navigation Skip to Main Content. Toggle SideBar. Enphase Community.

Search support Sign in to ask a question. Fields Title. What is the difference between a watt and a watt-hour? URL Name. Sub Heading. Understand solar energy terms such as watt and watt-hour.

So what is a watt? So what is a watt-hour? When are your solar panels most profitable? How to reduce the power consumption of my refrigerator and freezer? Did you find this article useful? Your name Your email address. Tips on how to save energy! Gratis E-book 5 superhandige energietips Geen spam, beloofd! Je vindt er eindelijk het antwoord op vragen als: Wat verbruiken mijn huishoudtoestellen?

Wat is het verschil tussen watt en kilowattuur? Hoe kies ik de juiste lamp? En nog veel meer Or if you are just into lightbulb jokes, see my green building lightbulb jokes here. Chances are, you may be worried about higher energy prices, global warming, energy insecurity, or all of the above and more. You may want to become more aware of your energy use, and become more efficient. A few weeks ago I wrote about radiation terminology; today I'm going to focus on energy terminology.

Knowing is half the battle. Let's start with that watt lightbulb. Power is a measure of the rate at which energy flows, and in electrical systems it is measured in watts W. Watts are basically the miles-per-hour measurement of the electrical world--they tell you how fast the electrons are speeding down the highway.

For those who are keeping track, one watt is equivalent to electricity flowing at a rate of one joule per second in the metric system, which is also equivalent to 3.

A watt lightbulb will consume electricity at a rate of 60 watts. A laborer working through the day will put out 75 watts of power. A medium-sized car might consume , watts. One horsepower is equivalent to watts, so that's a hp car. A small gasoline generator puts out 2, watts; the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant puts out megawatts, or ,, watts. Many other pieces of equipment come with power ratings to describe the rate at which they use energy. When you get your utility bill, the electricity you've used is measured in kilowatt -hours kWh.

While a watt is a measure of power, a kWh is a measure of energy. Energy is defined as the capacity to do work, such as creating heat, light, or motion. If you run a watt lightbulb for one hour, you've used 60 watt-hours, or 0.

In other words, 0. Homes are typically charged only for the electricity they use, measured in kWh. But commercial and industrial facilities also pay "demand charges," which are calculated based on their peak power draw usually measured in megawatts, or MW , which compensates the electric utility for ensuring that it has enough power available to meet that demand.

Boilers and furnaces are also sized based on their heating power, in Btus per hour in the U.