When you’re looking to install a solar panel in your home, one of the first things you do is start your research on Google. However, have you noticed how each solar product uses the terms ‘kW’ or ‘Kilowatt’? Have you ever wondered what kilowatts are? How many watts in a kilowatt?
Well, we have the answers for you. Read through this short article to understand how kilowatt makes a difference in the solar product and what exactly is the difference between kWh and kW? Let’s start with the basics.
Watt is a measurement unit of electrical power. From solar panels to a simple hand-held mixer in your home, all electrical products have a rating in watts. This rating helps the user understand how many watts of power the appliance can understand. Similarly, a kilowatt is equal to a thousand watts.
A kilowatt-hour is often denoted as kWh. A kilowatt-hour is a measure of how much time would be required to use up to 1 kWh. For example, if you take a simple light bulb with a 100-watt rating, it will take the bulb 10 hours to use 1 kWh of power. But, if you use an appliance with a 200-watt rating, it will take the appliance 5 hours to use 1 kWh of energy.
It is also a unit of energy and is commonly used by energy and billing companies. You may often see this rating on your energy bills. This terminology is also used on appliances to help the user understand how long it would take for the product to use 1 kWh of energy.
While both kWh and kW sound similar, there is an inherent difference between the two. Let’s understand the difference between the two.
A kW is simply a measure of how much energy a product will consume. But a kWh measures the amount of energy a product will consume, and the time it will require to consume it. Let’s understand this with an example.
If you own a 1400 watt Plasma TV that you use for 4 hours per day, your TV uses the energy accordingly:
Since 1 kilowatt equals 1000 watts, you get 1.4 kW. So your television uses 1.4 kW of power to run smoothly.
First, we will multiply the kilowatts the TV uses with the hours it runs, i.e. 1400 watts x 4 hours = 5600 watts per day or 5.6 kWh per day.
You can find the total energy consumption of your TV per month by multiplying the 5.6 kWh by 30 (assuming you use the TV for four hours every day). So, your TV’s total monthly consumption is 16.8 kWh.
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Your energy provider often multiplies your household’s total kWh with their rate to send you the monthly bill. For example, your energy provider charges you INR 50 per kWh. So, for the example given above, you will have to pay 50 x 16.8 = INR 840.
Therefore, the higher your household’s kilowatt-hour, the higher your monthly energy bill is expected to become. Now that you understand the difference between kWh and kW let’s look at ways to reduce your electricity bill!
One of the most crucial things to do is monitor your household’s energy consumption. If you have a pipe gas line, the indicator outside may help you monitor your household’s energy consumption. You should ask a local technician to help you read the unit. However, once you’ve learned it, you can easily monitor the change and make sure you aren’t using too much energy.
LED bulbs, tube lights, etc., are very well known for being more energy-efficient. On the other hand, incandescent bulbs are known for having a lower lifespan and using a lot of electricity. Therefore, wherever you can, replace incandescent bulbs with LEDs.
Most households have the habit of leaving laptops, washing machines and computers on standby when not in use. While you aren’t using them, they are still using electricity. This means that whether you’re using the appliance or not, it is consuming energy and increasing your electricity bill. Therefore, if you aren’t planning to use the appliance for the next half hour, turn it off.
There are alternatives available for every appliance. For example, if the weather isn’t too hot or if you’re going to be in the room for only 20 minutes, opt to use a fan instead of an air conditioner. The fan will be more effective than an air conditioner. This is because an air conditioner usually has a 15-minute cooling cycle. This means, for the first 15 minutes, the room will remain hot. Finding similar alternatives will ensure your bills remain in control.
Most Indian households have refrigerators in the kitchen for accessibility. But there is an inherent flaw in this design. The job of an air conditioner is to cool the items inside. It has a regular air circulation cycle with the air in the room. This air is cooled and then distributed inside. When the refrigerator is placed near a heat source, it absorbs warm or humid air. Thus, the unit has to spend extra energy to lower the temperature of the air. This means the unit uses more electricity.
These are the top five ways to reduce the electricity consumption of your home. You can also control your house’s kilowatt-hour by installing a solar panel. Solar panels can help your household become independent of the city’s solar grid, which means you won’t have to pay monthly electricity bills. You can install a battery.
Now that you know how many watts are in a kilowatt and the difference between kWh and kW, you can find and install a solar system that will help you manage the energy requirement of your home. Contact Waaree solar – one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels and go eco-friendly.
Read further: How does a BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) Work?
