2/25/2023 0 Comments Power consumption calculator![]() ![]() If you want to calculate the dollar savings you’ll get from a retrofit to more efficient lighting, kWh will come into play. So why is kWh so important if you can compare lighting products based on wattage and light output? In the end, a significant portion of your electricity bill is based on your energy consumption in kilowatt-hours. Here’s the breakdown:ġ0 bulbs X 100W = 1,000W or 1kW of lightingġ0 hours of daily use X 30 days in the month = 300 hours of useġkW X 300 hours of use = 300kWh of energy consumption How much energy would you use of the course of a month if you turn them on for 10 hours a day? Let’s go back to the example of having ten 100W light bulbs. This can be calculated by multiplying the kW of energy consumption by the total number of hours the lighting has been operated. ![]() What’s the difference between kW and kWh? The kWh measurement is a way to quantify how much energy is used over a period of time. Your energy usage, though, depends on how long you keep everything on, which leads us to… What is a kilowatt-hour (kWh)? The utility company needs to be able to supply enough electricity to meet that 4kW of demand at the moment you turn everything on. Imagine that you turn on those ten light bulbs and a 3,000-watt clothes dryer at the same time. It’s also worth noting that kW can be synonymous with “demand” if you’re talking to a utility company. Here’s an example: if you turned on ten 100W light bulbs, that would equal 1kW of energy usage. To convert W to kW, divide the total wattage by 1,000. Going from watts (W) to kilowatts (kW) is a pretty straightforward calculation: 1kW is equal to 1,000W. Just like watts, kilowatts is a measure of how much energy something will consume. Ready to shop light bulbs? Click here and use the filters on the left to sort by lumens. So, as you are comparing light bulbs, remember that wattage is a measure of how much energy the light bulb will use as it produces light, and the lumens will give you a measure of how much light it will produce. (The photos above are representative of the technology, not specific product specifications.) With the introduction of more efficient lighting, though, it’s not uncommon to see a “60W equivalent” bulb that uses far less energy and gives off roughly the same amount of light. A 25W incandescent bulb typically produces around 150 lumens - much less light. A 60W incandescent bulb typically gives off around 650-800 lumens. In general, that works well with traditional incandescent light bulbs. Light bulbs are rated in watts to indicate how much energy they consume.ĭoes the wattage of a light bulb have anything to do with brightness? Well, sort of.įor so long, many of us have associated watts with the amount of light a bulb gives off. So what is a watt, anyway? Technically speaking, it's a unit of electrical power equal to 1 joule per second. You go to the store and pick out a “60W” bulb. You unscrew a burned out light bulb and look at the top and see “60W.” All you have is a light bulb labeled “25W,” so you screw it in, and to your dismay, it’s way too dim. You’ve probably made a lot of lighting decisions based on wattage. If you already know the difference between kW and kWh, click here to jump ahead to the calculator. This is a common analogy that we can’t claim as our own, but hopefully our specific examples will help explain how much energy lighting really uses. In this article, I’m going to use the analogy of equating electricity to water. The energy industry is almost as bad as the lighting industry at using abbreviations and jargon, so we’ll try to break each of these down with some practical examples. Calculating watts to kWh could help you understand the answers to the questions above. There’s one common thread that runs through each of these questions: the difference between watts (W), kilowatts (kW), and kilowatt-hours (kWh). How does lighting affect your electricity bill? How much will a lighting retrofit save you? How do you begin to estimate the value of a potential lighting rebate? How much energy does a light bulb use, and how does lighting affect your electricity bill? How much will a lighting retrofit save you? How do you begin to estimate the value of a potential lighting rebate? ![]()
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