July 13, 2022, 10:00 am | Read time: 4 minutes
In times when energy prices are rising and energy needs to be conserved for environmental protection, everyday electricity consumption is a significant cost factor. Electricity consumption is billed in kilowatt-hours by electricity providers. But what exactly is behind the unit of measurement kilowatt-hour (kWh), and what can you do with a kWh?
Our households are full of devices that primarily need one thing–electricity. This energy is billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Whether it’s a washing machine, dishwasher, or smartphone, we plug the devices into the socket, and the electricity meter calculates the consumption. However, the energy consumption of individual devices remains an abstract concept. Therefore, it’s worth taking a closer look at the measurement of kilowatt-hours to assess your own energy consumption and save money.
Overview
How to Calculate a Kilowatt-Hour
Electricity consumption is indicated in kilowatts (kW), which is the power of an electrical device. One thousand watts equal one kilowatt (kW). By adding the time during which energy is consumed or generated at a certain power, you calculate the so-called kilowatt-hour (kWh). For example, a 100-watt light bulb burning for ten hours consumes exactly one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy. This allows you to calculate how much a device consumes within an hour or how much “work” it has done over a period.
With one kWh, you can brew about 70 cups of coffee or prepare a meal for four people on an electric stove. Playing on the PlayStation is possible for about five hours with one kilowatt-hour, or you can use a steam iron for half an hour.
Calculate Consumption of Electronic Devices
Energy consumption is billed in kilowatt-hours. However, the actual consumption of devices is often also given in watts. From the wattage information, you can calculate the consumption in kilowatt-hours. The device’s power (watts) is multiplied by the time (hours), resulting in the electricity consumption in watt-hours (Wh). You can then divide the number of watt-hours by 1,000 to calculate the kilowatt-hours (kWh).
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Average Consumption of a 2-Person Household
To better estimate annual electricity consumption, it’s useful to use average annual consumption values as a comparison. According to Statista, the annual consumption of a 2-person household in Germany in 2021 was 2,800 kilowatt-hours in a multi-family house with electric water heating and about 2,000 kilowatt-hours without electric water heating. For two people in single-family homes, the annual consumption with their own electric water heating was significantly higher at 3,500 kilowatt-hours. Without electric water heating, single-family households with two people consumed about 3,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
In contrast, a 4-person household in a single-family home consumes between 5,000 kWh (with hot water) and 4,000 kWh (without hot water), while in a multi-family house, the consumption ranged from 4,100 to 2,600 kWh depending on water heating.
If you are well above this average consumption for the specified 2 to 4 person households, you can start saving electricity at home with six tips from TECHBOOK.
What You Can Do with 1 kWh of Electricity
Additionally, you can use the following simple examples to illustrate how much you can do with one kilowatt-hour of electricity to reduce energy-intensive activities.
With one kWh of electricity, you can…
- vacuum for almost two hours with a 600-watt vacuum cleaner.
- wash around 200 dishes and cutlery items in the dishwasher.
- wash about 11 kilograms of laundry in an eco-program at 40 to 60 degrees.
- bake a cake.
- toast about 130 slices of bread.
- shave around 2,000 times.
- style your hair for an hour with a 1,000-watt hairdryer.
- have about 111 hours of light from a nine-watt LED lamp.
- watch TV for about 12 hours with a 140-centimeter LED TV.