# Conversion from KW to KWh



## eng.dork (Sep 12, 2008)

I was wondering if anyone knew off the top of their heads the conversion from KW to KWh? I need to take it over a 24 hours period. I have done a little research online but really havn't come up with anything good so far. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## MA_PE (Sep 12, 2008)

I'm a mechanical/Structural guy and not an EE but I believe that KW (kilowatt) is a measure of power equal to 1000Watts and KWh (kilowatt/hours) is a measure of the total power used expressed in terms of equivalent units of 1 kilowatt (1000watts) in a 1 hour period.

from a power comapny website:

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is one thousand watts per hour. Just think if you have ten 100-watt lightbulbs (ten x 100 = 1,000) burning for one hour, that is one kWh; and the electric company will charge you about xxx cents for those 1,000 watts used during that hour.

net result is that the equivalent KWh would depend on the wattage used and for how long. Watts * time = Watt hours / 1000 = KWh

Hope this helps.


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## chaosiscash (Sep 12, 2008)

Yep. They don't really convert, as they are not measuring the same thing. (power vs. energy) If you know your load (kw), just multiply it by your 24 hours. If you know your energy used for 24 hours (kwh), just divide it by 24 to get your load (kw).


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## eng.dork (Sep 12, 2008)

alright that sounds easy enough...thanks for the help.


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## IlPadrino (Sep 12, 2008)

eng.dork said:


> I was wondering if anyone knew off the top of their heads the conversion from KW to KWh? I need to take it over a 24 hours period. I have done a little research online but really havn't come up with anything good so far. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Are you a EE? A PE?


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## ODB_PE (Sep 12, 2008)

eng.dork said:


> I was wondering if anyone knew off the top of their heads the conversion from KW to KWh? I need to take it over a 24 hours period. I have done a little research online but really havn't come up with anything good so far. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Too bad GT_ME isn't around anymore. he lives for shit like this.


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## Sschell (Sep 12, 2008)

IlPadrino said:


> Are you a EE? A PE?


God help us!

on a related note, I was wondering if anyone knows how to convert feet into foot-pounds... or inches into PSI... anyone???

sorry eng.dork... I couldn't resist some ball busting! no offence.


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## IlPadrino (Sep 12, 2008)

The Dude said:


> sorry eng.dork... I couldn't resist some ball busting! no offence.


They say there are no stupid questions... just stupid answers.


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## wilheldp_PE (Sep 12, 2008)

IlPadrino said:


> They say there are no stupid questions... just stupid answers.


There is definitely no shortage of those around here. We couldn't stay on topic if we were stapled to it.


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## mudpuppy (Sep 13, 2008)

chaosiscash said:


> If you know your load (kw), just multiply it by your 24 hours. If you know your energy used for 24 hours (kwh), just divide it by 24 to get your load (kw).


This is true given your load is constant. Generally, energy is the integral of power over time. So if in a day you use 12 000 W for an hour and 0 W for the other 23 hours, you've used 12 000 Wh for that day. If you use a constant 500 W for 24 hours, you've also used 12 000 Wh for the day.


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## chaosiscash (Sep 15, 2008)

mudpuppy said:


> This is true given your load is constant. Generally, energy is the integral of power over time. So if in a day you use 12 000 W for an hour and 0 W for the other 23 hours, you've used 12 000 Wh for that day. If you use a constant 500 W for 24 hours, you've also used 12 000 Wh for the day.


No shit. I thought about going into that, but given the nature of the question I felt it best to keep the answer as simple as possible.


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## mudpuppy (Sep 15, 2008)

My post wasn't intended to imply that I thought you didn't understand the concept, choas. Despite the simplicity of the question, I figured since eng.dork has previously stated he has a BS in EE and is an electrical PE that he might appreciate a more in-depth explanation. I apologize if my post came across as demeaning or offensive.


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## chaosiscash (Sep 15, 2008)

Oops. I guess my reply did come across as though I took offence. No worries.


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## IlPadrino (Sep 15, 2008)

mudpuppy said:


> Despite the simplicity of the question, I figured since eng.dork has previously stated he has a BS in EE and is an electrical PE that he might appreciate a more in-depth explanation.


OK... maybe you can help me next... I have a pump that discharges 20 CFS. How many gallons a day is that? Oh... and please provide an in-depth explanation because I have a BS and MS and I'm a PE.

:joke:


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## Chucktown PE (Sep 15, 2008)

At this point it is hard to tell who is actually a dumbass and who is joking around. I hope for our profession’s sake that none of these posts are actually serious and everyone knows how to convert quarts to gallons, inches to feet, determine power consumption, and wipe your own ass. If not, please let me know where you went to school and where you work. I have a younger brother who wants to be an engineer and I just want to make sure I steer him in the right direction.


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## benbo (Sep 15, 2008)

Chucktown PE said:


> ... everyone knows how to ...wipe your own ass.


Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.


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## IlPadrino (Sep 15, 2008)

benbo said:


> Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.


But can he AC Slater?


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## Capt Worley PE (Sep 16, 2008)

^ Are you insinuating he may be Fudgey?


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## k2keylargo (Oct 13, 2008)

eng.dork,

You must read the newspapers a lot. Nine out of ten times when I read an article that mentions either watts or watt-hours, they are swapped or used as the same term. I've also met several elecctricians who confuse the two. Our electric bills here even use "power cost" when they mean energy. It's no wonder our babies are being born naked.


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