The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy that represents the amount of energy consumed or produced. Although commonly associated with electric bills, it has fascinating real-world applications. For example, one kWh can power a 100-watt incandescent light bulb for 10 hours or a modern energy-efficient LED bulb for around 50 hours. Interestingly, the kWh is not just for electricity—it’s also used in renewable energy systems to measure solar and wind power production efficiencies.
Beyond its practical uses, kilowatt-hours reveal intriguing insights into our energy consumption patterns. For instance, the average U.S. home consumes about 877 kWh per month, providing a benchmark for households exploring energy-saving measures. The kWh also serves as a universal language in global energy markets, standardizing costs and outputs across international borders.
The megawatt-hour (MWh) is a unit of energy that measures electricity production, consumption, or energy flow over time. It is commonly used to bill large-scale electricity consumers, such as factories or entire cities. To put it into perspective, one megawatt-hour can power about 330 homes for an hour or a single home for 330 hours! In the realm of renewable energy, just one megawatt-hour of wind energy can offset over 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions—a significant environmental benefit.
Moreover, the world’s energy needs are so vast that in 2022, global electricity consumption soared to over 26,000 terawatt-hours (TWh), where one terawatt-hour equates to one million megawatt-hours. This highlights how crucial units like the MWh are in understanding and managing our energy use and impact.
| Kilowatt-hours | Megawatt-hours |
|---|---|
0
kWh
|
0
MWh
|
1
kWh
|
0.001
MWh
|
2
kWh
|
0.002
MWh
|
3
kWh
|
0.003
MWh
|
4
kWh
|
0.004
MWh
|
5
kWh
|
0.005
MWh
|
6
kWh
|
0.006
MWh
|
7
kWh
|
0.007
MWh
|
8
kWh
|
0.008
MWh
|
9
kWh
|
0.009
MWh
|
10
kWh
|
0.01
MWh
|
11
kWh
|
0.011
MWh
|
12
kWh
|
0.012
MWh
|
13
kWh
|
0.013
MWh
|
14
kWh
|
0.014
MWh
|
15
kWh
|
0.015
MWh
|
16
kWh
|
0.016
MWh
|
17
kWh
|
0.017
MWh
|
18
kWh
|
0.018
MWh
|
19
kWh
|
0.019
MWh
|
20
kWh
|
0.02
MWh
|
21
kWh
|
0.021
MWh
|
22
kWh
|
0.022
MWh
|
23
kWh
|
0.023
MWh
|
24
kWh
|
0.024
MWh
|
25
kWh
|
0.025
MWh
|
26
kWh
|
0.026
MWh
|
27
kWh
|
0.027
MWh
|
28
kWh
|
0.028
MWh
|
29
kWh
|
0.029
MWh
|
30
kWh
|
0.03
MWh
|
31
kWh
|
0.031
MWh
|
32
kWh
|
0.032
MWh
|
33
kWh
|
0.033
MWh
|
34
kWh
|
0.034
MWh
|
35
kWh
|
0.035
MWh
|
36
kWh
|
0.036
MWh
|
37
kWh
|
0.037
MWh
|
38
kWh
|
0.038
MWh
|
39
kWh
|
0.039
MWh
|
40
kWh
|
0.04
MWh
|
41
kWh
|
0.041
MWh
|
42
kWh
|
0.042
MWh
|
43
kWh
|
0.043
MWh
|
44
kWh
|
0.044
MWh
|
45
kWh
|
0.045
MWh
|
46
kWh
|
0.046
MWh
|
47
kWh
|
0.047
MWh
|
48
kWh
|
0.048
MWh
|
49
kWh
|
0.049
MWh
|
50
kWh
|
0.05
MWh
|
51
kWh
|
0.051
MWh
|
52
kWh
|
0.052
MWh
|
53
kWh
|
0.053
MWh
|
54
kWh
|
0.054
MWh
|
55
kWh
|
0.055
MWh
|
56
kWh
|
0.056
MWh
|
57
kWh
|
0.057
MWh
|
58
kWh
|
0.058
MWh
|
59
kWh
|
0.059
MWh
|
60
kWh
|
0.06
MWh
|
61
kWh
|
0.061
MWh
|
62
kWh
|
0.062
MWh
|
63
kWh
|
0.063
MWh
|
64
kWh
|
0.064
MWh
|
65
kWh
|
0.065
MWh
|
66
kWh
|
0.066
MWh
|
67
kWh
|
0.067
MWh
|
68
kWh
|
0.068
MWh
|
69
kWh
|
0.069
MWh
|
70
kWh
|
0.07
MWh
|
71
kWh
|
0.071
MWh
|
72
kWh
|
0.072
MWh
|
73
kWh
|
0.073
MWh
|
74
kWh
|
0.074
MWh
|
75
kWh
|
0.075
MWh
|
76
kWh
|
0.076
MWh
|
77
kWh
|
0.077
MWh
|
78
kWh
|
0.078
MWh
|
79
kWh
|
0.079
MWh
|
80
kWh
|
0.08
MWh
|
81
kWh
|
0.081
MWh
|
82
kWh
|
0.082
MWh
|
83
kWh
|
0.083
MWh
|
84
kWh
|
0.084
MWh
|
85
kWh
|
0.085
MWh
|
86
kWh
|
0.086
MWh
|
87
kWh
|
0.087
MWh
|
88
kWh
|
0.088
MWh
|
89
kWh
|
0.089
MWh
|
90
kWh
|
0.09
MWh
|
91
kWh
|
0.091
MWh
|
92
kWh
|
0.092
MWh
|
93
kWh
|
0.093
MWh
|
94
kWh
|
0.094
MWh
|
95
kWh
|
0.095
MWh
|
96
kWh
|
0.096
MWh
|
97
kWh
|
0.097
MWh
|
98
kWh
|
0.098
MWh
|
99
kWh
|
0.099
MWh
|
100
kWh
|
0.1
MWh
|
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