Electrical Measurements Made Easy
Most people use electrical terms every day, and by now it’s probably a habit to look for the wattage or current rating on lightbulbs and appliances. But do you know what those terms actually mean?
In this quick guide, we’ll break down the basics of electrical measurement. Understanding how electricity is measured will make it easier to draw up your electrical plans. And when it’s time to actually do the work, make sure you call a SESCOS electrician for expert consultation and a job done right.
What’s a Watt?
In its simplest terms, a watt is a measurement of energy. In electrical terms, it tells you how much power is being used to keep an appliance or element running. A 25-watt light bulb will pull 25 watts of power out of the current when it’s turned on.
Watt-hours: This measures how much electrical output the item uses in a given time frame. For instance, a 200-watt small appliance will use 200 watt-hours of electricity if you leave it on for one hour.
Kilowatt hours: The symbol for kilowatt hours (kWh) might be familiar from your utility bill every month. It shows how much energy your electrical items have been using. Since a kilowatt is 1,000 watts, one kilowatt-hour (kWh) means you’re using electricity at a regular rate of 1,000 watts. An appliance like a dishwasher might use about 500 kWh a year.
Megawatts: A megawatt is equivalent to 1,000 kilowatts or one million watts. It’s a big number used to power big items like a factory or an entire city.
All Amped Up
When you’re talking electricity, at some point you’ll be talking about amps and voltage. Knowing a little more about how electricity works will save you time and money and can point the way to reducing your energy costs. To get serious savings, ask your SESCOS technician to schedule an energy audit and watch the savings pile up.
Voltage: The electricity that’s running through your circuits is too powerful to just let loose, so before it can reach your home, it’s transformed into lower voltage levels (110 in the U.S., 230 in Europe).
An amp is a unit of electrical current. If you think of voltage as a well or a pool of electrical charge, an amp is how much “water” an appliance needs to pull from the well in order to work.
Amperage: Every item that gets plugged into an outlet in your house pulls a set amount of energy from the current. Generally speaking, the larger the appliance, the more it’s going to pull. A desk lamp might pull 20 amps and a refrigerator might pull 200 or more amps of current.
The item’s current rating is a clue as to how much it will use. In most cases, items with higher current ratings work better and faster, at a cost of costing you a lot more electricity. If you’re looking to reduce your bills, look to see if there’s any room to cut down on the current ratings of appliances and electronics in your home.
Fun fact: When a person is shocked by electricity, it’s the amount of current, not the voltage, that determines how dangerous the shock is. Electrical hazards are far from fun, in fact, they can be lethal, so always let a qualified electrician handle your home’s electrical needs.
Get the Power
When it comes to electricity and energy use, you’ve got the power to make the right choices.
- Never overload a circuit breaker with too many high-amp appliances.
- Look for ways you can cut your energy use, including an energy audit.
- Always leave electrical work to the experts.
We hope this guide has been useful, and we also hope that the next time you have a question about your home’s wiring, you’ll give SESCOS a call. We’re a local, family-run business with decades of experience serving residential, commercial and industrial customers. With our commitment to customer service and a reputation for integrity, it’s no wonder we’ve become Loudoun County’s favorite electrical contractors.
Give SESCOS a call and get the power you need, when you need it.