kilowatt-hour

noun

kilo·​watt-hour ˈki-lə-ˌwät-ˈau̇(-ə)r 

ˈkē-lə-

: a unit of work or energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour or to 3.6 million joules

Examples of kilowatt-hour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Every kilowatt-hour generated by a Turkish wind turbine or a Moroccan solar panel is one that does not depend on a tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz. —Ezgi Canpolat, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026

One cubic meter of ice holds about 93 kilowatt-hours of cooling capacity, comparable in energy to a large chemical battery pack but at a fraction of the cost and without degradation over charge cycles. —Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026

Since January 2025, the national average price of electricity per kilowatt-hour has increased by 1 cent. —Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026

Plug-in solar safety Plug-in solar advocates say that safety concerns about the new technology have been addressed and that utilities are really just worried about losing business, because every kilowatt-hour generated by a plug-in solar panel is one less the utility sells to a customer. —Jeff Brady, NPR, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kilowatt-hour

• candlepower
• cauliflower
• overpower
• superpower
• vavasour
• waterpower
• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• horsepower

Kids Definition

kilowatt-hour

noun

: a unit of work or energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour and equal to 3.6 million joules

Medical Definition

kilowatt-hour

noun

: a unit of work or energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour