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

Furthermore, the firm estimated that the tech could reach capital costs around USD 17 (EUR 15) per kilowatt-hour (kWh). —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 13 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

Aria’s total battery capacity is 13 kilowatt-hours, which is far below the 50- to 80-kWh packs common in mass-market electric sedans and SUVs. —IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2026

Connecticut pays more than twice what Nebraska pays per kilowatt-hour. —Josh Elliott, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 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