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Electricalaka: kWaka: kilowatts

Kilowatt

In Plain English

A measure of electrical power — 1,000 watts — used to describe how much electricity equipment uses.

Definition

A unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 watts, used to measure the rate of energy consumption or generation. Kilowatts are used to size electrical service, generators, and large equipment. Utility billing is typically based on kilowatt-hours (kWh), representing the total energy used over time.

Why It Matters in Bidding

Kilowatts size the electrical backbone of a project, so the connected and demand load in kW drives the cost of service entrance, switchgear, feeders, transformers, and standby generators that an estimator must price. Getting load estimates wrong cascades through the bid, since an undersized assumption means costly upsizing later and an oversized one inflates equipment and conductor pricing against the competition.

Example

Sizing a backup system for a data center, the estimator totals the connected load in kilowatts, applies demand factors, and prices the generator and automatic transfer switch to the resulting kW rating rather than the raw nameplate sum.

Related Terms

WattAmpere (Amp)VoltageMeter

Frequently Asked Questions

A kilowatt measures the rate of power at an instant, like the size of a load or generator. A kilowatt-hour measures energy used over time, one kilowatt sustained for one hour, and is what utilities bill. Estimators size equipment to kW capacity but evaluate operating cost and efficiency in kWh.
Estimators total the connected loads, apply demand factors to find the realistic peak in kW, then size the service, switchgear, feeders, and any generator to that figure. The kW rating sets which equipment tier and conductor sizes the bid must carry, making accurate load assumptions central to pricing the electrical distribution package.
Power in kilowatts relates to current in amperes through voltage and, for AC systems, power factor. Equipment is often specified in kW while service and breakers are rated in amps, so estimators convert between them to confirm that the priced conductors, breakers, and switchgear actually carry the intended load.

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