This article breaks down the difficult issue of How Much Is 1200 Watts Of Electricity? Even though the subject of kilowatts isn’t something you think about daily, it impacts your life. A watt is the fundamental unit of measurement for electrical power.
James Watt of Scotland, an engineer, entrepreneur, craftsman, instrument maker, and scientist generally referred to as the Father of the Industrial Revolution, coined the term watt.
Around 1775, he invented the Watt steam engine, which became one of his most famous achievements.
The same process is used today to transform thermal energy into mechanical energy in steam turbines at thermal power plants.
Kilowatts are the units of measurement for electrical power.
Here, you’ll learn more about kilowatts, including what we measure in them, convert and calculate them, and how they differ from kilowatt-hours, megawatts, and gig watts.

How Much Power Are 1200 Watts?
First and foremost, you must determine whether 1200 watts is the constant draw or the maximum nameplate tag they are required to print.
Some devices, particularly those with temperature controls, work intermittently, and their power may be affected by the ambient temperature.
If it always consumes 1200 watts (like a light bulb), the watt-hours are calculated as 24 x 1200 = 28800 Watt-hours or 28.8 kWh.
If your electricity expenses are between $0.10 and $0.20 per kWh, your daily cost will be 28.8 times the cost per kWh.
What Does A Kilowatt And Watt Mean?
Let’s talk about watts before we go into kilowatts (W). The watt is the basic unit of power for measuring electric, thermal, and mechanical power. One joule and one volt-ampere is both equal to one watt.
These terms all refer to electrical power. Let’s look at what a kilowatt (kW) is in greater depth.
A kilowatt is merely another phrase for a unit of power measurement. Kilowatts are commonly used to measure household and business power.
Remember that the prefix kilo signifies thousand. When considering the significance of the prefix, it may be easier to understand that one kilowatt equals 1,000 watts of electrical power.
A microwave with a 1,000-watt designation, for example, requires 1,000 watts of power (or 1 kW) to operate.
How Do You Calculate Kilowatts From Watts?
The conversion of watts to kilowatts is as simple as expected. By multiplying the power in watts P (W) by 1,000, we get the power in kilowatts P (kW).
The Formula for Converting Watts to Kilowatts is as follows:
P (kW) = P (W) / 1,000
If you decided to turn your 1500W dishwasher to kilowatts, for example, you would complete the following math:
P (kW) = 1,500W / 1,000 = 1.5kW
Here’s another way to look at it that might help with the math. Finish your whole number with a decimal point. It’s 1500 in this scenario.
The decimal point will then be moved three digits, or three spaces, to the left because there are three zeros in 1,000, the value you’re dividing by. You get 1.500 or 1.5 in the end.
This approach makes converting watts to kilowatts a breeze with some rapid mental calculation.
A Giga Watt Is Equal To One Million Megawatts
Let’s pretend you’re seeking a bigger measuring unit. In such an instance, you’ll want to use gig watts, which are units of measurement for how much electricity a large power plant or a group of plants can create.
The overall capacity of power generating plants in the United States was around 1,100 GW in 2012.
You’ve probably seen a pattern here. If that’s the case, you might already know the formula for converting megawatts to gig watts (GW).
You would be correct if you supposed that one gigawatt equals 1,000 megawatts.
According to this amusing fact, one gigawatt is made up of 1,000,000 kilowatts and 1,000,000,000 watts. Whew!
Are Kilowatt-Hours And Kilowatts The Same Thing?
This is when things can get a little tricky. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of measurement for the amount of energy consumed.
However, because power and energy are not the same, this is not the same as assessing the number of kilowatts you use every hour.
On the other hand, a kilowatt-hour is the amount of time (or energy) it takes to use one kilowatt of power:
- Kilowatt equals power, the rate at which energy is produced or consumed.
- Kilowatt-Hour = energy, which is how humans consume fuel over time.
One kilowatt-hour equals the amount of energy used by a 1,000-watt device for one hour. The lower an item’s wattage the better;
Consider The Following Scenario
After 10 hours of use, a 100-watt light bulb would have consumed one kilowatt-hour of energy.
However, switching to a more energy-efficient light bulb that uses just 40 watts to provide the same amount of light will take 25 hours to consume one kWh of energy.
Consider how much energy you could save if you replaced all of the light bulbs in your home. When calculating the quantity of energy used or produced on a bigger scale, you would use megawatt-hours (MWh) or gig watt-hours, much like when measuring power consumption (GWh).
Is 1200 Watts a Lot for a Microwave?
When considering the energy consumption of household appliances, it’s essential to understand their power usage, especially with the rising energy costs.
Microwaves, a common kitchen appliance, typically have a power range between 700 and 1,200 watts.
The power, measured in watts, directly impacts the energy it consumes and, consequently, the cost of running it.
For a microwave with a power of 1,200 watts, it uses approximately 1.2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy.
Given the current average energy cost of 28p per kWh, running such a microwave would cost between 20p and 33p per hour.
However, it’s worth noting that microwaves are more energy-efficient than traditional ovens.
They heat only the food, not the surrounding air, making them a cost-effective choice for quick heating and cooking tasks.
In terms of energy efficiency, the Energy Saving Trust recommends using microwaves over ovens whenever possible and emphasizes the importance of turning them off at the plug to save on energy bills.
How Is My Kilowatt-Hours Consumption Calculated?
One kilowatt-hour equals 1,000 watts (or joules) of energy used over one hour, just as one kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts of power.
You would multiply the power usage in watts by the number of hours utilized to convert watts to kilowatt-hours to determine how much energy your coffee maker uses each day.
Then multiply the result by 1,000.
What Is The Best Way To Convert Kilowatt-Hours To Watts?
Assume you wanted to do the opposite and determine how many watts your coffee maker is based on its kilowatt-hours.
In that instance, a few minor changes to the formula would suffice.
To calculate the energy usage in watt-hours, multiply the energy utilized in kWh by 1,000. Behind that, divide the total by the number of hours you used it.
How Much Does One Kilowatt-Hour Of Electricity Cost?
Most utility companies base your monthly electricity payment on how many kilowatt-hours, or units of energy, you use.
Because joules are the scientific unit of energy, your electric bill will frequently indicate your energy usage in joules.
Keep in mind that one joule equals one watt. You can compute how much it will command to run your different electronic appliances and devices if you can convert watts to kWh.
A Choose Energy® Rate Report was created using the most recent electricity prices supplied by the US Energy Information Administration.
The paper illustrates how energy costs differ based on where you live. Idaho citizens will pay the lowest average electricity rates in the United States in 2020, at 9.67 cents per kWh.
On the other hand, Hawaii citizens paid the most, with an average 2020 power bill of roughly 28.84 cents per kWh.
How Powerful Should A Generator Be To Power A Home?
If you live in a part where power outages are possible, investing in a generator can provide you with some peace of mind. You can keep freezers, lights, refrigerators, and well pumps working during a power outage.
A 5,000 to 7,500 watt rated generator can power the most vital household appliances. You’ll probably need to go bigger if you want your entire house to keep running.
You might get away with something smaller if you have fewer appliances.
You may figure out what size generator you’ll need by determining the wattage of your essential appliances.
Conclusion
Smart meters report your daily & hourly energy usage data to the central computer system of your utility company.
This system gives real-time data, allowing both parties to understand current usage patterns without the need for meter readings.
Smart meters provide a user with information on How Much Is 1200 Watts Of Electricity?
When, and where energy is utilized, allowing them to make changes as needed.
You might be interested in learning more methods to save money on your electric bills now that you know how to use your newfound understanding of kilowatts to save energy.
Check out the Energy Savings marketplace to learn more about getting started on your journey to energy conservation today and study your energy options.