What is a kWh (kilowatt-hour)?
A kilowatt-hour is the unit on your energy bill. What it is, how it differs from kW and kWp, and how much a household uses.
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the energy a 1,000-watt appliance uses in one hour. It is the unit you pay your electricity in and the unit your panels' output is counted in.
What is a kilowatt-hour?
A kilowatt (kW) is power: how hard something draws at a given moment. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is energy: power times time. A 2,000-watt kettle running for half an hour uses 1 kWh. Your annual statement shows your use in kWh.
kW, kWh and kWp apart
kW is power, kWh is energy over time, and kWp (kilowatt-peak) is the peak power of a set of solar panels. Ten 400 Wp panels make 4 kWp together. In the Netherlands those 4 kWp produce roughly 3,400 to 3,600 kWh per year.
How much kWh does a household use?
Use varies a lot per household and depends on family size, appliances, a heat pump or an electric car. Check your own annual statement for your real use. That is the best starting point for sizing your system.
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