

lbf/s), while metric horsepower is approximately 735.5 watts (75 kgf.Mechanical horsepower, also known as imperial horsepower, is defined as approximately 745.7 watts (550 ft Horsepower (metric)ĭefinition: The unit horsepower (symbol: hp) is a unit of measurement of power (the rate at which work is done).

Megawatt or gigawatt hours may be used in larger buildings or for industrial applications. Electricity used by a home is typically measured in kilowatt hours, or kWh, meaning 1000 watts being applied over a period of one hour. He defined the unit within the system of units being used at the time, and his definition was adopted in 1908.Ĭurrent use: Kilowatts are used worldwide, typically to express the output power of engines and the power of electric motors, tools, machines, and heaters. This was first proposed in 1882 by Sir Charles William Siemens, an engineer and entrepreneur, who suggested the use of Watt's name as a unit of power. History/origin: The base unit of the kilowatt is the watt, which was named after a Scottish inventor named James Watt. As is consistent with SI units, the prefix kilo- means that a kilowatt equals one thousand watts or one thousand joules per second. The base unit of the kilowatt is the watt, which was named after Scottish inventor James Watt. Definition: A kilowatt (symbol: kw) is a unit of power in the International System of Units (SI).
