The term Watt is used to measure how much electricity, also known as the flow of electrons, any electrical device consumes when its in use. The actual word “Watt” was derived from

the last name of a Scottish engineer, James Watt, who’s main contribution to the engineering sciences involved early invention work with energy generated by the steam engine. It wasn’t until 1882 however, 63 years after James Watt died, that the term “watt” was associated to the electrical unit of power as we know it today. To James Watt’s credit much of the electricity we consume today is generated at the electrical utility power plant by way of steam produced to turn large turbine electricity generators. These powerful generators force electrons to flow out of the power plant over wiring and into our homes and businesses.


The measuring of how many watts are consumed within a certain period of time, for example a month, is the method an electrical utility company will use to calculate your monthly power bill. The more watts a device such as a light bulb or TV or computer utilizes over a 30-day period the more costly your electric power bill because you’ve consumed more energy. Therefore, the smaller amount of watts you utilize each month the lower your power bill. 

Information on Stereos, Speaker wattage, and receiver wattage can be found in Audio Power. Let’s explore the most primary item that can burn electricity, a light bulb. Whether you use the most common type light bulb, an incandescent, or you’ve started to swap to fluorescents or maybe even LED light bulbs they all use up electrical wattage when they are turned on. Fluorescents and LED lights use fewer watts to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent light bulb. For example, a fluorescent light bulb could be marked 13w or 13 watts. This fluorescent bulb could be left on for 7.5 hours before it used .01 (one cent of electrical power)To illustrate, located on the incandescent bulb you could see labeling printed on the bulb such as 100w or 100 watts. What that means is, when you turn that bulb on 100% (in other words, not dimming a light switch) and you keep it on for one hour the bulb has just consumed 100 watts of electricity. That light burning for 1 hour is going to cost you roughly .01 (one penny).

How many watts am I consuming?

If you have a look at your utility bill you will realize the utility company charges you for the total Kilowatts used in a month. To put it differently, every 1000 watts you consume equals one Kilowatt. Therefore, when you switch on the incandescent light bulb for 10 hours then you’ve utilized 100 watts X 10 hours = 1000 watts. The utility firm charges those 1000 watts as a kilowatt (around .10 – .14 cents)

How to Calculate Wattage

Often, the number of Watts a device utilizes isn’t always clearly marked on the device. Fortunately you can usually calculate the wattage by utilizing a simple mathematical equation. If you have some other information and facts about the product then you can determine the wattage. If you have the voltage the gadget requires along with the amps the device needs when its in use you can easily calculate the wattage. Let’s use an example a 40″ flat screen High-def TV. The TV is plugged into an electrical power wall outlet commonly rated at 110 volts. So, in this scenario, the TV requires 110 VAC or 110 volts AC. You could take a look in the owner’s instructions manual specifications category and read the TV amperage. Utilizing the voltage of 110 volts and the amps of 4 amps (for example) you can quickly calculate wattage. Watts = Amps x Volts, in this situation: 440 watts

How much electricity does a 100 watt bulb use?

A 100 watt bulb, when it is turned on full (not dimmed) will use 100 watts of electricity if left on for one hour. If it is left on for only 30 minutes then the 100 watt bulb will use only 50 watts of electricity.Keep in mind that the price for electricity is different depending on where you are. But, on average it costs 1 penny for the bulb to be turned on full for one hour.

Why are light bulbs so hot when turned on?

The incandescent light bulb creates light via the use of tungsten, one of earth’s elements. The tungsten is first prepared and then twisted into a tiny spring like fiber, put inside the vacuum of the light bulb and when the force of electrical voltage makes the electrons pass through the tungsten and due to the element’s resistance it glows, creates the light and gets incredibly hot.