Wattage
- Updated:
- By: Kevin van Mierlo
Contents
What is wattage?
Definition
Wattage indicates how much power is required per unit of time to operate, for example, LED lighting. This varies from one device to another. The wattage is always shown on the product. It is denoted by the letter ‘W’. The unit is named after the Scottish engineer James Watt. The wattage can be calculated using a simple formula. The formula is as follows: the number of Volts × the number of amperes = the wattage. It therefore indicates how much energy your LED lighting consumes.
Wattage for LED vehicle lighting
When it comes to LED vehicle lighting, the wattage is often considerably lower than that of traditional halogen bulbs, as LEDs are more efficient at converting electrical energy into light. This means, for example, that those impressive driving lights on a truck consume less energy to produce the same amount of light, which saves battery power and improves the vehicle’s efficiency.
Units of wattage
Since wattage can vary considerably, there are different names for different units. For example, 1000 watts is 1 kilowatt. The units of watts are shown in the table below.
| Units of watts | ||
| Factor | Name | Symbol |
| 10−6 | microwatt | μW |
| 10−3 | milliwatt | mW |
| 1 | wattage | W |
| 103 | kilowatt | kW |
| 106 | megawatt | MW |
| 109 | gigawatt | GW |
| 1012 | terawatt | TW |
| 1015 | petawatt | PW |
Wattage in kWh
You’ve probably come across the abbreviation ‘kWh’ on your energy bill. This stands for kilowatt-hour. One kWh is 1,000 watts for one hour. The ‘k’ stands for kilo, meaning a thousand. The ‘W’ stands for watt. The ‘h’ stands for the English word ‘hour’. Suppose you have a 48-watt LED work light; if it is on for one hour, this amounts to 48 watt-hours, which is equivalent to 0.048 kWh.
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Author
Kevin van Mierlo
Lighting expert at TRALERT® - Kevin tests lighting and finds out everything about legislation. He can tell you all about it.
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