what does watt measure

A watt measures power — the rate at which energy is used, produced, or transferred. In electricity, 1 watt equals 1 joule per second, so it tells you how fast energy is flowing.

Simple example

• A 60-watt light bulb uses power at a rate of 60 watts while it is on.

• A higher-watt device generally uses or produces energy faster than a lower-watt one.

Watt vs. watt-hour

• Watts measure power at a moment in time.

• Watt-hours measure total energy used over time.

So if you want, think of watts as “speed” and watt-hours as “distance” in electricity.