kilowatt-hour
The standard unit of electrical and gas energy on UK bills; one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour.
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the standard unit of energy on UK utility bills: it is the energy consumed when one kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power is sustained for one hour. It is used for both electricity and gas (gas volume is measured in cubic metres or hundreds of cubic feet on the meter, and converted to kWh on the bill using a calorific value).
Some practical scales of use:
- A typical UK domestic dual-fuel household consumes 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas a year (Ofgem typical-domestic figures).
- A small office of 200 m² typically consumes around 30,000 kWh of electricity a year.
- A medium-sized hotel of 100 rooms might consume 1.5–3 GWh of energy a year (electricity and gas combined).
- An ESOS audit must cover at least 95% of significant energy consumption, measured in kWh.
For procurement, the kWh figure on a contract — the agreed Annual Quantity — is the basis on which the supplier prices unit rate and standing charge, and on which over-/under-consumption clauses operate. An accurate AQ is the foundation of an accurate price; a wrong AQ produces either a defensively priced contract or a tolerance-band charge mid-contract.
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kilovolt-amperes
kVAThe unit of apparent electrical power; used to set Available Capacity on half-hourly electricity supplies.
Read definitionkilovolt-ampere reactive hours
kVArhThe unit of reactive electrical energy; recorded on half-hourly meters and used to assess reactive-power and power-factor charges.
Read definitionAnnual Quantity
AQThe estimated annual gas consumption (or electricity equivalent on NHH) used to price contracts, allocate profile classes and calibrate settlement.
Read definitionHalf-Hourly Metering
HHThe metering and settlement regime in which electricity consumption is measured and settled in 30-minute intervals; mandatory above 100 kW measured maximum demand.
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