Glossary of Energy Terms
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Note: No entries for Y or Z.
Letter K
KEROSENE -- Certain colorless, low-sulfur oil products that burn without producing much smoke.
kBtu -- One-thousand (1,000) Btus.
KILOVOLT (kv) -- One-thousand volts (1,000). Distribution lines in residential areas usually are 12 kv (12,000 volts).
KILOWATT (kW) -- One thousand (1,000) watts. A unit of measure of the amount of electricity needed to operate given equipment. On a hot summer afternoon a typical home, with central air conditioning and other equipment in use, might have a demand of four kW each hour.
KILOWATT-HOUR (kWh) -- The most commonly-used unit of measure telling the amount of electricity consumed over time. It means one kilowatt of electricity supplied for one hour. In 1989, a typical California household consumes 534 kWh in an average month.