Watt
A watt (W) is a unit of electrical power. Power is the rate at which physical work of some kind is done, or the amount of energy that is transferred per unit of time. It involves a physical system changing over a specified time.
The watt is named after James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine condenser.
According to the International System of Units (SI), one watt is defined as the energy consumption rate of one joule per second (J/s). One watt is also defined as the current flow of one ampere with a voltage of one volt.
Table of unit prefixes of watt:
(P = power)
| NAME | SYMBOL | CONVERSION | EXAMPLE |
| Picowatt | pW | 1pW = 10^-12 W | P = 10 pW |
| Nanowatt | nW | 1nW = 10^-9 W | P = 10 nW |
| Microwatt | μW | 1μW = 10^-6 W | P = 10 μW |
| Watt | W | P = 10 W | |
| Kilowatt | kW | 1kW = 10^3 W | P = 2 kW |
| Megawatt | MW | 1MW = 10^6 W | P = 5 MW |
| Gigawatt | GW | 1GW = 10^9 W | P = 5 GW |
| Terawatt | TW | 1TW = 10^12W | P = 5 TW |
Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, Glossary, published by the Department of Energy & Climate Change on 14 July 2011, states: ‘One gigawatt of electricity from wind could meet the annual energy needs of over 600,000 UK households, around 1.5 per cent of the UK energy demand.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
The sad story of Derby Hippodrome
An historic building left to decay.
ECA, JIB and JTL back Fabian Society call to invest in skills for a stronger built environment workforce.
Women's Contributions to the Built Environment.
Calls for the delayed Circular Economy Strategy
Over 50 leading businesses, trade associations and professional bodies, including CIAT, and UKGBC sign open letter.
The future workforce: culture change and skill
Under the spotlight at UK Construction Week London.
A landmark moment for postmodern heritage.
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, or to suggest changes, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.