Understanding Watts
Watts are a measure of the rate at which electricity does its work or provides energy.
e.g, the power used to run an electric fire could be 2000 watts.
Watts (W) are the units in which electric power is commonly measured.
Wattage is calculated by using the following equation: Watts = Volts x Amps
The electricity in your home is 120 volts depending where you are in the world.
A light bulb for example operates at 1 amp.
If we use the above equation
120(volts) x 0.5 (amps) = 60 Watts
According to the equation for power, multiplying these two numbers gives the bulb's wattage, which in this case is 60 watts.
The wattage tells you the power of the bulb, or the rate at which energy is being delivered.
The higher the wattage of bulb, the brighter the bulb and the more power it uses, also the more expensive it is to run.
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