Convert Volts to Watts

Volts to Watt Electrical Conversion Calculator

Humans tend to confuse similar words for similar meanings. Even I was perplexed at times, about which term means what. Now I am clear and let me clear your confusion as well. When we talk about electrical we refer to the flow of electrons. On the contrary, electronics deals with the tasks where the control of the flow of electrons takes place. There are some concepts and terms that overlap in both contexts.
We will learn one such concept i.e. Volts to Watts Electrical Conversion Calculator.
Each term used in the above-mentioned topic is used in day-to-day life. Domestically, we are very familiar with their meanings. However, scientifically we need to learn more about it.
Here we will be focusing on Watt, how volts can be converted to watts, and concepts related to it.

• Power
  If you are learning about Watt, the term ‘power’ cannot be left unmentioned. Both are interlinked to one another. How exactly are they interlinked? We have the answer below.
  No, it’s not like anything that we talk about in daily life. Despite having a wide range of meanings, scientifically its meaning is not the same.
  Power is used widely in physics which refers to the rate of work being done. In other words, how much energy or heat is being transferred in a given time is called power.

P = W/∆t
Where,
P= power,
W/E= work done/energy transferred,
∆t= elapsed time

Example – An electric bulb having 100 watts of power.

• Watt
  Well, we have talked about power but you may wonder how do we get it? How does one measure power? Let me answer these questions for you.
  Ever heard of the famous inventor and industrialist James Watt? He is the answer to your above questions. Yes, to measure the power, a standard unit named after his last name i.e. Watt is used. It won’t be new for you as it is the term you use for the output of electrical equipment.
  If we go by the traditional definition,
  Watt is expressed in terms of joule and time i.e. 1 Watt will be 1 joule of work being done every second. Power is expressed in Watts as it is the SI unit of Power.
  1 W = 1 J/ 1 S

Example – 1 horsepower = 750 watts

Types of Watt

Kilowatts
Kilowatts are used to describe the amount of energy utilized in a given time, especially in electrical appliances. The symbolic representation of Kilowatts is kW.
1 kW = 1000 W

Megawatts
Megawatts are used to where the output of a power plant or electricity utilized in a city is required to measure. The symbolic representation of Megawatts is MW.
1 MW = 1000 kW = 1,000,000 W

Gigawatts
Gigawatts are used where we require the capacity of large plants or numerous plants together. That quantity is measured and expressed in Gigawatts.
1 GW = 1000 MW = 1 billion Watts

The relation between Volts and Watts
To convert Voltage into one of the above Watts values, we need some relation between them. One such relationship exists and is known as Watt’s law.
The law state that current is equivalent to the quantity of power divided by the quantity of voltage.
I = P/V
Where,
‘I’ is in Ampere,
‘P’ is in Watts,
‘V’ is in Voltage
Formula
With the above-mentioned relation, it becomes easy for us to derive the formula needed for the conversion.
Rearranging the above equation, we get
P = I x V     ——— 1

Apart from the above formula, there are more different scenarios like –
When converting for AC circuits
With some slight changes, you can easily convert the voltage to Watts using the same formula. Here power factor is introduced in the formula.

Now, the power factor is the ratio of real power in watts to the apparent Power in Volt-Ampere. The value of the Power factor is never less than 0 or greater than 1.
Therefore, when dealing with the AC circuit power is expressed as the product of RMS voltage, current, and PF.
Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A) x PF     ——— 2

When resistance is given
As mentioned, for different cases different formulas can be used. If the value of resistance is known, you can still convert Voltage to Watts.
You may use this formula,
P = (V) 2 / R     ——— 3
Where,
P = Power (W),
V = Voltage (V)
R = Resistance (Ω)

How to convert Volts to Watts?

So, we have two ways in which we can convert Volts into Watts. Let’s see what steps we can follow to easily implement the conversion-

1. It is always better to be prepared with verification. What I mean is work smartly and always have a calculator for correct results.
2. The requirements need to be fulfilled in both the formulae which means getting the values beforehand of each and every quantity.
   In this case, Voltage, Current, PF, or resistance depends upon whichever way suits you the best.
3. As per equation 1, all you need to do is basic multiplication of Voltage and Current.
4. For equation 2, one new quantity is introduced i.e. Power factor. All the three – voltage, current, and PF when multiplied together will yield a result in Watts.
5. For equation 3, there is just an algebraic change. We first take voltage square i.e. voltage times voltage. This value is then divided by the given resistance.

With the above steps, the conversion of Voltage to Watts will be like a hot piece of cake.

• Benefits
Converting volts into watts will be beneficial for sustainably leading our domestic life. Watts tells us about the power consumed by devices in our home and also in large power plants. Further converting to Kilowatt-hours can give us the total cost of electricity utilized.
We can only amend our actions when we understand the above terms. Now as we are aware of what each term means, stands for and how it is converted we can expect a reduction in our electricity bills.