Quick Summary
The kilowatt hour (kWh) is the unit of measurement for energy consumption and the basis for your electricity bill. One kWh is the energy a 1,000-watt device uses in one hour. German households paid an average of 40.55 cents for it in the second half of 2025 (Federal Statistical Office).
Definition in Detail
The kilowatt hour (kWh) is the standard unit of measurement for electrical energy:
- 1 kWh = 1,000 Watts x 1 Hour
- Basis for billing electricity consumption
- Shown on the electricity meter and annual statement
- Multiplied by the unit price (cents/kWh)
Calculation Formula
kWh = Power (Watts) × Time (Hours) ÷ 1,000
What Can You Do With 1 kWh?
One kilowatt hour covers roughly ten hours of television on a 100-watt set, a hundred hours of light from a 10-watt LED bulb, or half an hour of an electric cooker. A wash cycle at 60 degrees already sits just above it, at 1.26 kWh.
10 Hours
Watching TV (100W LED TV)
100 Hours
LED Bulb (10W)
1 Wash Cycle
Washing Machine 60°C
20 Hours
Laptop Use (50W)
30 Minutes
Electric Stove (2,000W)
5-7 km
Driving an EV
Work Out What a Device Costs You
These are not measured values. They are calculated with the formula above: power times hours of use times 365 days. What your own device actually draws is printed on its rating plate or energy label. The cost column uses the official German average of 40.55 cents per kilowatt hour.
| Device | Power | Use/Day | kWh/Year | Cost/Year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 100-150W | 24h (continuous) | 150-250 kWh | EUR 61-101 |
| Washing Machine | 2,000W | 3x/week | 150-200 kWh | EUR 61-81 |
| TV (LED) | 80-150W | 4h | 120-220 kWh | EUR 49-89 |
| Desktop PC (high-performance build) | 200-400W | 6h | 440-880 kWh | EUR 178-357 |
| Electric Stove | 2,000-4,000W | 1h | 400-600 kWh | EUR 162-243 |
* Calculated at 40.55 cents/kWh - average paid by German households in the second half of 2025, Federal Statistical Office
kW vs. kWh: The Difference
A kilowatt is the power, a kilowatt hour is the amount. A 2 kW hair dryer always draws 2 kW no matter how long it runs; only the running time decides how many kilowatt hours end up on your bill.
Kilowatt (kW) = Power
- • How quickly energy is consumed
- • Momentary draw of a device
- • Comparable to speed (km/h)
- • Example: Hair dryer has 2 kW power
Kilowatt Hour (kWh) = Energy
- • How much energy was consumed in total
- • Power × Time
- • Comparable to distance (km)
- • Example: Hair dryer 30 min = 1 kWh
How Much Electricity a Household Uses per Year
The number of people tells you less than the type of building. At the same household size, a detached house consumes noticeably more than an apartment. The consumption figures come from the Stromspiegel für Deutschland, published by co2online on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Costs are calculated at 40.55 cents per kilowatt hour.
| Household | Apartment | Cost/year | Detached house | Cost/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 1,200 kWh | EUR 487 | 1,800 kWh | EUR 730 |
| 2 people | 1,900 kWh | EUR 770 | 2,700 kWh | EUR 1,095 |
| 3 people | 2,400 kWh | EUR 973 | 3,500 kWh | EUR 1,419 |
| 4 people | 2,600 kWh | EUR 1,054 | 3,800 kWh | EUR 1,541 |
| 5 people | 3,100 kWh | EUR 1,257 | 4,500 kWh | EUR 1,825 |
Figures exclude electric water heating. Where water is heated by an instantaneous heater or boiler, the Stromspiegel adds roughly 305 kWh per person per year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate kWh?
Take the power in watts, multiply it by the hours of use and divide by 1,000. A 2,000-watt hair dryer running for half an hour uses 1 kWh. At 40.55 cents per kWh, that half hour costs about 41 cents.
How much kWh does a household use per year?
It depends far more on the type of building than on the number of people. The Stromspiegel für Deutschland reports 1,200 kWh a year for a single person in an apartment and 1,800 kWh in a detached house; for four people it is 2,600 and 3,800 kWh. Electric water heating adds roughly 305 kWh per person.
How much does 1 kWh of electricity cost in 2026?
The most recent official figure comes from the Federal Statistical Office: German households paid an average of 40.55 cents per kilowatt hour in the second half of 2025. The figure for the first half of 2026 had not been published as of August 2026. Your own unit price is printed on your annual bill and can differ noticeably.
How much is 1,000 kWh per year?
At 40.55 cents per kilowatt hour, 1,000 kWh cost about 406 euros. For scale: one person living in an apartment uses roughly 1,200 kWh a year according to the Stromspiegel, so 1,000 kWh covers about ten months.
What is the difference between kW and kWh?
A kilowatt measures power, meaning how fast a device draws energy. A kilowatt hour measures the amount that adds up. If you want the picture: kW is the speed, kWh is the distance driven. You are billed for the distance.
Legal Notice
Your electricity meter records consumption in kilowatt hours, and the unit price of your tariff is quoted in cents per kilowatt hour. What a German electricity bill must contain is set out in Section 40 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), including the opening and closing meter readings and the consumption determined for the billing period. For gas billing, Section 12(1) of the Gas Basic Supply Ordinance refers to Section 40b EnWG. Status: August 2026.