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kilowatt-hours is equivalent to the energy stored in each of the following:

• fast-food meals (burger, fries, drink, at 1,500 calories per meal). The human body converts the chemical energy from food into mechanical energy and body heat. When you buy food, you are buying energy to keep your body running. You know what happens without it!
• pieces of firewood (15 pounds each, 20% moisture).  Firewood is the major source of energy in many parts of the world.
• gallons of gasoline.   Your family car uses gasoline, which stores a large amount of energy in a small volume.
• pounds of coal. Coal is the most abundant fosil fuel on earth. It is a major source of fuel for power plants.
• therms of natural gas.   Natural gas is sold by the therm. A therm is equivalent to 100,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) of energy, and it takes about a hundred cubic feet of natural gas to make up a therm. These are just different measurements of energy, like feet versus meters or miles. If they wanted to, your gas company could bill for its product by the kilowatt hour.
• A lead-acid battery weighing pounds. The energy stored in lead acid batteries starts cars and runs golf carts and electric cars. Compare the energy stored in a gallon of gasoline to the amount stored in a pound of battery. 

Continue on to:

• Mechanical Energy (cars, trains, weights, and speeds)
• Thermal Energy (heat, cold, and melting ice)
• Worldwide Energy Use (homes, huts, igloos, and yurts)
• Exercise (running, walking, swimming, and biking)
• Pollution (smog, global warming, and acid rain)

NOTE: You can change the number of kilowatt-hours at the top of each page and see how the energy equivalents change in response (press [Tab] after you've made your change to recalculate the other values on the page).  You can also change the number in any of the output boxes and press [Tab] to recalculate all the other values on the page, including the kilowatt-hours.  Or go back to the main calculator page to start again.

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