Electrical Power – WATTS vs HORSEPOWER vs VOLT-AMPS vs JOULES

The term electrical power is often misused and thrown around incorrectly. Power really means “work done.” Electrical Power means, work done by electricity. We use several different terms when discussing electrical power, and it can get confusing which one we’re talking about from time to time. So what is a Watt? A watt is really a rate, not a static thing. It means a certain amount of work done over time. Sort of similar to how SPEED is a rate of distance traveled over time (MPH – Mile Per Hour). Similarly, we say electrical current (Amperes) is a certain amount of charges passing a single point in time. All of these are a rate of things happening.