# A household uses several electrical appliances every day. Explain why the kilowatt-hour is used to measure domestic energy consumption rather than the joule.

> Eduqas GCSE Physics — 1.4 Domestic electricity · Explain · 4 marks

> Electricity suppliers charge customers based on the amount of energy they use at home. The unit shown on a household energy bill is the kilowatt-hour (kWh).

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. The joule is a very small unit of energy
2. The kilowatt-hour gives more manageable / convenient numbers for domestic use
3. The kilowatt-hour is defined as the energy used by a one-kilowatt appliance running for one hour / it relates directly to power-rating and time
4. This makes it straightforward to calculate the cost of running appliances / to compare energy use of different appliances at home

## Key terms

- [kilowatt-hour](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/kilowatt-hour)
- [domestic energy consumption](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/domestic-energy-consumption)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Eduqas GCSE Physics](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-household-uses-several-electrical-appliances-07271c77) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.