AC Watts Relativity Reference
Generator, Battery Backup, DC to AC Inverter - all things typically rated with a maximum capacity in watts.
WATTS ITEM ----- ------------------------------------ 4 - 20 Mobile phone or tablet charger 9 Light Bulb (LED) 20 - 30 Dish Network Receiver 20 - 60 Small to Medium LCD TV up to 42" 20 - 200 Laptop PC (web browsing or book work at 20W to gaming and high end graphics near 200W avg 85W) 50 - 75 Sony Play Station or MS XBox 120 - 250 Large LCD TV up to 65" or maybe larger 175 Humidifier (13 Gal.) 200 - 450 Desktop PC and LCD Monitor 1000 Clothing Iron 1800 - 2500 Hair Dryer 1200 - 3600 Window AC (10,000 BTU) 1800 - 5000 Space Heater 3250 - 9750 Window AC (12,000 BTU) 4000 Electric Water Heater 6000 Central AC (40,000 BTU)
Watts: Power is the amount of work done in a specific amount of time. The unit used to express power is watts which is a function of both current and voltage.
Kilowatt Hours: watts divided by 1000. One kilowatt = 1000 watts.
Example, a window air conditioner that operates on 120 volts at 12 amps can be calculated as 120V * 12A = 1440 Watts.
The transition of DC to AC is called an inversion, while the less common AC and DC transition is called a conversion. Three types of inverters from best and most expensive and complex to the most basic least expensive.
- Pure Sine Wave
- Modified Sine Wave
- Square Wave
A modified sine wave in most situations is as good as a pure sine wave and has energy saving characteristics. The square wave inverter is considered the most affordable, simple, and compact.
