A “Watt” Is a Measure of Power, the Rate at Which Energy Is Being Converted From One Form To Another

Because the climate here in Santa Ynez, CA is temperate, we don’t have air conditioning in our house – but we do have ceiling fans, which apparently require about 75 watts, according to this energy calculator.

But yikes!  The calculator talks about watts per hour.  That doesn’t inspire too much confidence, as “watts per hour” is meaningless; watts are a rate, like miles per hour.  If I told you I was driving 60 miles per hour per hour, you’d think I didn’t know what I was talking about.