Grade 11 Physics · The hydro bill
The meter speaks kilowatt-hours
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The meter speaks kilowatt-hours

The hydro meter does not count joules — it would need nine digits by breakfast. It counts kilowatt-hours: E=PtE = Pt (read aloud: E equals P t) with the power in kilowatts and the time in hours. One kWh is 1000 W held for 3600 s, so 1 kWh=3.6 MJ1\ \mathrm{kWh} = 3.6\ \mathrm{MJ} — this chapter's ×3.6 bridge, the same 3.6 as the km/h one, wearing a much bigger prefix.

Ontario prices electricity by the time of day — off-peak evenings and weekends cost the least, which is why the dishwasher runs at night. The rule that saves marks is the same as ever: convert BEFORE the multiply. Watts become kilowatts first, then the hours come in, and the answer lands in the unit the bill actually charges for.