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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/hame-reactive-power-var

In what unit is reactive power measured?

VAR, volt-amps reactive.

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  1. Volt-amps reactive (VAR) ✔
  2. Watts
  3. Volt-amps (VA)

Why: Reactive power is measured in volt-amps reactive (VAR) instead of watts. True power is in watts and apparent power is in volt-amps.

Huh, didn't know that: The math symbol for reactive power is, unfortunately, the capital letter Q.

The dad joke
Hagrid: 'Yer a unit of electrical energy, Harry.' Harry Potter: 'I'm a watt?'
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References

Answer: Volt-amps reactive (VAR). Reactive power is measured in volt-amps reactive (VAR) instead of watts. True power is in watts and apparent power is in volt-amps.

  1. Workforce LibreTexts, 11.2 True, Reactive, and Apparent Power workforce.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Electronics_Technology/Electric_Circuits_II_-_Alternating_Current_(Kuphaldt)/11%3A_Power_Factor/11.02%3A_True%2C_Reactive%2C_and_Apparent_Power
    it is measured in a unit called Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR), rather than watts.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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