How much power can a person produce?
A fit human sustains about 200 watts. Every machine in your house does more, which is the whole story of industrialisation in one number.
80% of a fit amateur, one hour
200 W is more than 3 of the 8 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| resting human | 100 W | 2× | |
| untrained cyclist, sustained | 100 W | 2× | |
| walking | 150 W | 1.33× | |
| fit amateur, one hour | 250 W | 0.8× | |
| Tour de France rider, one hour | 400 W | 0.5× | |
| sprint peak, seconds | 1,600 W | 0.125× | |
| a kettle | 3,000 W | 1/15 | |
| a family car | 90,000 W | 1/450 |
Worth knowing
- A fit cyclist sustains about 250 W for an hour — not enough to boil a kettle, which needs 3 000.
- A family car makes 90 kW, the sustained output of 360 trained cyclists. That is what a tank of petrol buys.
Frequently asked
How many watts can a human generate?
About 100 W indefinitely, 250 W for an hour if fit, and 1 500 W or more for a few seconds. Elite track sprinters peak above 2 000 W.
Could you power a house by pedalling?
Not meaningfully. At 100 W sustained you would generate 2.4 kWh a day of hard labour — under a tenth of a typical household’s electricity, and none of its heat.