The apparent power is the product of a voltage and an ampere (VA). It is not a measure of the power that is used by the load, but rather a measure of how much power can be delivered to the load.

The apparent power is calculated with this equation:

P = V x A.

This means that if you have a 120 volt, 20 amp circuit and you use 8 amps, then your apparent power will be 1,920 watts.

• A volt-ampere (VA) is an electrical unit of power, and it is the amount of power that a device uses when it operates at a voltage of one volt.
• A millivolt-ampere (mVA) is an electrical unit of power, and it is the amount of power that a device uses when it operates at a voltage of one thousand volts.
• A kilovolt-ampere (kVA) is an electrical unit of power, and it is the amount of power that a device uses when it operates at a voltage of one thousand volts.
• A megavolt-ampere (MVA) is an electrical unit or power, and it is the amount of power that a device uses when it operates at a voltage of one volt.
• An MVA is most commonly used in geographic coordinates, as it measures the strength of a magnetic field as if it were at the Earth's surface.