If eight heating strips each draw 1,500 watts, what is the total power used?

To find the total power used by the eight heating strips, you first need to determine the power consumed by a single heating strip and then multiply that by the number of strips. Each heating strip draws 1,500 watts, so for eight strips, you would calculate the total power as follows:

1,500 watts per strip × 8 strips = 12,000 watts.

Since electrical power is often expressed in kilowatts (kW) for practical usage, you convert watts to kilowatts by dividing by 1,000:

12,000 watts ÷ 1,000 = 12 kW.

Therefore, the total power used by the eight heating strips is 12 kW, which aligns with the correct answer. This calculation underscores the importance of understanding how to aggregate power consumption for multiple devices, a key skill for linemen in evaluating load requirements for electrical systems.