Doctor Drivel wrote:

A boiler: The output is in "power". Yet the boiler just converts one energy
state (oil) into another (heat). Yet the output is rated in "power".

You are falling into the trap of using "power" in a colloquial sense.
Power is not something you can consume in a strict sense. You can use
energy (you don't even consume that - just change its form), but you
don't use power - it is simply a measurement of the rate of energy use.

It takes power to do the state conversion.

No. In absolute terms no energy is gained or lost in the reaction.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/