If temperature is measured in Kelvin degrees, then this number is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of the molecules. Heat is a measurement of the total energy in a substance. That total energy is made up of not only of the kinetic energies of the molecules of the substance, but total energy is also made up of the potential energies of the molecules. So, temperature is not energy. It is, though, a number that relates to one type of energy possessed by the molecules of a substance.
Temperature directly relates to the kinetic energy of the molecules.
Temperature readings do not tell you anything directly about this potential energy. Temperature can be measured in a variety of units. If you measure it in degrees Kelvin, then the temperature value is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of the molecules in the substance. More About Heat Heat is energy. Heat is the total amount of energy possessed by the molecules in a piece of matter.