How to convert kilowatt-hours to British thermal units
- Take the value in kilowatt-hours.
- Use the formula British thermal units = kilowatt-hours × 3,412.141633.
- For example, 1 kWh is 3,412.14 BTU.
About kilowatt-hours and British thermal units
A kilowatt-hour is 3.6 million joules and a British thermal unit (International Table) is 1,055.06 joules, so 1 kWh is 3,412.14 BTU. Multiply by 3,412 for an answer that is correct to four figures, or by 3,400 for a rough one.
Electricity is billed in kWh, while US natural gas, heating oil, furnaces and air conditioners are rated in BTU or therms. Converting both to the same unit lets you compare the running cost of a heat pump with a gas furnace.
Examples
- 1 kWh (one kilowatt-hour on an electricity bill) is 3,412.14 BTU
- 29.31 kWh (one therm of natural gas) is 99,999.98 BTU
- 33.7 kWh (a US gallon of gasoline, as the EPA counts it) is 114,989.17 BTU
- 3.52 kWh (one hour of a 12,000 BTU/h air conditioner at full output) is 12,000.5 BTU
Kilowatt-hours to British thermal units chart
| Kilowatt-hours (kWh) | British thermal units (BTU) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 341.21 |
| 0.5 | 1,706.07 |
| 1 | 3,412.14 |
| 2 | 6,824.28 |
| 3 | 10,236.42 |
| 5 | 17,060.71 |
| 10 | 34,121.42 |
| 20 | 68,242.83 |
| 25 | 85,303.54 |
| Kilowatt-hours (kWh) | British thermal units (BTU) |
|---|---|
| 29.3 | 99,975.75 |
| 50 | 170,607.08 |
| 75 | 255,910.62 |
| 100 | 341,214.16 |
| 200 | 682,428.33 |
| 250 | 853,035.41 |
| 500 | 1,706,070.82 |
| 1,000 | 3,412,141.63 |