CalcCafe
Home › Conversion › BTU to Kilowatt-hours

BTU to Kilowatt-hours

Convert btu to kilowatt-hour instantly — type a value and read the result, with the exact formula shown.

Reviewed by the CalcCafe editorial team · Last updated 1 July 2026 · How we test our tools

Example

1 BTU = 0.0002930711 kWh, 5 BTU = 0.001465355 kWh, 10 BTU = 0.002930711 kWh.

Common conversions: btu to kilowatt-hour

Quick reference for the BTU → kWh values you are most likely to need, computed with the exact factor the converter above uses. It includes the specific values people most often look up (12,000 BTU, 1,000,000 BTU, 18,000 BTU, 20,000 BTU, 21,000 BTU).

BTU (BTU)Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
1 BTU0.000293 kWh
2 BTU0.000586 kWh
3 BTU0.000879 kWh
5 BTU0.001465 kWh
10 BTU0.002931 kWh
15 BTU0.004396 kWh
20 BTU0.005861 kWh
25 BTU0.007327 kWh
30 BTU0.008792 kWh
40 BTU0.011723 kWh
50 BTU0.014654 kWh
60 BTU0.017584 kWh
70 BTU0.020515 kWh
75 BTU0.02198 kWh
80 BTU0.023446 kWh
90 BTU0.026376 kWh
100 BTU0.029307 kWh
150 BTU0.043961 kWh
200 BTU0.058614 kWh
250 BTU0.073268 kWh
500 BTU0.146536 kWh
1,000 BTU0.293071 kWh
12,000 BTU3.5169 kWh
18,000 BTU5.2753 kWh
20,000 BTU5.8614 kWh
21,000 BTU6.1545 kWh
24,000 BTU7.0337 kWh
1,000,000 BTU293.0711 kWh

Kilowatt-hour to BTU

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)BTU (BTU)
1 kWh3,412.14 BTU
5 kWh17,060.71 BTU
10 kWh34,121.42 BTU
50 kWh170,607.08 BTU
100 kWh341,214.16 BTU

How it works

Kilowatt-hour = BTU × 0.0002930711. Every value is converted through a single joule base unit using internationally defined conversion factors, so any from/to pair stays consistent.

Good to know

Converting BTU to kilowatt-hours is the bridge between how heating and cooling equipment is rated and how your electric utility actually bills you. Furnaces, gas stoves, and especially air conditioners are sold by their BTU rating, but electricity arrives in kilowatt-hours, so anyone sizing a window AC, comparing a heat pump to a space heater, or estimating the running cost of an appliance ends up moving between these two units.

The BTU is an old imperial unit, defined as the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, and it survives mostly in American and British HVAC catalogs. The kilowatt-hour is its metric, electrical counterpart: one kilowatt of power drawn for one hour. Because they measure the same physical quantity (energy), they convert through a fixed factor: 1 BTU equals 0.0002930711 kWh, and going the other way, 1 kWh equals 3,412.142 BTU.

A useful rule of thumb: roughly 3,412 BTU make up one kilowatt-hour, so you can divide a BTU figure by about 3,400 for a fast mental estimate, or treat 10,000 BTU as just under 3 kWh. For small numbers, remember a single BTU is just under three ten-thousandths of a kWh.

Frequently asked questions

How do you convert btu to kilowatt-hour?
Multiply the number of btus by 0.0002930711 to get kilowatt-hours. For example, 1 BTU = 0.0002930711 kWh.
What is 1 btu in kilowatt-hours?
1 btu equals 0.0002930711 kilowatt-hours (1 BTU = 0.0002930711 kWh).
How many btus are in 1 kilowatt-hour?
There are 3,412.142 btus in 1 kilowatt-hour.
Is this converter free and private?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser, so your inputs never leave your device, there is no sign-up, and it works offline once loaded.
Are the conversions exact?
Conversions use internationally defined factors and are exact where the definitions are exact (for example, 1 inch = 2.54 cm). Displayed results are rounded for readability.

People also ask

How many kWh is 10,000 BTU?
10,000 BTU equals about 2.93 kWh (10,000 × 0.0002930711). That is the energy total, not the hourly draw of a 10,000 BTU/h air conditioner.
How much does it cost to run a 12,000 BTU air conditioner per hour?
A 12,000 BTU/h unit uses roughly 3.52 kWh of energy per hour of continuous running (12,000 × 0.0002930711 = 3.52 kWh). At about 17 cents per kWh that is around 60 cents per hour, though a higher-efficiency unit with a good SEER rating draws less because it does not run flat out the whole time.
Is BTU the same as BTU per hour?
No. A BTU is an amount of energy, while BTU per hour (BTU/h) is a rate of power, like watts. Air conditioners and furnaces are rated in BTU/h, so only use the 0.0002930711 factor on a true BTU energy value.
How many BTU are in 1 kWh?
There are 3,412.142 BTU in one kilowatt-hour. This is simply the reciprocal of the BTU-to-kWh factor (1 ÷ 0.0002930711).
What is the formula to convert BTU to kWh?
Multiply BTU by 0.0002930711, or equivalently divide by 3,412.142. For example, 5,000 BTU × 0.0002930711 ≈ 1.465 kWh.
How do I convert BTU/h to watts instead of kWh?
Multiply BTU per hour by 0.29307107 to get watts. For instance, 5,000 BTU/h is about 1,465 W, or roughly 1.47 kW of power draw.
Why is 1 BTU such a tiny number of kWh?
Because a kilowatt-hour is a large amount of energy and a single BTU is small, one BTU is only 0.0002930711 kWh. You generally see BTU figures in the thousands or millions, which is why the converted kWh values become more readable at scale.
Does the BTU value differ between US and UK?
The conversion used here is based on the international (IT) BTU, the standard for energy work, giving 1 BTU = 0.0002930711 kWh. Slightly different BTU definitions exist (thermochemical, 39°F, 60°F), but they vary by only a fraction of a percent and rarely matter for everyday HVAC and energy estimates.
What is 8 kW in BTUs?
An 8 kW heater or air conditioner delivers about 27,300 BTU per hour. One kilowatt-hour equals 1 ÷ 0.0002930711 = 3,412.14 BTU, so 8 × 3,412.14 = 27,297 BTU/h. If you meant energy rather than power, the same arithmetic applies: 8 kWh of energy is 27,297 BTU.

Related calculators

Sources & references

These tools follow our methodology and provide educational estimates only — verify important figures with a qualified professional.