Convert British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour

Quick answer: British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour

1 British Thermal Unit = 0.0002930711 Kilowatt-hour (BTU → kWh). To convert british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour, multiply by 0.0002930711. To convert kilowatt-hour to british thermal unit, multiply by 3,412.142. The converter at the top does this instantly and both ways; the sections below give the formula, worked examples, a full conversion chart and answers to the most common british thermal unit-to-kilowatt-hour questions.

How to convert British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour

To convert british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour, multiply the number of british thermal unit by the conversion factor 0.0002930711, because 1 BTU = 0.0002930711 kWh. The conversion is linear, so the same factor works for any value — whole numbers, decimals or fractions. For the reverse direction, 1 kWh = 3,412.142 BTU, so you divide by 0.0002930711 (or multiply by 3,412.142) to turn kilowatt-hour back into british thermal unit.

kWh = BTU × 0.0002930711  ·  BTU = kWh × 3,412.142

1. Write down the value you want to convert, in british thermal unit.
2. Multiply it by 0.0002930711.
3. The result is the same area/length/quantity expressed in kilowatt-hour.

British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour — worked examples

Each row shows the exact arithmetic so you can follow the conversion step by step. For example, 5 british thermal unit is 0.001465355 kilowatt-hour because 5 BTU × 0.0002930711 = 0.001465355 kWh.

Common British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour conversions

These are the british thermal unit-to-kilowatt-hour values people look up most often. Every figure is computed from the exact factor, so you can rely on them for quick reference:

• 1 british thermal unit = 0.0002930711 kilowatt-hour
• 2 british thermal unit = 0.0005861421 kilowatt-hour
• 2.5 british thermal unit = 0.0007326777 kilowatt-hour
• 3 british thermal unit = 0.0008792132 kilowatt-hour
• 4 british thermal unit = 0.001172284 kilowatt-hour
• 5 british thermal unit = 0.001465355 kilowatt-hour
• 6 british thermal unit = 0.001758426 kilowatt-hour
• 7 british thermal unit = 0.002051497 kilowatt-hour
• 8 british thermal unit = 0.002344569 kilowatt-hour
• 9 british thermal unit = 0.00263764 kilowatt-hour
• 10 british thermal unit = 0.002930711 kilowatt-hour
• 12 british thermal unit = 0.003516853 kilowatt-hour
• 15 british thermal unit = 0.004396066 kilowatt-hour
• 20 british thermal unit = 0.005861421 kilowatt-hour
• 25 british thermal unit = 0.007326777 kilowatt-hour
• 30 british thermal unit = 0.008792132 kilowatt-hour
• 50 british thermal unit = 0.01465355 kilowatt-hour
• 75 british thermal unit = 0.02198033 kilowatt-hour
• 100 british thermal unit = 0.02930711 kilowatt-hour
• 200 british thermal unit = 0.05861421 kilowatt-hour
• 500 british thermal unit = 0.1465355 kilowatt-hour
• 1000 british thermal unit = 0.2930711 kilowatt-hour

British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour conversion chart (both directions)

The chart below converts british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour and kilowatt-hour to british thermal unit side by side, so it works whichever way you need. 1 british thermal unit = 0.0002930711 kilowatt-hour, and 1 kilowatt-hour = 3,412.142 british thermal unit.

British Thermal Unit vs Kilowatt-hour: which is bigger?

A kilowatt-hour is the larger unit: one kilowatt-hour equals 3,412.142 british thermal units. Put another way, you need 3,412.142 british thermal units to make a single kilowatt-hour.

What is a British Thermal Unit? History, origin and usage

The British thermal unit is the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, a definition rooted in pre-metric heating engineering. Despite the name, the term “British thermal unit” apparently originated in the United States before being adopted in Britain.

The BTU dominates North American heating and cooling: furnace and air-conditioner capacities are rated in BTU per hour, and natural gas is priced per million BTU (MMBtu). Air-conditioner “tonnage” is also defined through it — one ton of cooling equals 12,000 BTU per hour.

One BTU is roughly the heat from burning a single wooden kitchen match — about 1,055 joules. Several slightly different BTU definitions exist depending on the water temperature chosen, differing by up to about half a percent, which is why standards specify the “International Table” BTU.

What is a Kilowatt-hour? History, origin and usage

The kilowatt-hour — 1,000 watt-hours — became the universal trading unit of electrical energy as power grids spread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It rests on the watt, named after James Watt, scaled up to the household level.

The kilowatt-hour is the “unit” your electricity meter records and your utility bills you for; appliance running costs are worked out by multiplying an item’s kilowatt rating by the hours it runs and the price per kWh. It is the single most important energy unit in domestic and commercial energy.

One kilowatt-hour equals exactly 3.6 megajoules (3,600,000 joules), because a kilowatt is 1,000 joules per second and an hour is 3,600 seconds. Running a 1,000-watt appliance for one hour consumes exactly one kilowatt-hour — the figure people informally call a “unit” of electricity.

Convert 1 British Thermal Unit to other units

It can help to see a british thermal unit next to the other units it is commonly compared with. One british thermal unit (BTU) is equal to:

Convert 1 Kilowatt-hour to other units

One kilowatt-hour (kWh) is equal to:

Tips for converting British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour

• To go from british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour, multiply by 0.0002930711; to go back, divide by 0.0002930711 (or multiply by 3,412.142).
• For a quick mental estimate, remember that 1 british thermal unit ≈ 0.0002930711 kilowatt-hour, so 10 british thermal unit ≈ 0.002930711 kilowatt-hour.
• The converter above keeps full precision; the tables round for readability, so use the tool for exact figures.
• Both fields update live as you type — change either side to convert in that direction.

How to use this British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-hour converter

Type a number into the British Thermal Unit field and the equivalent in Kilowatt-hour appears instantly — there is no “convert” button to press and nothing is sent to a server, so it works offline once the page has loaded and is safe for any data. You can also type into the Kilowatt-hour field to convert the other way (kilowatt-hour to british thermal unit). Use the swap control to flip the two units, and copy the result with a single click. Because the calculation runs in your browser with full floating-point precision, the converter is more exact than the rounded figures shown in the reference chart above — use the chart for quick look-ups and the tool for precise work.

Accuracy and method

Every figure on this page — the formula, the worked examples, the conversion chart and the “convert to other units” tables — is computed from a single verified conversion factor (1 BTU = 0.0002930711 kWh), never copied from a hand-typed lookup table that could drift. That factor is derived from each unit’s definition in terms of a common base unit, and an automated check re-verifies all of the site’s factors on every update, so the numbers here stay correct over time. This matters for british thermal unit-to-kilowatt-hour conversions because a small rounding error in a published table compounds quickly at larger quantities; computing from the exact factor avoids that.

Sources

• NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the SI — publishes the exact metric equivalents of the customary units. The inch, foot, yard and mile are defined exactly in metres by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement, so every imperial figure on this page is exact, not rounded.
• BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure) — the defining document for the SI, published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. It fixes the base unit that this conversion resolves to, which is why the factor here can be exact rather than approximate.

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Frequently asked questions

How many kilowatt-hour are in 1 british thermal unit?

1 british thermal unit = 0.0002930711 kilowatt-hour (kWh). To convert any number of british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour, multiply by 0.0002930711.

How do I convert british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour?

Multiply the number of british thermal unit by 0.0002930711. For example, 10 british thermal unit = 10 × 0.0002930711 = 0.002930711 kilowatt-hour, and 25 british thermal unit = 0.007326777 kilowatt-hour.

How many british thermal unit are in 1 kilowatt-hour?

1 kilowatt-hour = 3,412.142 british thermal unit. So to convert kilowatt-hour back to british thermal unit, multiply by 3,412.142.

What is the formula to convert british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour?

kilowatt-hour = british thermal unit × 0.0002930711. The reverse formula is british thermal unit = kilowatt-hour × 3,412.142.

How much is 100 british thermal unit in kilowatt-hour?

100 british thermal unit = 0.02930711 kilowatt-hour. (And 1000 british thermal unit = 0.2930711 kilowatt-hour.)

Which is bigger, a british thermal unit or a kilowatt-hour?

A kilowatt-hour is larger: 1 kilowatt-hour = 3,412.142 british thermal unit.

Is this british thermal unit to kilowatt-hour converter accurate?

Yes — every value is computed from the exact 0.0002930711 kWh per BTU factor (not rounded look-up tables), and the factors are re-verified automatically on every update.

Can I convert kilowatt-hour to british thermal unit too?

Yes. The converter works both ways — enter a value in either field. 1 kilowatt-hour = 3,412.142 british thermal unit.

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