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Convert British thermal units to Kilowatt-hours

1 British thermal unit is 0.000293 kWh. One British thermal unit is exactly 0.000293071070172 kilowatt-hours.

One British thermal unit is 2.9307 × 10^-4 kilowatt-hours. To convert British thermal units to kilowatt-hours, multiply by 2.9307 × 10^-4; to go the other way, divide by 2.9307 × 10^-4 or multiply by 3412.1416. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. The international-table BTU, fixed at exactly 1055.05585262 joules.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Kilowatt-hours
0.000293 kWh
British thermal units × 2.9307 × 10^-4
value * 0.0002930710701720 kWh

1 British thermal unit in every energy unit

UnitValueExact factor
joules1,055.055853 J× 1,055.05585262
kilojoules1.055055853 kJ× 1.05505585262
calories252.1644007 cal× 252.164400722
kilocalories0.2521644007 kcal× 0.252164400722
watt-hours0.2930710702 Wh× 0.293071070172
kilowatt-hours0.0002930710702 kWh× 0.000293071070172
British thermal units (as entered)1 BTU
foot-pounds778.1692623 ft·lbf× 778.169262266

Factors are entered by hand from NIST Special Publication 811 rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.

How do you convert British thermal units to kilowatt-hours?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in British thermal units.
  2. 2.Multiply by 2.9307 × 10^-4 — that is how many kilowatt-hours fit in one British thermal unit.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 2.9307 × 10^-4, or multiply by 3412.1416.

Worked example: 25 British thermal units to kilowatt-hours

Formula
BTU × 2.9307 × 10^-4 = kWh
Arithmetic
25 × 2.9307 × 10^-4 = 0.007327 kWh
Answer
25 BTU = 0.007327 kWh

The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.

British thermal units to kilowatt-hours conversion table

British thermal unitsKilowatt-hours
1 BTU0.000293 kWh
2 BTU0.000586 kWh
3 BTU0.000879 kWh
4 BTU0.001172 kWh
5 BTU0.001465 kWh
6 BTU0.001758 kWh
7 BTU0.002051 kWh
8 BTU0.002345 kWh
9 BTU0.002638 kWh
10 BTU0.002931 kWh
12 BTU0.003517 kWh
15 BTU0.004396 kWh
20 BTU0.005861 kWh
25 BTU0.007327 kWh
50 BTU0.014654 kWh
100 BTU0.029307 kWh
200 BTU0.058614 kWh
300 BTU0.087921 kWh
500 BTU0.146536 kWh
1000 BTU0.293071 kWh
2000 BTU0.586142 kWh
5000 BTU1.465355 kWh
10000 BTU2.930711 kWh

What is a British thermal unit?

The international-table BTU, fixed at exactly 1055.05585262 joules. Roughly the heat needed to raise a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, which is where it came from.

What is a kilowatt-hour?

A thousand watt-hours, and the unit every electricity bill is added up in. Exactly 3.6 megajoules, and the reason a 100 W bulb left on for ten hours costs one unit.

How many kilowatt-hours are in a British thermal unit?

One British thermal unit is 2.9307 × 10^-4 kilowatt-hours. Going the other way, one kilowatt-hour is 3412.1416 British thermal units. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.

Every energy unit here

UnitSymbolOne of these is
JoulesJthe base unit
KilojouleskJ1000 joule
Caloriescal4.184 joule
Kilocalorieskcal4184 joule
Watt-hoursWh3600 joule
Kilowatt-hourskWh3600000 joule
British thermal unitsBTU1055.0559 joule
Foot-poundsft·lbf1.3558179 joule

Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — the thermochemical calorie is exactly 4.184 J

Questions people actually ask

How many kilowatt-hours are in a British thermal unit?
2.9307 × 10^-4. A thousand watt-hours, and the unit every electricity bill is added up in. Exactly 3.6 megajoules, and the reason a 100 W bulb left on for ten hours costs one unit.
How do I convert kilowatt-hours back to British thermal units?
Divide by 2.9307 × 10^-4, or multiply by 3412.1416 — they are the same operation.

Other energy conversions

Kilowatt-hours to British thermal units — the same conversion the other way.

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