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Convert Kilocalories to Kilowatt-hours

1 kilocalorie is 0.001162 kWh. One kilocalorie is exactly 0.00116222222222 kilowatt-hours.

One kilocalorie is 0.0011622222 kilowatt-hours. To convert kilocalories to kilowatt-hours, multiply by 0.0011622222; to go the other way, divide by 0.0011622222 or multiply by 860.42065. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A thousand small calories, and what a food label means by "Calories" with a capital C.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Kilowatt-hours
0.001162 kWh
Kilocalories × 0.0011622222
value * 0.001162222222220.001 kWh

1 kilocalorie in every energy unit

UnitValueExact factor
joules4,184 J× 4,184
kilojoules4.184 kJ× 4.184
calories1,000 cal× 1,000
kilocalories (as entered)1 kcal
watt-hours1.162222222 Wh× 1.16222222222
kilowatt-hours0.001162222222 kWh× 0.00116222222222
British thermal units3.965666831 BTU× 3.96566683139
foot-pounds3,085.960033 ft·lbf× 3,085.96003258

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 kilocalories to kilowatt-hours?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in kilocalories.
  2. 2.Multiply by 0.0011622222 — that is how many kilowatt-hours fit in one kilocalorie.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 0.0011622222, or multiply by 860.42065.

Worked example: 25 kilocalories to kilowatt-hours

Formula
kcal × 0.0011622222 = kWh
Arithmetic
25 × 0.0011622222 = 0.029056 kWh
Answer
25 kcal = 0.029056 kWh

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

Kilocalories to kilowatt-hours conversion table

KilocaloriesKilowatt-hours
1 kcal0.001162 kWh
2 kcal0.002324 kWh
3 kcal0.003487 kWh
4 kcal0.004649 kWh
5 kcal0.005811 kWh
6 kcal0.006973 kWh
7 kcal0.008136 kWh
8 kcal0.009298 kWh
9 kcal0.01046 kWh
10 kcal0.011622 kWh
12 kcal0.013947 kWh
15 kcal0.017433 kWh
20 kcal0.023244 kWh
25 kcal0.029056 kWh
50 kcal0.058111 kWh
100 kcal0.116222 kWh
200 kcal0.232444 kWh
300 kcal0.348667 kWh
500 kcal0.581111 kWh
1000 kcal1.162222 kWh
2000 kcal2.324444 kWh
5000 kcal5.811111 kWh
10000 kcal11.622222 kWh

What is a kilocalorie?

A thousand small calories, and what a food label means by "Calories" with a capital C. A 2,000 calorie diet is 2,000 kcal, or 8.4 megajoules.

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 kilocalorie?

One kilocalorie is 0.0011622222 kilowatt-hours. Going the other way, one kilowatt-hour is 860.42065 kilocalories. 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 kilocalorie?
0.0011622222. 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 kilocalories?
Divide by 0.0011622222, or multiply by 860.42065 — they are the same operation.

Other energy conversions

Kilowatt-hours to kilocalories — the same conversion the other way.

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