Convert Kilowatt-hours to Calories
1 kilowatt-hour is 860,420.650096 cal. One kilowatt-hour is exactly 860420.650096 calories.
One kilowatt-hour is 860420.65 calories. To convert kilowatt-hours to calories, multiply by 860420.65; to go the other way, divide by 860420.65 or multiply by 1.1622 × 10^-6. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A thousand watt-hours, and the unit every electricity bill is added up in.
Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check
- Kilowatt-hours × 860420.65
value * 860420.650096860,420.65 cal
1 kilowatt-hour in every energy unit
| Unit | Value | Exact factor |
|---|---|---|
| joules | 3,600,000 J | × 3,600,000 |
| kilojoules | 3,600 kJ | × 3,600 |
| calories | 860,420.6501 cal | × 860,420.650096 |
| kilocalories | 860.4206501 kcal | × 860.420650096 |
| watt-hours | 1,000 Wh | × 1,000 |
| kilowatt-hours (as entered) | 1 kWh | — |
| British thermal units | 3,412.141633 BTU | × 3,412.14163313 |
| foot-pounds | 2,655,223.737 ft·lbf | × 2,655,223.7374 |
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 kilowatt-hours to calories?
- 1.Take the measurement in kilowatt-hours.
- 2.Multiply by 860420.65 — that is how many calories fit in one kilowatt-hour.
- 3.To go back the other way, divide by 860420.65, or multiply by 1.1622 × 10^-6.
Worked example: 25 kilowatt-hours to calories
- Formula
- kWh × 860420.65 = cal
- Arithmetic
- 25 × 860420.65 = 21,510,516.2524 cal
- Answer
- 25 kWh = 21,510,516.2524 cal
The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.
Kilowatt-hours to calories conversion table
| Kilowatt-hours | Calories |
|---|---|
| 1 kWh | 860,420.650096 cal |
| 2 kWh | 1,720,841.300192 cal |
| 3 kWh | 2,581,261.950288 cal |
| 4 kWh | 3,441,682.600384 cal |
| 5 kWh | 4,302,103.25048 cal |
| 6 kWh | 5,162,523.900576 cal |
| 7 kWh | 6,022,944.550672 cal |
| 8 kWh | 6,883,365.200768 cal |
| 9 kWh | 7,743,785.850864 cal |
| 10 kWh | 8,604,206.50096 cal |
| 12 kWh | 10,325,047.801152 cal |
| 15 kWh | 12,906,309.75144 cal |
| 20 kWh | 17,208,413.00192 cal |
| 25 kWh | 21,510,516.2524 cal |
| 50 kWh | 43,021,032.5048 cal |
| 100 kWh | 86,042,065.0096 cal |
| 200 kWh | 172,084,130.0192 cal |
| 300 kWh | 258,126,195.0288 cal |
| 500 kWh | 430,210,325.048 cal |
| 1000 kWh | 860,420,650.096 cal |
| 2000 kWh | 1,720,841,300.192 cal |
| 5000 kWh | 4,302,103,250.480001 cal |
| 10000 kWh | 8,604,206,500.960001 cal |
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.
What is a calorie?
The thermochemical calorie: exactly 4.184 joules by definition. This is the small calorie — the one on a food label is a thousand of these, which is the single most common confusion in this group.
How many calories are in a kilowatt-hour?
One kilowatt-hour is 860420.65 calories. Going the other way, one calorie is 1.1622 × 10^-6 kilowatt-hours. 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
| Unit | Symbol | One of these is |
|---|---|---|
| Joules | J | the base unit |
| Kilojoules | kJ | 1000 joule |
| Calories | cal | 4.184 joule |
| Kilocalories | kcal | 4184 joule |
| Watt-hours | Wh | 3600 joule |
| Kilowatt-hours | kWh | 3600000 joule |
| British thermal units | BTU | 1055.0559 joule |
| Foot-pounds | ft·lbf | 1.3558179 joule |
Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — the thermochemical calorie is exactly 4.184 J
Questions people actually ask
- How many calories are in a kilowatt-hour?
- 860420.65. The thermochemical calorie: exactly 4.184 joules by definition. This is the small calorie — the one on a food label is a thousand of these, which is the single most common confusion in this group.
- How do I convert calories back to kilowatt-hours?
- Divide by 860420.65, or multiply by 1.1622 × 10^-6 — they are the same operation.
Other energy conversions
Calories to kilowatt-hours — the same conversion the other way.