Convert Kilowatt-hours to Kilocalories
1 kilowatt-hour is 860.42065 kcal. One kilowatt-hour is exactly 860.420650096 kilocalories.
One kilowatt-hour is 860.42065 kilocalories. To convert kilowatt-hours to kilocalories, multiply by 860.42065; to go the other way, divide by 860.42065 or multiply by 0.0011622222. 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 × 860.42065
value * 860.420650096860.421 kcal
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 kilocalories?
- 1.Take the measurement in kilowatt-hours.
- 2.Multiply by 860.42065 — that is how many kilocalories fit in one kilowatt-hour.
- 3.To go back the other way, divide by 860.42065, or multiply by 0.0011622222.
Worked example: 25 kilowatt-hours to kilocalories
- Formula
- kWh × 860.42065 = kcal
- Arithmetic
- 25 × 860.42065 = 21,510.516252 kcal
- Answer
- 25 kWh = 21,510.516252 kcal
The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.
Kilowatt-hours to kilocalories conversion table
| Kilowatt-hours | Kilocalories |
|---|---|
| 1 kWh | 860.42065 kcal |
| 2 kWh | 1,720.8413 kcal |
| 3 kWh | 2,581.26195 kcal |
| 4 kWh | 3,441.6826 kcal |
| 5 kWh | 4,302.10325 kcal |
| 6 kWh | 5,162.523901 kcal |
| 7 kWh | 6,022.944551 kcal |
| 8 kWh | 6,883.365201 kcal |
| 9 kWh | 7,743.785851 kcal |
| 10 kWh | 8,604.206501 kcal |
| 12 kWh | 10,325.047801 kcal |
| 15 kWh | 12,906.309751 kcal |
| 20 kWh | 17,208.413002 kcal |
| 25 kWh | 21,510.516252 kcal |
| 50 kWh | 43,021.032505 kcal |
| 100 kWh | 86,042.06501 kcal |
| 200 kWh | 172,084.130019 kcal |
| 300 kWh | 258,126.195029 kcal |
| 500 kWh | 430,210.325048 kcal |
| 1000 kWh | 860,420.650096 kcal |
| 2000 kWh | 1,720,841.300192 kcal |
| 5000 kWh | 4,302,103.25048 kcal |
| 10000 kWh | 8,604,206.50096 kcal |
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 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.
How many kilocalories are in a kilowatt-hour?
One kilowatt-hour is 860.42065 kilocalories. Going the other way, one kilocalorie is 0.0011622222 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 kilocalories are in a kilowatt-hour?
- 860.42065. 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.
- How do I convert kilocalories back to kilowatt-hours?
- Divide by 860.42065, or multiply by 0.0011622222 — they are the same operation.
Other energy conversions
Kilocalories to kilowatt-hours — the same conversion the other way.