Convert British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-Hour (BTU → kWh)

The British thermal unit is the standard for American HVAC systems, gas appliances, and air-conditioner ratings.

British Thermal Unit

Kilowatt-Hour

0.000293

1 BTU0.000293 kWhNIST · BIPM accuracy

British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-Hour Conversion Table

10 common values

British Thermal Unit	Kilowatt-Hour
1 BTU	0.000293 kWh
10 BTU	0.002931 kWh
100 BTU	0.029307 kWh
500 BTU	0.146536 kWh
1,000 BTU	0.293071 kWh
5,000 BTU	1.465355 kWh
10,000 BTU	2.930711 kWh
50,000 BTU	14.653553 kWh
100,000 BTU	29.307107 kWh
500,000 BTU	146.53553 kWh

How to Convert British Thermal Unit to Kilowatt-Hour Manually

Step by Step

Converting BTU to kilowatt-hours is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1
Take your value in BTU
Start with the number of BTU (BTU) you want to convert.
2
Multiply by 0.000293
The conversion factor from BTU to kWh is 0.000293. Multiply your value by this number.
3
Read the result in kilowatt-hours
The result is your value in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Practical Examples

1 BTU

equals

0.000293 kWh

5 BTU

equals

0.001465 kWh

10 BTU

equals

0.002931 kWh

25 BTU

equals

0.007327 kWh

100 BTU

equals

0.029307 kWh

Formula

Multiply the value in BTU by 0.000293. For the reverse direction, multiply by 3,412.1416.

ForwardkWh = BTU × 0.000293

ReverseBTU = kWh × 3,412.1416

Example: 10 BTU × 0.000293 = 0.002931 kWh

Tips

Use these in everyday conversions

1 BTU = 1055.06 J = 0.293 Wh.
BTU/h (power) and BTU (energy) are different — don't confuse.
Tons of refrigeration: 12,000 BTU/h = 1 ton AC.

Common Mistakes

Avoid these

Confusing BTU and BTU/h — energy vs power.
Using kcal when BTU is requested in HVAC specs.
Treating all BTUs as exact — definitions vary (IT, thermochemical, etc.).

About British Thermal Unit and Kilowatt-Hour

What is the British Thermal Unit?

The British thermal unit (BTU) equals approximately 1,055.06 joules and is the standard unit in American HVAC, gas appliances, and air-conditioner ratings. Originally defined as the heat needed to raise 1 pound of water by 1°F, the BTU is the imperial counterpart to the calorie. American gas utilities measure delivered heat in BTUs or therms (1 therm = 100,000 BTU), and air conditioners are rated by their cooling capacity in BTU per hour (a typical window AC is 5,000–12,000 BTU/h, central AC for a medium home is 24,000–60,000 BTU/h). Furnaces are similarly rated. The BTU relates to the joule (1 BTU ≈ 1,055 J), the calorie (1 BTU ≈ 252 cal), the watt-hour (1 BTU ≈ 0.293 Wh), and the therm (100,000 BTU = 1 therm). Outside the United States, the BTU is rare; metric countries use kilojoules or kilowatt-hours for the same applications.

US air-conditioner sizing
US heating-system capacity
Natural gas billing in some US regions

Real-world examples

Window AC: 5000–12,000 BTU/h. Central AC: 24,000–60,000 BTU/h. Home furnace: 60,000–100,000 BTU/h.

What is the Kilowatt-Hour?

The kilowatt-hour equals 1,000 watt-hours (3.6 megajoules) and is the universal billing unit for residential electricity consumption around the world. A typical US household uses about 800–1,000 kWh per month; a refrigerator consumes 1–2 kWh per day, an LED bulb at 10 W for 10 hours uses 0.1 kWh, and a Tesla Model 3 has a 75 kWh battery (about 250–350 miles of range). Electric utility rates are quoted in cents per kWh — typical US residential rates are 11–25 ¢/kWh, while industrial rates are lower. The kilowatt-hour is essential in renewable-energy planning: solar panel output, wind farm production, and grid-scale storage are all rated in kWh or MWh (megawatt-hours). It relates to the watt-hour (1,000 Wh = 1 kWh), the joule (1 kWh = 3.6 MJ), the BTU (1 kWh ≈ 3,412 BTU), and the megawatt-hour (1,000 kWh = 1 MWh).