Kilowatts to BTU/hr Converter
Convert kilowatts (kW) of power to British Thermal Units per hour (BTU/hr). One kilowatt is exactly 3,412.142 BTU/hr.
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Kilowatt ↔ BTU per hour
Calculation Formula
1 kW × 3,412.14 = 3,412.14 BTU/hr
Worked Example
Convert 5 kW to BTU/hr:
5 kW × 3412.142 = 17,060.71 BTU/hr
Kilowatt to BTU per hour Table
Note: When looking at air conditioners or heat pumps, their BTU/hr cooling/heating capacity is NOT their electrical draw. A 12,000 BTU/hr air conditioner (approx 3.5 kW of thermal capacity) will typically only consume around 1 kW of electricity due to the coefficient of performance (COP).
| kW | BTU/hr |
|---|---|
| 1 kW | 3,412.14 BTU/hr |
| 2 kW | 6,824.28 BTU/hr |
| 3 kW | 10,236.42 BTU/hr |
| 5 kW | 17,060.71 BTU/hr |
| 10 kW | 34,121.42 BTU/hr |
| 15 kW | 51,182.12 BTU/hr |
| 20 kW | 68,242.83 BTU/hr |
Understanding the Conversion
This conversion finds the thermal equivalence of electrical power. It is commonly used when comparing electric resistive heating elements to gas heaters.
Compare heating & cooling costs.
Use your converted HVAC ratings to compare the running costs of heat pumps versus gas furnaces.