Watts and kilowatts
1 kW = 1,000 W. A typical home uses 1–2 kW on average. An electric kettle draws around 2 kW; an LED bulb only 5–15 W.
Power conversion
Convert any power,
instantly.
Watts, kilowatts, horsepower and BTU per hour — everything you need to compare engines, appliances and HVAC systems.
kW
1.3410221
hp1 kW = 1.3410221 hp
Quick to:
1 kW in all units
| Milliwatts | 1000000 | mW |
| Watts | 1000 | W |
| Megawatts | 0.001 | MW |
| Gigawatts | 1.000000e-6 | GW |
| Horsepower (metric) | 1.3596216 | PS |
| Horsepower (mechanical) | 1.3410221 | hp |
| Horsepower (electric) | 1.3404826 | hp(E) |
| BTU per hour | 3412.1416 | BTU/h |
| Foot-pounds per second | 737.56215 | ft·lb/s |
| Calories per second | 239.00574 | cal/s |
About power conversion
Power is the rate at which energy is transferred or used. The SI unit is the watt (W) — one joule per second. Cars use horsepower, HVAC uses BTU/h, and utilities use megawatts and gigawatts.
Horsepower
Mechanical (imperial) hp is 745.7 W. Metric hp (PS, used in Europe) is 735.5 W. They differ by about 1.4% — close but not identical.
BTU per hour
Air conditioning and heating equipment are rated in BTU/h. 12,000 BTU/h ≈ 3.517 kW = '1 ton' of cooling capacity.
Industrial scale
1 MW = 1,000 kW powers about 800 average homes. 1 GW (1,000 MW) is the typical output of a large power station.
Frequently asked questions
- How many watts are in 1 horsepower?
- 1 mechanical hp ≈ 745.7 W. 1 metric hp (PS) ≈ 735.5 W. Both are close enough that car specs sometimes mix them.
- How do I convert kW to BTU per hour?
- Multiply kW by 3,412.14. So a 3.5 kW air conditioner ≈ 12,000 BTU/h (a '1-ton' unit).
- What's the difference between energy and power?
- Power is the rate of energy use: 1 watt = 1 joule per second. A 1,000 W heater running for 1 hour consumes 1 kWh of energy.
- What is megawatt vs gigawatt?
- 1 MW = 1,000 kW = 1,000,000 W. 1 GW = 1,000 MW. A large nuclear reactor produces about 1 GW of electrical power.