Kilowatt-hours Converter
Convert Kilowatt-hours (kWh) to any other energy unit. The table below gives the exact figure for each unit, and every conversion is worked from the same engine as the converter.
What kilowatt-hours convert to
One kWh in every other energy unit.
| Unit | 1 kWh | Reverse |
|---|---|---|
| Joules | 3,600,000 J | 2.7778e-7 kWh |
| Kilojoules | 3,600 kJ | 2.7778e-4 kWh |
| Megajoules | 3.6 MJ | 0.277778 kWh |
| Watt-hours | 1,000 Wh | 0.001 kWh |
| Calories | 860,420.650096 cal | 1.1622e-6 kWh |
| Kilocalories | 860.42065 kcal | 0.001162 kWh |
| BTU | 3,412.141633 BTU | 2.9307e-4 kWh |
Multiply a kilowatt-hours figure by the figure in the second column to get the unit in the first, or multiply by the third column to go the other way.
Kilowatt-hours conversion reference
Kilowatt-hours to Joules
One kilowatt-hours is 3,600,000 joules, and one joules is 2.7778e-7 kilowatt-hours.
The joule is the SI unit of energy: the work done by one newton over one meter. It is used for small energy amounts in physics and engineering.
- 1 kWh= 3,600,000 J
- 5 kWh= 18,000,000 J
- 10 kWh= 36,000,000 J
Energy in the International System of Units is measured in joules, where one joule is the work done by a force of one newton moving an object one metre. The symbol is J.
Physics and engineering use the joule for mechanical work, heat, radiation and electrical energy, and small appliance labels sometimes state a surge or pulse rating in joules.
Kilowatt-hours to Kilojoules
One kilowatt-hours is 3,600 kilojoules, and one kilojoules is 2.7778e-4 kilowatt-hours.
A kilojoule is 1,000 joules. It is used for food energy in most countries outside the United States, and for small industrial figures.
- 1 kWh= 3,600 kJ
- 5 kWh= 18,000 kJ
- 10 kWh= 36,000 kJ
One kilojoule is exactly 1,000 joules, and the symbol is kJ. It is the joule multiple that food packaging commonly prints, with energy shown in kilojoules beside kilocalories, and chemistry uses it for reaction energies.
Nutrition panels, exercise machines and dietary advice report energy in kilojoules wherever the metric system is used. Materials and fuel data, such as energy content per kilogram, are tabulated in kilojoules as well.
Kilowatt-hours to Megajoules
One kilowatt-hours is 3.6 megajoules, and one megajoules is 0.277778 kilowatt-hours.
A megajoule is 1,000 kilojoules, or about 0.278 kilowatt-hours. It is used for the energy content of fuels: a litre of diesel holds roughly 36 megajoules.
- 1 kWh= 3.6 MJ
- 5 kWh= 18 MJ
- 10 kWh= 36 MJ
One megajoule is 1,000 kilojoules, which is one million joules. Fuels, industrial processes and large energy figures are quoted in megajoules when a count in joules would be unwieldy.
Fuel energy content, blast energy, industrial process heat and large-scale storage are described in megajoules. Engineering calculations for combustion and materials testing also use the unit.
Kilowatt-hours to Watt-hours
One kilowatt-hours is 1,000 watt-hours, and one watt-hours is 0.001 kilowatt-hours.
A watt-hour is the energy of one watt sustained for one hour — 3,600 joules. It is used for battery and power-bank capacity; a phone battery is typically 10 to 20 watt-hours.
- 1 kWh= 1,000 Wh
- 5 kWh= 5,000 Wh
- 10 kWh= 10,000 Wh
Kilowatt-hours to Calories
One kilowatt-hours is 860,420.650096 calories, and one calories is 1.1622e-6 kilowatt-hours.
A calorie here is the small calorie of 4.184 joules — the energy needed to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. Food labels use the kilocalorie, which is 1,000 of these.
- 1 kWh= 860,420.650096 cal
- 5 kWh= 4,302,103.250478 cal
- 10 kWh= 8,604,206.500956 cal
One thermochemical calorie is exactly 4.184 joules, a definition fixed by convention rather than by a water experiment. The food calorie on a nutrition label is a kilocalorie of 4,184 joules.
The small calorie appears in chemistry, physics and heat-capacity problems, where a substance's specific heat is expressed per gram per degree. Nutrition labels use the much larger food calorie instead.
Kilowatt-hours to Kilocalories
One kilowatt-hours is 860.42065 kilocalories, and one kilocalories is 0.001162 kilowatt-hours.
A kilocalorie is 1,000 calories, or 4,184 joules. It is the 'calorie' on food labels, so a 2,000-calorie diet means 2,000 kilocalories.
- 1 kWh= 860.42065 kcal
- 5 kWh= 4,302.10325 kcal
- 10 kWh= 8,604.206501 kcal
Exactly 1,000 thermochemical calories, or 4,184 joules, make one kilocalorie. A food label that prints calorie, often with a capital letter, means this unit rather than the small calorie of physics.
Food energy on packaging, diet plans, restaurant menus and sports nutrition is stated in kilocalories. Physiology and nutrition research also reports energy expenditure in the same unit.
Kilowatt-hours to BTU
One kilowatt-hours is 3,412.141633 btu, and one btu is 2.9307e-4 kilowatt-hours.
A BTU (British thermal unit) is 1,055.05585262 joules — the energy needed to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is used for heating and cooling capacity.
- 1 kWh= 3,412.141633 BTU
- 5 kWh= 17,060.708166 BTU
- 10 kWh= 34,121.416331 BTU
What kilowatt-hours are used for
A kilowatt-hour is 1,000 watt-hours, or 3.6 megajoules. It is the unit on electricity bills, and the 'unit' shown on a prepaid meter.
The kilowatt-hour is the energy of one kilowatt sustained for one hour, and it is exactly 3.6 megajoules. Its symbol is kWh, and it equals 1,000 watt-hours.
Electricity bills, prepaid meter units, solar generation totals and battery or power-bank capacity are all measured in kilowatt-hours. Appliance consumption over time is compared in the same unit.
A kilowatt-hour is an amount of energy and a kilowatt is a rate, so the unit already contains the time element. Multiplying a kilowatt rating by hours of use gives kilowatt-hours directly.
Quoting a battery in kilowatt-hours when the label gives only amp-hours and a voltage skips a step, because the two must be multiplied first. A kilowatt-hour and a kilowatt are also not interchangeable.
The kilowatt-hour is the meter's accounting unit, the watt-hour is its one-thousandth for battery labels, and the joule and megajoule express the same energy in physics and fuel data. A meter reading is rarely converted into joules, but the two describe one amount.
All factors are exact definitions, so only the display is rounded.
Energy units are defined against the joule, so every conversion in this dimension is a single exact multiplication by a published number rather than a chain of steps that could accumulate error.
The pair that needs care is the kilowatt-hour, because it looks like a power unit and is not. It is a watt sustained for an hour, which is why an electricity meter counts in kilowatt-hours while a generator is rated in kilowatts: one is an amount, the other is a rate, and only a duration links them.
To check an energy conversion, express both sides in joules or both in kilowatt-hours before comparing. The commonest mistake is treating a food calorie as a calorie when the label means a kilocalorie, which understates the figure a thousandfold.
Tanzania reference points
Real quantities, converted into kilowatt-hours.
One unit of electricity on a Tanzanian prepaid meter
1 kWh
The average domestic rate was about 229.59 TZS per kWh as of December 2025, including taxes and supply. That is an average across domestic customers, not the marginal rate on a bill.
Source: GlobalPetrolPrices — Tanzania electricity prices (compiled from EWURA/TANESCO tariffs) · verified 2026-09-14
Kilowatt-hours conversion tables
Kilowatt-hours to Joules
| Kilowatt-hours (kWh) | Joules (J) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3,600,000 |
| 2 | 7,200,000 |
| 3 | 10,800,000 |
| 4 | 14,400,000 |
| 5 | 18,000,000 |
| 10 | 36,000,000 |
| 25 | 90,000,000 |
| 50 | 180,000,000 |
| 100 | 360,000,000 |
Kilowatt-hours to Kilojoules
| Kilowatt-hours (kWh) | Kilojoules (kJ) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3,600 |
| 2 | 7,200 |
| 3 | 10,800 |
| 4 | 14,400 |
| 5 | 18,000 |
| 10 | 36,000 |
| 25 | 90,000 |
| 50 | 180,000 |
| 100 | 360,000 |
Kilowatt-hours to Megajoules
| Kilowatt-hours (kWh) | Megajoules (MJ) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3.6 |
| 2 | 7.2 |
| 3 | 10.8 |
| 4 | 14.4 |
| 5 | 18 |
| 10 | 36 |
| 25 | 90 |
| 50 | 180 |
| 100 | 360 |