Megajoules to Kilowatt-hours Converter
Convert Megajoules (MJ) to Kilowatt-hours (kWh) instantly, or use the conversion table below to look up common values.
Megajoules to Kilowatt-hours conversion table
| Megajoules (MJ) | Kilowatt-hours (kWh) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.277778 |
| 2 | 0.555556 |
| 3 | 0.833333 |
| 4 | 1.111111 |
| 5 | 1.388889 |
| 10 | 2.777778 |
| 25 | 6.944444 |
| 50 | 13.888889 |
| 100 | 27.777778 |
How to convert Megajoules to Kilowatt-hours
1 MJ equals 0.277778 kWh. Use the converter above for any value, or read the table for common conversions.
kWh = MJ × 0.2777777777777778 · MJ = kWh × 3.6Multiply a megajoules figure by 0.277778 to get kilowatt-hours, or divide it by 3.6 to go the other way.
Worked examples
- 1 MJ= 0.277778 kWh
- 5 MJ= 1.388889 kWh
- 10 MJ= 2.777778 kWh
- 100 MJ= 27.777778 kWh
- 500 MJ= 138.888889 kWh
What these units are
Megajoules (MJ). 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.
Kilowatt-hours (kWh). 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.
All factors are exact definitions, so only the display is rounded.
Converting Megajoules to Kilowatt-hours in practice
Working in megajoules
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.
Multiplying a power figure in kilowatts by a duration in seconds produces joules, and a thousand of those make one megajoule. One kilowatt-hour is exactly 3.6 megajoules, the same energy under another name.
The frequent confusion is to treat a megawatt of capacity as a megawatt-hour of energy, and the same slip appears with megajoules when a rate is read as an amount. Time is the missing factor.
Megajoules and kilojoules differ only by a factor of one thousand, while the kilowatt-hour names the same energy at exactly 3.6 megajoules. Fuel data is tabulated in megajoules, electricity accounting uses kilowatt-hours, and mechanics works in joules.
Reading the result in kilowatt-hours
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.
Checking a megajoules to kilowatt-hours conversion
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 the units on this page.
One unit of electricity on a Tanzanian prepaid meter
1 kWh = 3.6 MJ
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
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