BTU per Hour (BTU/h)
The BTU per hour (BTU/h, often written BTU) is the US unit for heating and cooling capacity, about 0.293 W. 3412 BTU/h is about 1 kW.
Symbol: BTU/h
Quantity: power (energy per unit time)
SI relation: 1 BTU/h = 0.2930710701722 W (exact)
Derivation: 1 BTU/h = 1055.05585262 J ÷ 3600 s = 0.29307107 W
Exact: yes, by definition
Typical uses
- Air-conditioner and heat-pump capacity (e.g. 12 000 BTU/h)
- Furnace and boiler input/output
- HVAC load calculations (MBH = 1000 BTU/h)
Convert BTU per hour to other units
| Conversion | 1 BTU/h equals | Reverse |
|---|---|---|
| BTU per hour to watt | 0.2930710702 W | watt to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to kilowatt | 0.0002930710702 kW | kilowatt to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to horsepower | 0.0003930147789 hp | horsepower to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to refrigeration ton | 0.00008333333333 TR | refrigeration ton to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to megawatt | 2.930710702 × 10⁻⁷ MW | megawatt to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to metric horsepower | 0.0003984657624 PS | metric horsepower to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to milliwatt | 293.0710702 mW | milliwatt to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to kilocalorie per hour | 0.2519957611 kcal/h | kilocalorie per hour to BTU per hour |
| BTU per hour to foot-pound per second | 0.2161581284 ft·lbf/s | foot-pound per second to BTU per hour |
Open the Power Converter to convert any value between all units.
Sources
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), NIST Special Publication 811, 2008 Edition, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Appendix B.8, "British thermal unit_IT per hour".
Last reviewed: . Factors are stored exactly and computed with 50-digit decimal arithmetic. See how we verify conversion factors.
Cite this page
APA
Scientific Converters. (2026, October 15). BTU per Hour (BTU/h). Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://scientificconverters.com/units/btu-per-hour/
IEEE
Scientific Converters, "BTU per Hour (BTU/h)," scientificconverters.com. Accessed: Oct. 17, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://scientificconverters.com/units/btu-per-hour/