Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the energy of one kilowatt for one hour, exactly 3.6 MJ. Electricity is billed in kWh.
Symbol: kWh
Quantity: energy, work and heat
SI relation: 1 kWh = 3600000 J (exact)
Derivation: 1 kWh = 1000 W × 3600 s = 3.6 × 10⁶ J
Exact: yes, by definition
Typical uses
- Electricity bills and meters
- EV and home battery capacity (e.g. 75 kWh)
- Appliance energy labels (kWh per year)
Convert kilowatt-hours to other units
| Conversion | 1 kWh equals | Reverse |
|---|---|---|
| kilowatt-hour to joule | 3600000 J | joule to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to kilojoule | 3600 kJ | kilojoule to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to kilocalorie | 860.4206501 kcal | kilocalorie to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to BTU | 3412.141633 BTU | BTU to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to megajoule | 3.6 MJ | megajoule to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to calorie | 860420.6501 cal | calorie to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to watt-hour | 1000 Wh | watt-hour to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to therm | 0.03412956341 thm | therm to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to electronvolt | 2.246943267 × 10²⁵ eV | electronvolt to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to foot-pound | 2655223.737 ft·lbf | foot-pound to kilowatt-hour |
| kilowatt-hour to erg | 36000000000000 erg | erg to kilowatt-hour |
Open the Energy 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, "kilowatt hour (kW·h)".
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). Kilowatt-hour (kWh). Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://scientificconverters.com/units/kilowatt-hour/
IEEE
Scientific Converters, "Kilowatt-hour (kWh)," scientificconverters.com. Accessed: Oct. 17, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://scientificconverters.com/units/kilowatt-hour/