BTU to kWh Calculator

The British Thermal Unit (BTU) is a unit of energy commonly used in the United States and some parts of Asia for rating heating and cooling equipment. In Europe, the kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the standard unit. Converting between the two is necessary when comparing equipment specifications, particularly for air conditioners and heat pumps that may be rated in BTU/h.

Air conditioners are a common example. A unit rated at 12,000 BTU/h (often called a one-ton AC unit) is equivalent to about 3.52 kW of cooling capacity. This does not mean it consumes 3.52 kW of electricity, however. The actual electricity consumption depends on the unit's efficiency rating (EER or COP). A typical split AC with a COP of 3.5 would consume about 1 kW of electricity to deliver 3.52 kW of cooling.

For heating calculations, knowing that 1 kWh equals 3,412 BTU helps when sizing heating systems. If a room requires 20,000 BTU/h of heating, that is about 5.86 kW. An electric heater would need to consume 5.86 kW to provide this directly, while a heat pump with a COP of 3 would only consume about 1.95 kW of electricity to deliver the same heat output, making heat pumps significantly more efficient for heating in most European climates.