Kilowatt-hour to Joule (kWh to J)
Result
3,600,000 Joule
Formula
J = kWh × 3,600,000
1 kWh = 3,600,000 J, and 1 J = 2.777777778e-7 kWh.
The joule is the SI unit of energy. The calorie used here is the thermochemical calorie, exactly 4.184 J; a kilowatt-hour is exactly 3.6 MJ; the BTU is the International Table BTU (1,055.05585262 J).
Worked examples
- 1 kWh × 3,600,000 = 3,600,000 J
- 10 kWh × 3,600,000 = 36,000,000 J
- 100 kWh × 3,600,000 = 360,000,000 J
Common mistakes
- Food "Calories" (capital C) are kilocalories: a 250 Calorie snack contains 250 kcal, or 1,046 kJ.
- kW is power and kWh is energy: a 2 kW heater running for 3 hours uses 6 kWh.
- The International Table calorie (4.1868 J) is slightly larger than the thermochemical calorie (4.184 J); engineering steam tables use the former.
Kilowatt-hour to Joule table
| Kilowatt-hour (kWh) | Joule (J) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3,600,000 |
| 2 | 7,200,000 |
| 5 | 18,000,000 |
| 10 | 36,000,000 |
| 20 | 72,000,000 |
| 50 | 180,000,000 |
| 100 | 360,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 3,600,000,000 |
The units
- Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
- 1 Kilowatt-hour = 3,600,000 Joule.
- Joule (J)
- A unit of energy.
Sources for these factors
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SP 811), Appendix B: conversion factors — NIST
- The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition — BIPM
Last reviewed against these sources. An automated check recomputes every factor from its definition on each build. How we check accuracy