Power Converter – Convert W, kW, MW, HP, BTU/h & More

A power converter helps you change a power value from one unit to another. You can convert watts, kilowatts, megawatts, horsepower, kilocalories per hour, BTU per hour, and foot-pounds per minute in seconds.

Power is used to describe how quickly energy is used, produced, or transferred.

For example:

• A small electronic device may use a few watts.
• A microwave oven may use around 1,000 watts.
• A car engine can be described using horsepower.
• A large power plant can produce megawatts or gigawatts.

Use our Power Converter to make these conversions quickly and easily.

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What Is Power?

Power tells us how fast energy is used or transferred.

The standard unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) is the watt (W).

For example:

1 watt = 1 joule per second

This means that a device using 1 watt uses or transfers 1 joule of energy every second.

The basic relationship is:

Power = Energy ÷ Time

or:

P = E / t

Where:

• P = Power
• E = Energy
• t = Time

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Power Units

Our Power Converter supports these units:

Unit	Symbol	Equivalent in watts
Watt	W	1 W
Kilowatt	kW	1,000 W
Megawatt	MW	1,000,000 W
Gigawatt	GW	1,000,000,000 W
Milliwatt	mW	0.001 W
Microwatt	µW	0.000001 W
Horsepower (mechanical)	hp	745.699872 W
Horsepower (metric)	PS	735.49875 W
Kilocalorie per hour	kcal/h	≈ 1.162222 W
BTU per hour	BTU/h	≈ 0.293071 W
Foot-pound per minute	ft·lbf/min	≈ 0.022597 W

The values above allow the converter to change each unit into another power unit.

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Watt (W)

The watt is the main unit of power used by the SI system.

The symbol for watt is:

W

Examples of things that can use watts include:

• Light bulbs
• Phone chargers
• Computers
• Televisions
• Fans
• Small appliances

For example:

100 W = 100 watts

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Kilowatt (kW)

A kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts.

1 kW = 1,000 W

To convert kilowatts to watts, multiply by 1,000.

Example

Convert 2 kW to W:

2 × 1,000 = 2,000 W

So:

2 kW = 2,000 W

To convert watts to kilowatts, divide by 1,000.

Example

Convert 5,000 W to kW:

5,000 ÷ 1,000 = 5 kW

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Megawatt (MW)

A megawatt is equal to one million watts.

1 MW = 1,000,000 W

Megawatts are commonly used for large amounts of power.

Examples include:

• Power plants
• Large industrial systems
• Wind farms
• Solar farms
• Large electrical systems

Example

Convert 3 MW to W:

3 × 1,000,000 = 3,000,000 W

So:

3 MW = 3,000,000 W

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Gigawatt (GW)

A gigawatt is equal to one billion watts.

1 GW = 1,000,000,000 W

Gigawatts are useful when talking about very large power systems.

Example

Convert 2 GW to MW:

Since:

1 GW = 1,000 MW

Then:

2 × 1,000 = 2,000 MW

So:

2 GW = 2,000 MW

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Milliwatt (mW)

A milliwatt is one thousandth of a watt.

1 mW = 0.001 W

The prefix milli- means one thousandth.

Example

Convert 500 mW to W:

500 × 0.001 = 0.5 W

Therefore:

500 mW = 0.5 W

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Microwatt (µW)

A microwatt is one millionth of a watt.

1 µW = 0.000001 W

The prefix micro- means one millionth.

Example

Convert 1,000,000 µW to W:

1,000,000 × 0.000001 = 1 W

Therefore:

1,000,000 µW = 1 W

Microwatts are useful for very small amounts of power.

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Horsepower (Mechanical)

Mechanical horsepower is commonly used to describe the power of engines and machines.

The symbol is:

hp

One mechanical horsepower is approximately:

1 hp = 745.699872 W

Example

Convert 10 hp to watts:

10 × 745.699872 = 7,456.99872 W

So:

10 hp ≈ 7,457 W

or approximately:

10 hp ≈ 7.457 kW

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Horsepower (Metric)

Metric horsepower is also called PS.

The conversion is approximately:

1 PS = 735.49875 W

Example

Convert 5 PS to watts:

5 × 735.49875 = 3,677.49375 W

Therefore:

5 PS ≈ 3,677.49 W

or:

5 PS ≈ 3.677 kW

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Kilocalorie per Hour (kcal/h)

A kilocalorie per hour measures how quickly energy is transferred or used.

The symbol is:

kcal/h

One kilocalorie per hour is approximately:

1 kcal/h = 1.162222 W

Example

Convert 100 kcal/h to watts:

100 × 1.162222 ≈ 116.22 W

Therefore:

100 kcal/h ≈ 116.22 W

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BTU per Hour (BTU/h)

BTU/h means British Thermal Unit per hour.

It is a unit of power often used with heating and cooling equipment.

The symbol is:

BTU/h

Approximately:

1 BTU/h = 0.293071 W

Example

Convert 1,000 BTU/h to watts:

1,000 × 0.293071 ≈ 293.071 W

Therefore:

1,000 BTU/h ≈ 293.07 W

This unit is commonly seen when describing the capacity of air conditioners and heating equipment.

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Foot-pound per Minute (ft·lbf/min)

Foot-pound per minute is another unit of power.

The symbol is:

ft·lbf/min

Approximately:

1 ft·lbf/min = 0.022597 W

Example

Convert 1,000 ft·lbf/min to watts:

1,000 × 0.022597 ≈ 22.597 W

Therefore:

1,000 ft·lbf/min ≈ 22.60 W

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Common Power Conversions

Here are some useful conversions.

Conversion	Result
1 kW to W	1,000 W
1 MW to W	1,000,000 W
1 GW to W	1,000,000,000 W
1 W to mW	1,000 mW
1 W to µW	1,000,000 µW
1 hp to W	745.699872 W
1 PS to W	735.49875 W
1 kcal/h to W	≈ 1.162222 W
1 BTU/h to W	≈ 0.293071 W
1 ft·lbf/min to W	≈ 0.022597 W

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How to Convert Power Units

The easiest way to convert power is to use watts as the base unit.

For example, suppose you want to convert kilowatts to horsepower.

First, convert kilowatts to watts.

Then convert watts to horsepower.

Example: 10 kW to hp

First:

10 kW = 10,000 W

Now divide by the value of one mechanical horsepower:

10,000 ÷ 745.699872 ≈ 13.405 hp

Therefore:

10 kW ≈ 13.41 hp

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Power Conversion Examples

Example 1: 3 kW to watts

3 × 1,000 = 3,000 W

Answer:

3 kW = 3,000 W

---

Example 2: 2 MW to kW

Since:

1 MW = 1,000 kW

Then:

2 × 1,000 = 2,000 kW

Answer:

2 MW = 2,000 kW

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Example 3: 5,000 W to kW

Divide by 1,000:

5,000 ÷ 1,000 = 5 kW

Answer:

5,000 W = 5 kW

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Example 4: 2 hp to watts

Use:

1 hp = 745.699872 W

Then:

2 × 745.699872 = 1,491.399744 W

Answer:

2 hp ≈ 1,491.40 W

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Example 5: 10 PS to watts

Use:

1 PS = 735.49875 W

Then:

10 × 735.49875 = 7,354.9875 W

Answer:

10 PS ≈ 7,354.99 W

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Example 6: 5,000 BTU/h to watts

Use:

1 BTU/h ≈ 0.293071 W

Then:

5,000 × 0.293071 ≈ 1,465.36 W

Answer:

5,000 BTU/h ≈ 1,465.36 W

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Example 7: 1,000 kcal/h to watts

Use:

1 kcal/h ≈ 1.162222 W

Then:

1,000 × 1.162222 ≈ 1,162.22 W

Answer:

1,000 kcal/h ≈ 1,162.22 W

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Example 8: 10,000 mW to watts

Since:

1 mW = 0.001 W

Then:

10,000 × 0.001 = 10 W

Answer:

10,000 mW = 10 W

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Example 9: 2,000,000 µW to watts

Since:

1 µW = 0.000001 W

Then:

2,000,000 × 0.000001 = 2 W

Answer:

2,000,000 µW = 2 W

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Example 10: 10,000 ft·lbf/min to watts

Use:

1 ft·lbf/min ≈ 0.022597 W

Then:

10,000 × 0.022597 ≈ 225.97 W

Answer:

10,000 ft·lbf/min ≈ 225.97 W

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Power vs Energy

Power and energy are related, but they are not the same thing.

Power tells us how fast energy is used or transferred.

Energy tells us how much energy is used or stored.

For example, a heater may have a power rating of:

2 kW

If the heater works for 3 hours, the energy used is:

2 kW × 3 hours = 6 kWh

So:

• kW measures power.
• kWh measures energy.

You can also learn more about energy conversions with our Energy Converter.

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Power and Electrical Systems

Power is very important in electrical systems.

For a simple DC electrical circuit:

P = V × I

Where:

• P = power in watts
• V = voltage in volts
• I = current in amperes

For example, if a device uses 12 volts and 2 amperes:

P = 12 × 2

P = 24 W

Therefore, the device uses:

24 watts

You can also use our Electrical Voltage Converter and Electrical Current Converter when working with electrical values.

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Why Use a Power Converter?

A power converter can save time when working with different units.

It can be useful for:

• Electrical engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Automotive work
• Electronics
• Air conditioning
• Heating systems
• Industrial equipment
• Energy calculations
• Scientific calculations
• Machine specifications
• Engine specifications
• Technical education

Instead of calculating every conversion by hand, enter the value, select the units, and get the converted result.

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Power Converter Formula

A simple way to understand power conversion is to use watts as the base unit.

For example:

kW → W

Multiply by 1,000.

MW → W

Multiply by 1,000,000.

GW → W

Multiply by 1,000,000,000.

mW → W

Multiply by 0.001.

µW → W

Multiply by 0.000001.

For non-SI units, use their watt equivalent.

For example:

hp → W

W = hp × 745.699872

And:

PS → W

W = PS × 735.49875

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Frequently Asked Questions

Use Our Power Converter

Convert power units quickly and easily with our online Power Converter.

You can convert:

• Watts (W)
• Kilowatts (kW)
• Megawatts (MW)
• Gigawatts (GW)
• Milliwatts (mW)
• Microwatts (µW)
• Mechanical horsepower (hp)
• Metric horsepower (PS)
• Kilocalories per hour (kcal/h)
• BTU per hour (BTU/h)
• Foot-pounds per minute (ft·lbf/min)

Enter your value, select the starting unit, choose the unit you need, and get your result.

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