Last updated October 8, 2026 · Report an error
Power ratings appear in different units depending on context — watts and kilowatts for electrical appliances, horsepower for engines and motors, and BTU per hour for heating and cooling equipment.
This converter handles all of them, using watts as the common reference point.
How it works
Enter a value, choose the unit you're converting from, and the unit you want to convert to. The tool converts through watts as a common base and returns the result.
- Enter value.
- Enter from.
- Enter to.
- Click Calculate to see your results.
Examples
Converting kilowatts to horsepower
1 kilowatt converts to approximately 1.341 horsepower.
Who should use it
- Comparing an engine's horsepower rating to its equivalent in kilowatts.
- Converting an appliance's wattage to BTU/h for HVAC sizing comparisons.
Industry applications
- Automotive and mechanical engineering
- HVAC and electrical engineering
Advantages
- Covers the units most common across electrical, mechanical, and HVAC contexts.
- Simple, instant conversion through a common watt-based reference.
Limitations
- Uses mechanical horsepower specifically — metric horsepower differs by about 1.4%.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up mechanical horsepower with metric horsepower, which differ by about 1.4%.
- Confusing power (rate of energy transfer, in watts) with energy (total amount, in joules or kWh) — see the Energy Converter for the latter.
Best practices
- Check the specific horsepower definition (mechanical vs. metric) when precision matters, since they differ slightly.
Tips
- For HVAC sizing comparisons, remember BTU/h and watts measure the same kind of thing (power/rate) — 1 watt equals about 3.412 BTU/h.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, with no signup and no limit on how many conversions you run.
Not exactly — this tool uses mechanical horsepower (745.7 watts), the most common definition, though metric horsepower (used in some European specifications) differs very slightly (735.5 watts).
BTU/h (British Thermal Units per hour) is the standard rating unit for air conditioners, furnaces, and other heating/cooling equipment, especially in the US.
Horsepower has been the traditional unit for engine power since the term was coined in the 18th century, and the automotive industry has largely stuck with it, especially in the US, UK, and Japan.