Conversion Factors
1 kW = 3412.14 BTU/hr (power ↔ power)
1 BTU = 0.000293 kWh
1 BTU/hr = 0.000293 kW
Important: BTU is energy; BTU/hr is power. Never mix the two directly.
HVAC Equipment Capacity Reference (Power: BTU/hr ↔ kW)
| Equipment | BTU/hr | kW | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-split (small) | 9 000 | 2.64 | Single room, 0.75 ton |
| Mini-split (standard) | 12 000 - 18 000 | 3.52 - 5.28 | 1.0 - 1.5 ton |
| Central A/C (typical Canadian home) | 24 000 - 36 000 | 7.03 - 10.55 | 2 - 3 ton |
| Gas furnace (small) | 40 000 | 11.72 | Input capacity |
| Gas furnace (standard Canadian home) | 60 000 - 80 000 | 17.58 - 23.44 | Most common size |
| Gas furnace (large / cold climate) | 100 000 - 120 000 | 29.31 - 35.17 | Large home or Prairie climate |
| Hot water boiler (residential) | 60 000 - 120 000 | 17.58 - 35.17 | Input; output at 80-95% efficiency |
| Commercial boiler (small) | 200 000 - 500 000 | 58.6 - 146.5 | Small commercial heating plant |
| Electric baseboard (per unit) | 1 700 - 6 800 | 0.5 - 2.0 | Input = output for resistance heat |
Annual Energy Consumption Reference (Energy: BTU ↔ kWh)
| Scenario | BTU | kWh | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour, 60 000 BTU/hr furnace | 60 000 | 17.58 | Energy consumed in one hour of operation |
| 8 hours, 60 000 BTU/hr furnace | 480 000 | 140.7 | Overnight heating cycle |
| 1 heating season (typical home) | 256 - 341 million | 75 000 - 100 000 | Total seasonal heating energy |
| 1 GJ (Canadian billing unit) | 947 817 | 277.8 | Common natural gas billing quantity |
| 1 therm (US gas billing unit) | 100 000 | 29.31 | Rare in Canadian billing |
Use the Energy Converter for full GJ, MJ, and therm conversions, and the Power Converter for tons, HP, and MBH power units.
How to Use the BTU to kWh Converter
Select the Energy tab to convert BTU (a fixed quantity of heat) to kWh. Select the Power tab to convert BTU/hr (a rate of heat delivery) to kW. These are different physical quantities -- keeping them separate prevents the most common unit mix-up in HVAC calculations.
Type a value in either field within your selected mode. The other field updates instantly. Use the quick presets for common values: 1 kWh (energy), typical furnace and boiler capacities (power), and standard reference points.
The result panel identifies what class of HVAC quantity your value represents: a brief operating period, a full heating cycle, or an equipment capacity range. This helps confirm the converted value makes sense before using it in further calculations.
The equipment capacity table (power) covers common Canadian furnace, boiler, and A/C sizes in BTU/hr and kW. The energy consumption table (energy) covers operating periods from one hour to a full heating season. Use the Energy Converter for GJ and therm conversions, and the Power Converter for tons and horsepower.
BTU and kWh in Canadian HVAC -- Complete Guide
BTU and kWh conversion is one of the most frequent unit tasks in Canadian HVAC because US equipment is rated in BTU or BTU/hr while Canadian electrical sizing, energy billing, and engineering analysis use kWh and kW. The critical distinction to keep straight is between energy (a total quantity) and power (a rate).
Energy vs. Power -- The Distinction That Matters
BTU and kWh are units of energy -- a fixed total quantity of heat or work. BTU/hr and kW are units of power -- the rate at which energy is delivered or consumed over time. A furnace rated at 80,000 BTU/hr (power) running for 2 hours delivers 160,000 BTU (energy). The conversion factor is numerically identical for both pairs -- 1 kWh = 3412.14 BTU and 1 kW = 3412.14 BTU/hr -- because a kWh is defined as the energy delivered by 1 kW over 1 hour. But treating a BTU/hr rating as if it were a BTU quantity, or vice versa, produces answers that are wrong by whatever the time factor happens to be. Always check whether an HVAC specification includes "/hr" before converting.
Converting Furnace and Boiler Ratings
Furnace and boiler capacity ratings are power (BTU/hr), representing the rate of heat input or output. A 60,000 BTU/hr furnace equals 17.58 kW of heating capacity. A 100,000 BTU/hr commercial boiler equals 29.31 kW. These conversions are essential when comparing gas equipment capacity to electric heating capacity, or when feeding equipment data into an energy model that requires SI units throughout.
Converting Energy Bills and Consumption Data
Electricity bills in Canada are read in kWh -- a measure of total energy consumed over the billing period. Natural gas bills in some provinces show consumption in GJ, which also converts through BTU: 1 GJ = 947,817 BTU = 277.8 kWh. When comparing electricity and gas costs on an equal-energy basis, or when calculating the total heat energy delivered by a furnace over a heating season, you're working with energy (kWh, BTU, GJ) rather than power (kW, BTU/hr). Use the Energy Converter for the full range of energy units including GJ, MJ, and therm.
Practical HVAC Applications
Sizing an electric backup heater to match a gas furnace's output requires converting the furnace's BTU/hr rating to kW -- a power conversion. Estimating the annual heating energy cost for a home requires converting the total seasonal BTU consumption to kWh -- an energy conversion. Comparing a heat pump's kW electrical input against its BTU/hr heating output (to calculate COP) requires converting the output power to kW first: COP = output (kW) / input (kW). Keeping energy and power conversions in their separate modes, as this tool does, helps avoid the calculation errors that come from mixing them.
Frequently Asked Questions
One kWh equals 3412.14 BTU. This is an energy-to-energy conversion. So 10 kWh = 34,121 BTU, and 100 kWh = 341,214 BTU. To go the other way, divide BTU by 3412.14 to get kWh. Note the same numeric factor applies to power: 1 kW = 3412.14 BTU/hr. Keep straight whether you're converting a total energy quantity or a rate.
BTU is a unit of energy -- a fixed quantity of heat. BTU/hr is a unit of power -- a rate. A furnace rated 80,000 BTU/hr delivers heat at that rate continuously; over 3 hours of operation it delivers 240,000 BTU of total energy. This distinction matters because confusing the two leads to calculation errors. Always check whether an HVAC spec includes "/hr" -- if it does, you're looking at power (convert to kW); if not, you're looking at energy (convert to kWh).
Divide BTU/hr by 3412.14 to get kW. A 60,000 BTU/hr furnace equals 17.58 kW. A 100,000 BTU/hr furnace equals 29.31 kW. This is a power conversion (rate to rate), useful for comparing gas furnace heating capacity to electric heating capacity, or for feeding equipment ratings into SI-unit energy models. Use the Power mode in the converter above for this conversion.
Divide the furnace's BTU/hr rating by 3412.14 to get the kWh-equivalent heat delivered per hour of operation. An 80,000 BTU/hr furnace running for 1 hour delivers 80,000/3412.14 = 23.44 kWh-equivalent of heat energy. Over 8 hours, that's 187.5 kWh-equivalent. This is useful for comparing gas heating energy delivery to electric heating on an equal basis, though actual fuel cost also depends on the price per unit of each fuel and the equipment's combustion or conversion efficiency.