Key Conversion Factors
1 MJ = 0.27778 kWh = 0.001 GJ = 947.817 BTU
1 GJ = 277.78 kWh = 1000 MJ = 947 817 BTU = 9.4782 therm
1 BTU = 0.000293 kWh = 0.001055 MJ = 0.252 kcal
1 therm = 100 000 BTU = 29.307 kWh = 105.48 MJ
1 kcal = 4.1868 kJ = 0.001163 kWh = 3.9683 BTU
Canadian Home Energy Consumption Reference
| Scenario | kWh/yr | GJ/yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-electric home (BC mild climate) | 12 000 - 18 000 | 43 - 65 | Heat pump heating, mild winters |
| Average Canadian home (national) | 22 000 - 33 000 | 80 - 120 | Mixed gas/electric, average climate |
| Gas-heated home (Ontario / Quebec) | 6 000 - 9 000 | 22 - 32 elec + 50-80 gas | Gas for heat; electricity for balance |
| Gas-heated home (Prairies) | 6 000 - 9 000 | 22 - 32 elec + 80-120 gas | Cold climate; high heating load |
| EnerGuide 80 home | -- | ~80 | Mid-efficiency new construction |
| EnerGuide 100 home (net zero ready) | -- | ~20 - 40 | High-performance envelope + heat pump |
| Passive house standard | -- | <15 for heating | 15 kWh/m²/yr heating energy demand |
Heating Fuel Energy Density (Canada)
| Fuel | Unit | Energy Content | GJ equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1 m³ | 37.3 MJ | 0.0373 GJ | Varies by gas composition; check bill |
| Natural gas | 1 GJ | 1 GJ | 1.0 GJ | Canadian billing unit (Enbridge, FortisBC) |
| Propane (LPG) | 1 litre | 25.3 MJ | 0.0253 GJ | Rural and off-grid heating |
| Propane (LPG) | 1 US gallon | 91 500 BTU | 0.0965 GJ | Common US bottle labelling |
| Heating oil (#2 fuel oil) | 1 litre | 38.2 MJ | 0.0382 GJ | Atlantic Canada, rural heating |
| Heating oil (#2 fuel oil) | 1 US gallon | 138 690 BTU | 0.1464 GJ | US gallon = 3.785 L |
| Electricity | 1 kWh | 3.6 MJ | 0.0036 GJ | Primary energy; excludes generation losses |
| Wood pellets | 1 tonne | 17.5 - 19.0 GJ | 17.5 - 19.0 GJ | Moisture content dependent |
| Cord wood (hardwood, seasoned) | 1 cord | 20 - 25 GJ | 20 - 25 GJ | Species and moisture dependent |
Canadian Energy Billing Units by Province
| Province | Electricity Unit | Natural Gas Unit | Approx. Electricity Rate | Approx. Gas Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | kWh | GJ (FortisBC) | $0.10 - 0.14/kWh | $10 - 13/GJ |
| Alberta | kWh | GJ (ATCO, Enbridge) | $0.12 - 0.17/kWh | $4 - 9/GJ (market) |
| Ontario | kWh | m³ (Enbridge) | $0.10 - 0.16/kWh (TOU) | $0.34 - 0.40/m³ |
| Quebec | kWh | m³ (Energir) | $0.06 - 0.10/kWh (Hydro) | $0.35 - 0.45/m³ |
| Manitoba | kWh | GJ (Centra Gas) | $0.09 - 0.11/kWh | $7 - 10/GJ |
| Saskatchewan | kWh | GJ (SaskEnergy) | $0.14 - 0.17/kWh | $7 - 11/GJ |
| Nova Scotia | kWh | propane / oil dominant | $0.15 - 0.19/kWh | N/A (limited gas grid) |
| New Brunswick | kWh | GJ (Enbridge NB) | $0.11 - 0.14/kWh | $10 - 14/GJ |
Rates are approximate as of 2024-2025 and vary by utility, rate class, and consumption tier. Always check current utility rates for accurate cost calculations. Use the Energy Cost Calculator for full fuel cost comparisons.
How to Use the Energy Converter
Enter a value in kWh, MJ, GJ, BTU, therm, kcal, or joules. All other units update instantly. Use the quick-reference presets to load common Canadian energy quantities: 1 GJ, a typical annual electricity consumption, or the energy content of 1 m³ of natural gas.
The result panel tells you what scale of HVAC energy your value represents: a single appliance cycle, daily energy use, monthly billing, or annual whole-home consumption. This helps verify a converted value is in the right order of magnitude before feeding it into an energy audit or equipment sizing calculation.
The fuel energy density table lets you convert natural gas m³ to GJ, compare propane and heating oil on a per-GJ basis, and understand how electricity billing in kWh relates to GJ. The Canadian billing table shows what unit each province uses and approximate current rates for rough cost comparisons.
Converted energy values feed into the Energy Cost Calculator for fuel cost comparison, the kWh to MJ Converter for the most common Canadian pair, and the Upgrade Payback Calculator for retrofit analysis. EnerGuide reports express all energy in GJ -- convert your meter readings here before entering them.
Energy Units in Canadian HVAC -- Complete Guide
Canadian HVAC professionals encounter energy in at least four unit systems: kilowatt-hours on electricity bills, gigajoules on natural gas bills, BTU on equipment datasheets, and megajoules in engineering calculations and EnerGuide reports. Fluent conversion across these units is essential for energy audits, equipment selection, fuel cost comparison, and building code compliance.
kWh and MJ -- The Core Pair
The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the standard unit on Canadian electricity bills. One kWh is the energy consumed by a 1 kW device running for one hour. The conversion to SI is exact: 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ. This relationship is fundamental because engineering calculations use MJ and GJ while billing uses kWh. A home that uses 1000 kWh of electricity consumes 3600 MJ or 3.6 GJ from the grid. The dedicated kWh to MJ Converter handles this pair with a quick-reference table for common billing quantities.
GJ -- The Canadian Energy Audit Unit
Gigajoules (GJ) are Canada's preferred unit for whole-building energy analysis. The EnerGuide label, published by Natural Resources Canada for houses and appliances, expresses annual energy consumption in GJ so different fuel types can be compared on a common basis. Natural gas bills from Enbridge (Ontario) and ATCO (Alberta) show consumption in GJ. FortisBC shows both GJ and m³. Converting natural gas m³ to GJ: multiply by the energy content factor printed on your bill, typically 37.3 MJ/m³ but varying by gas composition and season.
BTU and Therm -- US Equipment and Cross-Border Work
BTU (British Thermal Unit) is the standard energy unit on North American HVAC equipment. Furnace input ratings, boiler output ratings, and heat pump capacity ratings all appear in BTU or BTU/hr. For energy totals (as opposed to power rates), BTU accumulates over time: a 60 000 BTU/hr furnace running for 10 hours consumes 600 000 BTU = 175.8 kWh = 633 MJ. The therm (100 000 BTU = 29.3 kWh = 105.5 MJ) appears on US gas bills but rarely in Canadian utility statements. It's useful when comparing US equipment annual energy use figures to Canadian billing data.
Energy and Heating Fuel Comparison
Comparing heating fuels requires a common energy unit. Natural gas at $10/GJ and electricity at $0.12/kWh ($33.3/GJ) make gas roughly 3x cheaper per unit of energy -- but a heat pump with COP of 3 delivers 3 GJ of heat per GJ of electricity, closing that gap entirely. Propane at $1.20/litre contains 25.3 MJ/L, so propane costs about $47/GJ -- more than twice the cost of natural gas in most Canadian markets. Heating oil at $1.50/L and 38.2 MJ/L costs about $39/GJ. These comparisons require consistent energy units -- GJ works well. Use the Energy Cost Calculator to run these comparisons with current local rates.
Energy in Building Code Compliance
The National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) and provincial energy codes express building performance targets in energy intensity (GJ/m²/year or kWh/m²/year). EnerGuide home ratings use a scale where lower GJ numbers indicate better efficiency. The Passive House standard limits heating energy demand to 15 kWh/m²/year (54 MJ/m²/year) and total primary energy to 120 kWh/m²/year. Converting between these units is a routine step in energy compliance calculations. The Energy Efficiency tool category covers payback calculators, upgrade analysis, and EnerGuide rating tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Multiply kWh by 3.6 to get MJ. So 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ, 100 kWh = 360 MJ, and 1000 kWh = 3.6 GJ. To go the other direction, divide MJ by 3.6. This is the most common energy conversion in Canadian HVAC since electricity bills use kWh and engineering reports and EnerGuide labels use MJ and GJ. The dedicated kWh to MJ Converter handles this pair with a complete reference table.
The national average is roughly 80 to 120 GJ per year total energy from all sources. Prairie homes heating with natural gas in cold climates often exceed 120 GJ. BC homes with mild climates and heat pumps can come in under 60 GJ. The EnerGuide label for a house shows annual energy consumption in GJ, combining electricity (converted from kWh at 3.6 MJ/kWh) and gas (from the bill in GJ or m³) on a single scale. A net-zero ready home targets 20-40 GJ per year from purchased energy.
Multiply cubic metres (m³) of natural gas by the energy content factor on your gas bill -- typically around 37.3 MJ/m³ or 0.0373 GJ/m³, but it varies by gas composition and measurement conditions. So 1000 m³ is approximately 37.3 GJ. Enbridge Ontario bills show both m³ consumed and GJ equivalent for each billing period. FortisBC shows the conversion factor for the specific billing period. Always use the factor from your own bill for accurate energy accounting.
A BTU is a tiny unit of energy -- just enough to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit (about 1.055 kJ). A therm equals 100 000 BTU (105.5 MJ or 29.3 kWh), which is approximately the energy in 2.8 m³ of natural gas. Therms appear on US gas bills and in US HVAC equipment specifications. Canadian gas bills use m³ (Ontario) or GJ (Alberta, BC, Manitoba) instead. When working with US equipment energy ratings in therms, multiply by 29.3 to get kWh or by 105.5 to get MJ.