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Yes. Math runs entirely in your browser. Numbers you enter are not uploaded to EverydayTools servers.
Convert electrical and mechanical power through watts—motors, HVAC, EV chargers, and grid-scale plants. Mechanical hp, metric PS, J/s, and ton cooling included.
A power converter translates between units of power—the rate energy flows—such as watts (W), kilowatts (kW), mechanical horsepower (hp), and BTU per hour (BTU/h), without confusing them with energy totals like kWh.
Power measures how fast energy is used or delivered. In SI, the watt is one joule per second. Kilowatts label home appliances, EV chargers, and solar inverters; megawatts describe utility-scale generation; mechanical horsepower still appears on engines and motors in the US; HVAC equipment in North America is often quoted in BTU/h or nominal tons of cooling.
This tool normalizes every value through watts, then shows equivalents across all supported units at once. That is ideal when a datasheet lists hp but your spreadsheet expects kW, or when an air conditioner is rated in BTU/h but you are sizing a breaker in watts.
Normalize through watts: 1 hp ≈ 745.7 W, 1 kW ≈ 1.341 hp, 1 BTU/h ≈ 0.293 W—and never swap BTU/h with plain BTU (energy).
Concise answers for common searches — definitions, steps, and comparisons.
Yes. Math runs entirely in your browser. Numbers you enter are not uploaded to EverydayTools servers.
1 mechanical horsepower ≈ 745.7 watts. 100 hp ≈ 74.57 kW. 1 kW ≈ 1.341 hp.
kW is power (rate). kWh is energy (power × time). This tool converts power only; multiply kW by hours for kWh estimates on the energy converter.
Type the number you want to convert. All listed units update together from a single watts baseline.
Choose from and to units in the dropdowns (W, kW, MW, hp, PS, BTU/h, ton cooling, J/s)—or tap a grouped preset for HVAC, auto, or grid.
Choose the target unit under To. The highlighted row shows 1 from-unit = X to-unit for copy-paste into specs.
Use Copy Result for a one-line summary, or Share on supported mobile browsers. Reset returns to 1 W → kW.
Input
300 hp (car engine)Output
223.7 kW · 223,710 W · 763,558 BTU/hrEuropean type approval uses kW; US brochures use hp. 300 × 745.7 W ≈ 223.7 kW.
Input
2,000 W (electric kettle)Output
2 kW · 2.68 hp · 6,824 BTU/hrA 2 kW kettle for 5 minutes uses 2 kW × (5/60) hr ≈ 0.167 kWh—pair with the energy converter for bill math.
Input
12,000 BTU/h (1 US ton)Output
≈ 3,517 W · 3.52 kWResidential AC is often quoted in BTU/h; electrical load planning needs watts or kW.
Common real-world scenarios where this tool saves time.
Car buyers and automotive enthusiasts
Compare vehicles from US/UK hp ratings with European kW figures on equal terms before buying or insuring.
Electricians and electrical engineers
Turn BTU/h air-conditioner labels into kW for breaker sizing, wire gauge checks, and panel load summaries.
Energy and sustainability analysts
Express wind turbines, solar inverters, and gas plants in the same MW or kW unit for portfolio comparisons.
Step-by-step chains that connect related tools for common tasks.
Mechanical horsepower and BTU/h factors used in this tool.
| Unit | In watts (W) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 W | 1 | SI base unit |
| 1 kW | 1,000 | EV chargers, appliances |
| 1 MW | 1,000,000 | Utility-scale plants |
| 1 hp (mechanical) | 745.7 | US automotive / many engineering tables |
| 1 BTU/h | 0.293 | HVAC North America |
| 12,000 BTU/h | ≈ 3,517 | ≈ 1 US ton of cooling |
Metric horsepower (PS) ≈ 735.5 W—not included; convert via watts when needed.
Real devices vary—use for intuition, not guaranteed draw.
| Device / context | Typical power |
|---|---|
| LED bulb | 8–15 W |
| Laptop (active) | 30–65 W |
| Microwave (heating) | ~1 kW |
| Level-2 EV charger | 7–11 kW nameplate |
| Residential AC (1 ton) | ~3.5 kW cooling |
| Small car engine | 75–150 kW peak |
Nameplate ratings are maximums; duty cycle and efficiency change real consumption.
kW is power; kWh is energy over time. Use this tool for rates; use the energy converter for totals.
BTU per hour is power; a plain BTU is an energy chunk—do not swap them in formulas.
Appliance labels may use rounded marketing hp. For engineering, work in watts or trace the datasheet.
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1 mechanical horsepower (hp) = 745.7 watts. 1 metric horsepower (PS or CV) = 735.5 watts. Common values: 100 hp = 74,570 W = 74.57 kW. 1 kW = 1.341 hp (mechanical).
Mechanical (imperial) horsepower: 1 hp = 745.699872 W—used in the US and UK for engine ratings. Metric horsepower (PS in German, CV in French/Spanish): 1 PS = 735.49875 W. A 200 PS car has about 197.3 mechanical hp.
1 BTU/hr = 0.29307 watts. 1 watt = 3.41214 BTU/hr. Common HVAC conversions: 6,000 BTU/hr = 1,758 W ≈ 1.76 kW. 12,000 BTU/hr (1 US ton of cooling) = 3,517 W = 3.517 kW.
Average US home electricity consumption: ~10,500 kWh/year ≈ ~1,200 watts average continuous draw. Peak demand (air conditioning, electric cooking): 5,000–10,000 W. Individual appliances: LED bulb 10 W, laptop 50 W, refrigerator 150 W, electric oven 2,000–5,000 W, electric car charger 7,200–22,000 W.
This converter uses mechanical horsepower ≈ 745.7 W. Metric horsepower (PS) is about 735.5 W—close for casual chat, wrong for spec sheets. When in doubt, work in watts.
Residential HVAC in the US quotes equipment in BTU/h or nominal tons. One ton of cooling is traditionally about 12,000 BTU/h. Use BTU/h here for datasheet cross-checks, not for duct design without a Manual J.
The charger label is power—how fast energy flows. The utility cares about energy delivered over time (power × hours). Multiply kW by hours plugged in for kWh; use the energy converter when totals matter.
No. All math runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent to our servers.
Values stay in your browser; conversions are not uploaded to EverydayTools servers.
Uses standard conversion factors (745.7 W per mechanical hp, 0.293071 W per BTU/h). Marketing hp on appliances may differ from mechanical hp—verify datasheets for compliance work.
Part of Unit Converters
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Reviewed by EverydayTools Editorial Team on 2026-05-21.
Watts in 1 hp?
1 mechanical hp ≈ 745.7 W · 1 kW ≈ 1.341 hp
12,000 BTU/h?
≈ 3.52 kW (1 US ton cooling)
Power vs energy?
kW is rate · kWh is total — use Energy Converter for kWh
Quick presets
Automotive
HVAC
Home & EV
Grid
1 W = 0.001 kW
Result
0.001 kW
1,000 mW · 1 J/s · 0.000001 MW · 0 GW
1 W (Watt) = 0.001 kW (Kilowatt)
Shortcuts: S swap · C copy
Conversion factors (SI watt baseline)
1 hp (mechanical) = 745.6999 W
1 PS (metric) = 735.4988 W
1 BTU/h = 0.293071 W
1 ton cooling ≈ 3,516.85 kW
Need energy totals (kWh)? Energy Converter
0.001 kW