Power Unit Converter

The Power Unit Converter is a tool that quickly and accurately converts power (rate of work) units used in various fields, such as electrical, mechanical, and thermal, into any other unit requested by the user.

Conversion Result

What is Power Unit Conversion?

Power is the rate at which work is performed or the rate at which energy is consumed or produced.
For example, 1 Watt (W) is the rate of consuming 1 Joule (J) of energy per second.

Need for Conversion: Since household appliance consumption is measured in Watts (W), car engine output in horsepower (hp/PS), and cooling capacity in BTU/h or Ton of Refrigeration (TR), conversion is essential when comparing or calculating power quantities across different fields.

How to Use the Power Unit Converter

Usage is simple and involves three main steps:

Step 1: Specify the Input Value
Enter the numerical value of the power you wish to convert.

Step 2: Select the Source Unit
Select the current unit of your input value from the list.

Step 3: Select the Target Unit
Select the final target unit you wish to convert to.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

  • What is the difference between Watt (W) and Kilowatt (kW)?

    A Kilowatt (kW) is 1,000 times the Watt (W). 1 kW = 1,000 W.
    Small devices are generally rated in W, while large power consumption like industrial equipment or power plant capacity is denoted in kW, MW, or GW units.

  • Why are there different types of Horsepower (hp) (Metric/Imperial)?

    Horsepower was originally defined based on British units (Imperial) during the invention of the steam engine.
    Metric-based countries redefined it to align with the metric system, using **PS (Pferdestärke)** or **Metric hp**.
    These two units have a difference of about 1.4%. (1 Imperial hp $\approx 745.7 ext{ W}$, 1 Metric hp $\approx 735.5 ext{ W}$)

  • Are Watt (W) and Volt-Ampere (VA) the same power unit?

    No. Watt (W) represents the **Real Power** actually consumed by the equipment, while Volt-Ampere (VA) represents the **Apparent Power** in an alternating current (AC) circuit.
    They are related by the Power Factor, and VA is primarily used when calculating transformer or UPS capacity.

  • Are BTU/h and Ton of Refrigeration (TR) also power units?

    Yes, BTU/h (British Thermal Unit per Hour) and TR (Ton of Refrigeration) are units representing the **rate of thermal energy transfer**, or **Thermal Power**.
    They are used to measure the capacity of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems like air conditioners and heaters, and they can certainly be converted to Watts (W).

  • What is the base unit for the conversion logic?

    Our converter handles all conversions based on the SI base unit for power, the **Watt (W)**.
    Regardless of the source and target unit, the conversion is always calculated via the Watt (W) to maintain accuracy.

Conversion units and descriptions

    SI Units and Electrical/Thermal Power

  • Watt (W)

    The base unit of power in the SI system.
    1 W means the rate at which 1 Joule (J) of energy is consumed or produced per second (1 J/s).
    Used to denote the power consumption of typical household appliances.

  • Kilowatt (kW)

    1,000 W. Used to denote relatively large power, such as industrial equipment, electric vehicle charging speed, and residential power consumption.

  • Megawatt (MW)

    1,000,000 W. Used to denote the power generation capacity of large power plants or the consumption of large industrial facilities.

  • Gigawatt (GW)

    1,000,000,000 W. Used to denote extremely massive power, such as large power plants or national/regional power system capacity.

  • Volt-Ampere (VA)

    The unit of Apparent Power.
    It is the product of voltage (V) and current (A) in an alternating current (AC) circuit, used to rate transformers or UPS capacity.
    It differs from Real Power (W).

  • Kilovolt-Ampere (kVA)

    1,000 VA. Primarily used to denote Apparent Power.

    Mechanical and Hydraulic Power

  • Metric Horsepower (PS or cv)

    1 PS signifies the power required to lift 75 kgf a distance of 1 m in 1 second.
    Mainly used in Europe and Asia to denote the engine output of cars and machinery.
    (Approx. 735.5 W)

  • Imperial Horsepower (hp)

    1 hp signifies the power required to lift 550 pounds a distance of 1 foot in 1 second.
    Mainly used in the United States to denote the output of cars and motors.
    (Approx. 745.7 W)

  • Boiler Horsepower (Bhp)

    A unit used to measure the capacity of steam boilers.
    It is based on the heat required to convert a specific amount of water into steam per hour.
    (A very large unit, approx. 9809.5 W)

  • Ton of Refrigeration (TR)

    A unit representing the cooling capacity of refrigeration or air conditioning systems.
    It signifies the rate of heat removal required to freeze 1 ton of water at $0^\circ ext{C}$ over 24 hours. (Approx. 3516.85 W)

    Thermal Energy Rate

  • Calorie per Second (cal/s)

    The rate of delivering 1 calorie of heat energy per second.
    It is different from dietary calories (kcal).

  • British Thermal Unit per Hour (BTU/h)

    The rate of delivering the British Thermal Unit (BTU) per hour.
    Widely used to denote the heating output and cooling capacity of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems like boilers, heaters, and air conditioners.

    Specialty and Other Units

  • Erg per Second (erg/s)

    The unit of power in the CGS (centimeter-gram-second) system.
    1 W is equal to $10^7 ext{ erg/s}$.
    Occasionally used in scientific fields, particularly for small systems.

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