Btu to MWh Conversion
Fuel is sold in Btu, while power is sold in MWh. Divide Btu by 3,412,142 to switch.
Quick answer: multiply the result in Btu by 0.00000029307. For example, 10,000,000 Btu is 2.931 MWh, 3,412,141.633 Btu is 1 MWh and 100,000,000 Btu is 29.307 MWh.
The Btu to MWh formula
One kilowatt-hour is about 3,412 Btu (Wikipedia: Kilowatt-hour).
A MWh is 1,000 kWh, so divide the Btu by about 3,412,142.
Take 10,000,000 Btu. Multiply by 0.00000029307. The answer is 2.931 MWh.
Take 3,412,141.633 Btu. Multiply by 0.00000029307. The answer is 1 MWh.
Btu to megawatt-hours
Btu means British thermal units, a unit of heat energy.
MWh means megawatt-hours, which is 1,000 kWh.
The factor 0.00000029307 joins the two.
How to convert Btu to MWh step by step
- Write down the result in Btu.
- Multiply it by 0.00000029307.
- The answer is in MWh.
- Check it against the chart above.
Example 1: 10,000,000 Btu
- Start with 10,000,000 Btu.
- 10,000,000 × 0.00000029307 = 2.931.
- The result is 2.931 MWh.
10,000,000 Btu = 2.931 MWh
Example 2: 3,412,141.633 Btu
- Start with 3,412,141.633 Btu.
- 3,412,141.633 × 0.00000029307 = 1.
- The result is 1 MWh.
3,412,141.633 Btu = 1 MWh
Example 3: 100,000,000 Btu
- Start with 100,000,000 Btu.
- 100,000,000 × 0.00000029307 = 29.307.
- The result is 29.307 MWh.
100,000,000 Btu = 29.307 MWh
This page uses the IT Btu of 1,055.06 J, so other Btu types differ slightly (Wikipedia: British thermal unit).
Btu to MWh conversion table
| Btu | MWh | kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000,000 Btu | 2.931 MWh | 2,930.71 kWh |
| 3,412,141.633 Btu | 1 MWh | 1,000 kWh |
| 100,000,000 Btu | 29.307 MWh | 29,307.11 kWh |
| 50,000,000 Btu | 14.654 MWh | 14,653.55 kWh |
| 1,000,000 Btu | 0.2931 MWh | 293.07 kWh |
| 5,000,000,000 Btu | 1,465.36 MWh | 1,465,355.35 kWh |
The highlighted row, 10,000,000 Btu, is the default of the converter. The last column gives kWh.
A quick mental shortcut for Btu to MWh
Divide the Btu by 3.4 million.
So 10 million Btu is about 2.9 MWh.
What Btu measures
Btu means British thermal units, a unit of heat energy.
One Btu is about 1,055 joules (Wikipedia: British thermal unit).
What MWh measures
MWh means megawatt-hours, which is 1,000 kWh.
One kWh is 3.6 MJ (Wikipedia: Kilowatt-hour).
Worked example: 50,000,000 Btu
50,000,000 Btu times the factor gives 14.654 MWh.
Check it by dividing 14.654 by the factor, which returns 50,000,000.
Worked example: 100,000,000 Btu
100,000,000 Btu times the factor gives 29.307 MWh.
Check it by dividing 29.307 by the factor, which returns 100,000,000.
A small change by Btu type
The Btu has several versions, from 1,054.35 J to 1,059.67 J (Wikipedia: British thermal unit).
The change is about half a percent.
A MMBtu view
One MMBtu is 1 million Btu, so it equals about 0.293 MWh.
Gas traders often use it.
A large load
A plant that burns 5 billion Btu uses about 1,465.4 MWh of heat.
That is the heat, not the power made.
Going the other way
To go back, multiply the MWh by 3,412,142.
So 2.93 MWh is about 10 million Btu.
Check your answer
Your answer should be smaller than your starting number.
Reverse the sum and you should get your first number back.
More worked values
20,000,000 Btu is 5.8614 MWh, 500,000,000 Btu is 146.54 MWh and 1,000,000 Btu is 0.29307 MWh.
A fuel and power view
A fuel bill of 100 MMBtu holds the energy of about 29.307 MWh. The power a plant makes from it is lower, because plants lose heat.
This page converts energy units only.
Checking your result
Multiply the MWh by 3,412,142. 5.8614 MWh times 3,412,142 gives back 20,000,000 Btu.
More values at a glance
5,000,000 Btu is 1.4654 MWh, 30,000,000 Btu is 8.7921 MWh and 80,000,000 Btu is 23.446 MWh.
200,000,000 Btu is 58.614 MWh, and 1,000,000,000 Btu is 293.07 MWh.
The unit sizes
One MWh is about 3.412 million Btu. Values in Btu are therefore very large.
If a result looks very large or very small, compare it with these sizes before you use it.
In MMBtu terms
A million Btu is one MMBtu. So 200,000,000 Btu is 200 MMBtu, which is about 58.614 MWh.
Gas is often quoted in MMBtu, so this route is handy for bills.
Quick conversion answers
| Conversion | Result |
|---|---|
| 10,000,000 Btu | 2.931 MWh |
| 3,412,141.633 Btu | 1 MWh |
| 100,000,000 Btu | 29.307 MWh |
| 50,000,000 Btu | 14.654 MWh |
| 1,000,000 Btu | 0.2931 MWh |
| 5,000,000,000 Btu | 1,465.36 MWh |
Round numbers for Btu and MWh
Use these round numbers to check your own answer. 50,000,000 Btu is 14.65 MWh, 500,000,000 Btu is 146.5 MWh and 5,000,000,000 Btu is 1,465 MWh.
Going the other way, 5 MWh is 17,060,000 Btu, 50 MWh is 170,600,000 Btu and 500 MWh is 1,706,000,000 Btu.
A round trip with Btu
Say you start with 370,000,000 Btu. It becomes 108.4 MWh. Divide that by the factor and you land on 370,000,000 Btu again.
Now start from 250 MWh instead. It becomes 853,000,000 Btu, and multiplying by the factor returns 250 MWh.
More Btu values
An amount of 1,000,000 Btu is 0.29307 MWh, and 30,000,000 Btu is 8.7921 MWh.
One MMBtu, which is one million Btu, is 0.29307 MWh.
Going back, 1 MWh is 3,412,142 Btu.
Where this conversion is used
Energy managers compare fuel and power.
Analysts convert reports to one unit.
Students practise energy unit changes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up the direction. Going from Btu to MWh should make the number smaller.
- Using Btu/h by mistake. This page takes Btu as energy. A rate in Btu/h needs a time first.
- Mixing MWh and MW. A MWh is energy, while a MW is power.
- Rounding too early. The answer for 5,000,000,000 Btu is 1,465.36 MWh. Cut it to 1,500 MWh and you are off by about 2.4 percent, and the gap grows if you reuse it.
Related converters
Example: 1,000,000 Btu
1,000,000 Btu times the factor gives 0.29307 MWh.
Check it by dividing 0.29307 by the factor, which returns 1,000,000.
Example: 5,000,000,000 Btu
5,000,000,000 Btu times the factor gives 1,465.4 MWh.
Check it by dividing 1,465.4 by the factor, which returns 5,000,000,000.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert Btu to MWh?
divide by 3,412,142.
How many MWh is 10,000,000 Btu?
2.9307 MWh.
How many MWh is 3,412,142 Btu?
1 MWh.
How many Btu is 1 MWh?
About 3,412,142 Btu.
How many MWh is 10 Btu?
0.0000029307 MWh.
How many MWh is 100 Btu?
0.000029307 MWh.
Sources
- Wikipedia: British thermal unit (en.wikipedia.org)
- Wikipedia: Kilowatt-hour (en.wikipedia.org)
