MW to BTU/h — convert megawatts to BTU per hour
Exact 1 × 3,412,141.63 = 3,412,141.63
1 megawatt in other units
| Watts | 1,000,000 | W |
|---|---|---|
| Kilowatts | 1,000 | kW |
| Mechanical horsepower | 1,341.02 | hp |
| Metric horsepower | 1,359.62 | PS |
| BTU per hour | 3,412,141.63 | BTU/h |
| Foot-pounds per second | 737,562.15 | ft·lbf/s |
MW to BTU/h at a glance
| Megawatts | BTU per hour |
|---|---|
| 1 MW | 3,412,141.63 BTU/h |
| 2 MW | 6,824,283.27 BTU/h |
| 3 MW | 10,236,424.9 BTU/h |
| 5 MW | 17,060,708.17 BTU/h |
| 10 MW | 34,121,416.33 BTU/h |
| 20 MW | 68,242,832.66 BTU/h |
| 25 MW | 85,303,540.83 BTU/h |
| 50 MW | 170,607,081.66 BTU/h |
| 100 MW | 341,214,163.31 BTU/h |
| 250 MW | 853,035,408.28 BTU/h |
| 500 MW | 1,706,070,816.56 BTU/h |
| 1,000 MW | 3,412,141,633.13 BTU/h |
How to convert megawatts to BTU per hour
Multiply by 3,412,141.63 — one megawatt is 3,412,141.63 BTU per hour. That factor is exact: it comes from the definition of the units rather than from a measurement, so it will not change and does not need rounding.
Working 1 × 3,412,141.63 = 3,412,141.63
In words: about three million four hundred twelve thousand one hundred forty-two BTU per hour.
What these units are
The megawatt and the BTU per hour are covered in the power unit guide, along with every other unit on this page.
Questions
How many BTU per hour are in a megawatt?
One megawatt is 3,412,141.63 BTU per hour. This figure is exact — it comes from the definition of the unit, not a measurement.
What is 1 megawatt in BTU per hour?
1 megawatt is 3,412,141.63 BTU per hour. The working is 1 × 3,412,141.63 = 3,412,141.63.
Why does the same car have two different horsepower figures?
Because there are two horsepowers. Metric horsepower, written PS or CV, is 735.49875 W; mechanical horsepower, written hp or bhp, is about 745.7 W. A car sold as 150 PS in Germany is 148 hp in Britain, and nothing about the engine has changed.
Where does 746 watts come from?
From James Watt, who needed to sell steam engines to people who owned horses. He measured a mill horse turning a wheel and settled on 550 foot-pounds per second — a figure most real horses cannot sustain, which made the comparison flattering to his engines.
How do I read an air conditioner's BTU rating?
BTU ratings are BTU per hour, a rate of heat movement, even when the "per hour" is dropped. A 12,000 BTU/h unit shifts about 3.5 kW of heat. That is not what it draws from the wall — a decent unit moves several times more heat than the electricity it consumes.
What is the difference between power and energy?
Power is a rate, energy is an amount. A kilowatt is how fast something uses energy; a kilowatt-hour is how much it used. A 2 kW heater running for three hours has a power of 2 kW throughout and has consumed 6 kWh. Bills are in energy; ratings are in power.