An Energy Converter is a tool used to convert between different units of energy. Energy is a measure of the capacity to do work and can be measured in various units, depending on the application—whether it's mechanical, electrical, thermal, or chemical energy. Some of the most common energy units include joules, calories, kilowatt-hours (kWh), British thermal units (BTU), and electronvolts (eV).
Common Units of Energy:
- Joule (J): The SI unit of energy, commonly used in physics and engineering.
- Kilojoule (kJ): 1,000 joules (J).
- Calorie (cal): A unit of energy often used in the context of food and nutrition.
- Kilocalorie (kcal): Often referred to as a "Calorie" (with a capital C) in food.
- 1 kcal = 1,000 calories (cal) = 4,184 joules (J)
- Kilowatt-hour (kWh): A unit of energy commonly used in electrical energy consumption.
- 1 kWh = 3,600,000 joules (J)
- British Thermal Unit (BTU): A unit of energy commonly used in heating and cooling systems.
- Electronvolt (eV): A small unit of energy used in particle physics.
- 1 eV = 1.60218×10−191.60218 \times 10^{-19} 1.60218 × 10 −19 joules (J)
- Therm: A unit often used to measure natural gas consumption.
Energy Conversion Formulas
Here are some key formulas to convert between common energy units:
Joule (J) Conversions:
- 1 kJ = 1,000 J
- 1 cal = 4.184 J
- 1 kcal = 4,184 J
- 1 BTU = 1,055 J
- 1 kWh = 3,600,000 J
- 1 eV = 1.60218×10−191.60218 \times 10^{-19} 1.60218 × 10 −19 J
Kilocalorie (kcal) to Other Units:
- 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ
- 1 kcal = 3,968 BTU
- 1 kcal = 3.6 MJ
Kilowatt-hour (kWh) to Other Units:
- 1 kWh = 3,600,000 J
- 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ
- 1 kWh = 3.412 BTU
- 1 kWh = 860 kcal
British Thermal Unit (BTU) Conversions:
- 1 BTU = 1,055 J
- 1 BTU = 0.000293 kWh
- 1 BTU = 0.252 kcal