Convert British Thermal Units to Watt-Hours

Convert British Thermal Units (BTU) to Watt-Hours (Wh) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

Wh = BTU × 0.2930710702

About British Thermal Units

A British Thermal Unit (BTU) - the heat to raise 1 lb of water by 1°F - equals exactly 1,055.05585262 J. It dominates US HVAC: room air conditioners are rated in BTU/h (5,000-24,000 BTU/h = 1.5-7.0 kW); one ton of refrigeration is exactly 12,000 BTU/h. Natural gas is billed in therms (100,000 BTU) in the US. Higher heating values: natural gas ~1,020-1,050 BTU/ft³; No. 2 fuel oil ~138,700 BTU/US gal; propane ~91,500 BTU/US gal. 1 BTU = 1,055.06 J = 252.164 cal = 0.29307 Wh.

About Watt-Hours

A watt-hour (Wh) is the energy delivered by 1 watt for one hour - exactly 3,600 J. It is the practical unit for small-scale electrical energy: a 10,000 mAh 5 V power bank stores 50 Wh; a laptop battery holds 50-90 Wh; a smartphone battery holds 10-15 Wh; an AA alkaline cell stores ~3 Wh. LED lamps labelled 9 W save 51 Wh/h over a 60 W incandescent. IATA dangerous-goods rules use Wh as the threshold for lithium batteries in aircraft: cells >20 Wh and batteries >100 Wh need special approval. 1 Wh = 3,600 J = 3.412 BTU.

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