What does '1 ton of cooling' mean, and how many watts is it?

1 ton = 12,000 BTU/h = 3,517 W of cooling capacity. The term originated from the amount of heat needed to melt one short ton of ice in 24 hours.

My room requires 10,000 BTU/h of cooling. How many watts does that translate to for an electrical load calculation?

10,000 BTU/h × 0.2931 = 2,931 W of cooling output. The unit's electrical input is lower. If the EER is 10, input is about 10,000 ÷ 10 = 1,000 W.

My gas furnace is rated 80,000 BTU/h. If I replace it with an electric heat pump, what watt equivalent should I look for?

80,000 BTU/h × 0.29307 = 23,446 W, about 23.4 kW of heat. Furnace ratings are often the fuel input, so check the output figure, and size a heat pump to the home's heat loss at your coldest design temperature, where its output and COP are lower than in mild weather.

Is a BTU/hour the same as a BTU?

No. BTU is energy (like a watt-hour); BTU/hour is a power rate (like a watt). Equipment is rated in BTU/hour because it describes ongoing capacity, not total energy.

BTU/hour to Watts Converter

Enter a value to instantly convert between power units.

From

Precision4 dp

1 BTU/hour = 0.2931 Watt

Key Formulas

Kilowatt → Horsepower (mech)

hp = kW × 1.34102

Horsepower (mech) → Kilowatt

kW = hp × 0.7457

Watt → Kilowatt

kW = W × 0.001

Kilowatt → Watt

W = kW × 1000

Formula

W = BTU/h × 0.29307107

HVAC equipment in North America is rated in BTU/hour, while electrical power draws and the heat output of servers, motors, and lighting get measured in watts. Data center engineers routinely convert server rack wattage to BTU/h to size cooling systems, and HVAC engineers go the other direction to state heating or cooling capacity in watts; for electric resistance heaters that figure also equals the electrical draw, but for air conditioners and heat pumps it does not. An air conditioner's electrical draw equals its cooling output in BTU/h divided by its EER. The EER is on the unit's label.

Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8

Reviewed by the Convert Calc editorial team · Last reviewed: 2026-10-06 · see our methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

A 12,000 BTU/h air conditioner gives about 3,517 W of cooling capacity, which is 1 ton of cooling.

12000 BTU/h = 3517 W

A 60,000 BTU/h (5-ton) air handler, about 17.6 kW of capacity.

60000 BTU/h = 17584 W

A 5,000 BTU/h portable space heater = 1,465 W, roughly the output of a standard 1,500 W electric baseboard heater.

5000 BTU/h = 1465 W

A 100,000 BTU/h rooftop unit, about 29.3 kW.

100000 BTU/h = 29307 W

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