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Unit Converters · Science & Engineering Units

Power Converter

Convert power between watts, kilowatts and megawatts, mechanical horsepower (hp), metric horsepower (PS, used for Indian and European car specs), BTU per hour and tons of refrigeration (air conditioners), kilocalories per hour and foot-pounds per second.

Also listed inEngineering

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Your result Live

1 Horsepower (mechanical, hp) =

0.7456998716 Kilowatts

1 Horsepower (mechanical, hp) = 0.7456998716 Kilowatts

Watts
745.6998716
Megawatts
0.0007456998716
Metric horsepower (PS)
1.013869665
BTU per hour
2,544.433578
Tons of refrigeration
0.2120361315
Kilocalories per hour
641.6155683
Foot-pounds per second
550

How this is calculated

Result = value × (watts per 'from' unit) ÷ (watts per 'to' unit)

1 hp
745.7 W (mechanical); 1 PS = 735.5 W; 1 ton of refrigeration = 12,000 BTU/h = 3.517 kW

Power is energy per second. Car makers in India and Europe quote metric horsepower (PS), slightly smaller than the mechanical horsepower used in the US. An air conditioner's '1.5 ton' rating means 18,000 BTU per hour of cooling, about 5.3 kW.

Assumptions & sources

  • Mechanical (imperial) horsepower; ton of refrigeration = 12,000 BTU/h.
  1. 1NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (conversion factors) — National Institute of Standards and Technology
  2. 2The International System of Units (SI Brochure, 9th edition) — BIPM

Calculator ID UNIT-POWER-001 · version 1.0.0

Common questions

How many kW is 1 hp?

0.7457 kW (mechanical horsepower).

What's the difference between hp and PS?

PS (metric horsepower) is 735.5 W, about 1.4 % less than mechanical hp (745.7 W).

How many kW is a 1.5-ton AC?

1.5 × 3.517 = 5.28 kW of cooling (its electricity use is much lower).