kWh to Joules Converter
Convert kilowatt-hours to joules and back — the bill unit against the SI unit of energy.
Convert kWh ⇄ joules
Formula: 1 kWh (kWh × 3,600,000) = 3600000 J
How the kwh to joules conversion works
The conversion is exact: joules = kilowatt-hours × 3,600,000. One watt is one joule per second, so one kilowatt-hour — 1,000 watts for 3,600 seconds — is 1,000 × 3,600 = 3,600,000 joules, or 3.6 megajoules. Going the other way, kWh = joules ÷ 3,600,000.
Why the huge number: the joule is a small unit — lifting an apple one metre takes about one joule — while a kilowatt-hour is a household-scale amount of energy. That is why physics uses joules and electricity bills use kWh, and why converting between them always produces millions. For the BTU side of the same idea, see BTU to kWh.
Worked example: 1 kWh is 3,600,000 J (3.6 MJ). A home using 10 kWh in a day has used 36,000,000 J, and 7,200,000 J is 7,200,000 ÷ 3,600,000 = 2 kWh.
Handy benchmarks: 0.5 kWh = 1,800,000 J, 1 kWh = 3,600,000 J (3.6 MJ), 10 kWh = 36,000,000 J (36 MJ) and 100 kWh = 360,000,000 J (360 MJ).
kwh to joules converter questions
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Sources & official guidance
Exact conversion — 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ = 3,600,000 J. See our disclaimer.