How to Convert Therms to Kilowatt Hours

The air conditioning industry sometimes measures heat in therms.

One therm (thm) is the amount of energy it takes to heat 50 tons of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Heating and air conditioning industries still use this unit, but most other industries and appliances use kilowatt hours.

America and Europe use different therms, each based on water at a different temperature. Each therm has its own conversion factor.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator or computer

Instructions

1. Determine heat energy in therms. If you have energy that is in decatherms (Dth), multiply by 10. If you have energy in megatherms (Mth), multiply by 1,000,000. For example, 2.85 Mth equals 2,850,000 therms.

2. Determine which therm you are converting. If your data comes from America, you are using the American therm. If your value comes from Europe, you are using European therms.

3. Divide by 29.3001111 if you are using American therms, or divide by 29.3072222 if you are using European therms. For example, 2,850,000 American therms equals 97,269 kilowatt hours, rounded to the nearest whole number; 2,850,000 European therms equals 97,246 kilowatt hours, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have a calculator handy, enter your formula into your computer's calculator or a Google search bar.

References

• National Institute of Standards and Technology: Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically