Power Converter
Convert power between watts, horsepower, kilowatts and more.
Rate of energy, in different units
Power is the rate at which energy is used, and it is measured in watts in science and electronics, horsepower for engines, and kilowatts for larger electrical loads. This converts between them, so an engine's horsepower becomes kilowatts, or an appliance's watts become something comparable.
Enter a power value and see it converted.
Horsepower and the watt
The two units you meet most are historically linked in a nice way: horsepower was coined to compare early engines to the working horses they replaced, and the watt is the scientific standard, with one horsepower being about three-quarters of a kilowatt. Cars increasingly quote power in kilowatts alongside horsepower, so converting helps compare a figure quoted one way against another. Power and energy are easy to muddle — power is the rate, energy is the total amount used over time — and keeping that distinction straight is half of reading these units correctly.
Common questions
How does horsepower relate to watts?
One horsepower is about three-quarters of a kilowatt. Horsepower compares engines to working horses; the watt is the scientific standard.
What is the difference between power and energy?
Power is the rate energy is used; energy is the total amount used over time. Watts are power, kilowatt-hours are energy.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The conversion happens in your browser.