The kilojoule
The kilojoule (kJ) equals exactly 1,000 joules. It is the standard unit on EU and many non-US nutrition labels — 1 dietary calorie ≈ 4.184 kJ. It also appears in industrial-process specifications and energy-storage ratings.
Kilojoules to Kilowatt-hours Converter
1 kJ = 0.000277778 kWh (kilojoule → kilowatt-hour)
1 kJ = 0.000277778 kWh
1 kilojoule equals 0.000277778 kilowatt-hours. To convert kilojoules to kilowatt-hours, multiply the kilojoule value by 0.000277778. For quick reference: 1 kJ = 0.000277778 kWh, 5 kJ = 0.00138889 kWh, 10 kJ = 0.00277778 kWh, 100 kJ = 0.0277778 kWh.
Formula
Kilowatt-hours = Kilojoules × 0.000277778Quick
When to use kilojoules → kilowatt-hours
Kilojoules to kilowatt-hours divides by 3600 (1 kWh = 3,600 kJ exactly). An espresso machine using about 100 kJ per shot draws 0.0278 kWh — a few cents of electricity. This conversion is the bridge between appliance-level energy figures and the kWh line items on an electricity bill. The pitfall is factor confusion with the Wh conversion: kJ ÷ 3.6 gives watt-hours, kJ ÷ 3600 gives kilowatt-hours. Keep track of which output you asked for.
District heating networks in Europe meter delivered thermal energy in kilojoules at the substation but bill households in kilowatt-hours to match the electricity tariff format customers already understand. A monthly delivery of 720,000 kJ converts to exactly 200.0 kWh. Because the meter's raw kJ pulses accumulate over the billing period before a single division by 3,600, utilities perform this conversion once at invoice generation rather than per reading, keeping rounding error from building up across thousands of individual pulses.
How to convert kilojoules to kilowatt-hours
Take your value
Start with your value in kilojoules.
Multiply by 0.000277778
Multiply the kilojoule value by 0.000277778. This is the exact conversion factor from kilojoules to kilowatt-hours.
Read the result
The product is your value in kilowatt-hours. For example, 5 kJ × 0.000277778 = 0.00138889 kWh.
Conversion formula
The exact factor from kilojoules to kilowatt-hours is 0.000277778.
Kilowatt-hours = Kilojoules × 0.000277778
Kilojoules to Kilowatt-hours conversion table
Fifty common reference values, hand-picked for skim utility. Use the calculator above for any value not listed.
| Kilojoules (kJ) | Kilowatt-hours (kWh) |
|---|---|
| 0.001 kJ | 2.7778 × 10^−7 kWh |
| 0.01 kJ | 2.7778 × 10^−6 kWh |
| 0.1 kJ | 2.7778 × 10^−5 kWh |
| 0.5 kJ | 0.00013889 kWh |
| 1 kJ | 0.00027778 kWh |
| 1.5 kJ | 0.00041667 kWh |
| 2 kJ | 0.00055556 kWh |
| 5 kJ | 0.0013889 kWh |
| 10 kJ | 0.0027778 kWh |
| 20 kJ | 0.0055556 kWh |
| 50 kJ | 0.013889 kWh |
| 100 kJ | 0.027778 kWh |
| 200 kJ | 0.055556 kWh |
| 250 kJ | 0.069444 kWh |
| 500 kJ | 0.13889 kWh |
| 1000 kJ | 0.27778 kWh |
| 2000 kJ | 0.55556 kWh |
| 2500 kJ | 0.69444 kWh |
| 3600 kJ | 1 kWh |
| 5000 kJ | 1.3889 kWh |
| 7500 kJ | 2.0833 kWh |
| 10000 kJ | 2.7778 kWh |
| 25000 kJ | 6.9444 kWh |
| 50000 kJ | 13.889 kWh |
| 100000 kJ | 27.778 kWh |
| 250000 kJ | 69.444 kWh |
| 500000 kJ | 138.89 kWh |
| 1000000 kJ | 277.78 kWh |
| 2000000 kJ | 555.56 kWh |
| 3600000 kJ | 1000 kWh |
| 5000000 kJ | 1388.9 kWh |
| 10000000 kJ | 2777.8 kWh |
| 25000000 kJ | 6944.4 kWh |
| 50000000 kJ | 13889 kWh |
| 100000000 kJ | 27778 kWh |
| 250000000 kJ | 69444 kWh |
| 500000000 kJ | 138889 kWh |
| 1000000000 kJ | 277778 kWh |
| 2000000000 kJ | 555556 kWh |
| 5000000000 kJ | 1388889 kWh |
| 10000000000 kJ | 2777778 kWh |
| 20000000000 kJ | 5555556 kWh |
| 50000000000 kJ | 13888889 kWh |
| 100000000000 kJ | 27777778 kWh |
| 1000000000000 kJ | 277777778 kWh |
| 10000000000000 kJ | 2777777778 kWh |
| 100000000000000 kJ | 27777777778 kWh |
| 1000000000000000 kJ | 277777777778 kWh |
| 10000000000000000 kJ | 2777777777778 kWh |
| 100000000000000000 kJ | 27777777777778 kWh |
Real-world reference
A medium banana provides about 450 kJ of food energy. A laptop battery typically stores 200–300 kJ.
Frequently asked questions
- How many kilowatt-hours are in 1 kilojoule?
- 1 kilojoule equals 0.000277778 kilowatt-hours.
- How do I convert kilojoules to kilowatt-hours?
- Multiply the kilojoule value by 0.000277778. So x kJ × 0.000277778 = the equivalent in kWh.
- What is 5 kilojoules in kilowatt-hours?
- 5 kilojoules equals 0.00138889 kilowatt-hours.
- What is 10 kilojoules in kilowatt-hours?
- 10 kilojoules equals 0.00277778 kilowatt-hours.
- What is 100 kilojoules in kilowatt-hours?
- 100 kilojoules equals 0.0277778 kilowatt-hours.
- How do I convert back from kilowatt-hours to kilojoules?
- Multiply the kilowatt-hour value by 3600. For example, 1 kWh = 3600 kJ.
- Is the kilojoule bigger than the kilowatt-hour?
- No. 1 kilojoule is smaller than 1 kilowatt-hour. It takes 3600 kilojoules to equal 1 kilowatt-hour.
- Are these conversion factors exact?
- The factor is derived directly from the SI definitions of kilojoule and kilowatt-hour; the displayed value is rounded for readability, and the browser computes using IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic.
About the kilojoule and the kilowatt-hour
The kilowatt-hour
The kilowatt-hour (kWh) equals exactly 3,600,000 joules — the unit on every household electricity bill. One kWh runs a 1,000 W appliance for one hour.