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How to Convert Wattage

The watt, abbreviated W, measures power. The international system of units uses watts as the standard unit of power. The watt takes its name from British engineer James Watt, who made improvements to the steam engine. However, a number of other units for quantifying power exist, including kilowatts, foot-pounds per second, horsepower and British thermal units (Btu) per hour. To switch between different power units, you need to use the appropriate conversion factor.

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Instructions

- 1
  Divide the number of watts by 1,000 to convert to kilowatts. For example, if you have 500 watts, divide 500 by 1,000 to get 0.5 kW.
- 2
  Multiply the number of watts by 0.00134102 to convert to horsepower. For example, if you have 500 W, multiply 500 by 0.00134102 to get 0.67 hp.
- 3
  Convert to foot-pounds per second by multiplying the number of watts by 0.737562. In this example, multiply 500 W by 0.737562 to get 368.78 foot-pounds per second.
- 4
  Multiply the number of watts by 3.414 to convert to Btu per hour. In this example, multiply 500 by 3.414 to get 1,707 Btu per hour.

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