Energy Calculators

From gallons to British thermal units (Btu), kilowatthours to megajoules, short tons to metric tons — this handy calculator converts from one energy unit to another.

Calculators for Energy Used in the United States

• Coal
• Electricity
• Natural Gas
• Crude Oil
  • Gasoline
  • Diesel and Heating Oil
  • Residential Heating Fuels

• Measuring Energy in Food — food calories versus energy calories

• Scientific Notation Explained — E+10

Coal Conversion Calculator
Short Tons	Btu	Megajoules	Metric Tons

1 short ton = 19,977,000 Btu (based on U.S. consumption, 2008)

Electricity Conversion Calculator
KilowattHours	Btu	Megajoules	Million Calories

1 kilowatthour = 3,412 Btu

Natural Gas Conversion Calculator
Cubic Feet	Btu	Megajoules	Cubic Meters

1 cubic foot = 1,027 Btu (based on U.S. consumption, 2008);
1 therm = 100,000 Btu;
1 terajoule = 1,000,000 megajoules

Crude Oil Conversion Calculator
Barrels	Btu	Megajoules	Metric tons*

1 barrel = 42 U.S. gallons = 5,800,000 Btu (based on U.S. production, 2008)
*Note: This is the average number of metric tons per barrel of crude oil used in the United States. The actual number of metric tons per barrel will be different for different types of crude oil. Think of it like a glass of syrup weighing more than the same sized glass of soda.

Gasoline Conversion Calculator
Gallons	Btu	Megajoules	Metric Tons

1 gallon = 124,238 Btu (rounded to nearest 1,000) (based on U.S. consumption, 2008)

Diesel Fuel & Heating Oil Conversion Calculator
Gallons	Btu	Megajoules	Metric Tons

1 gallon = 138,690 Btu (rounded to nearest 1,000)

Measuring Energy in Food

Food calories are a measure of energy in food. One food calorie is equal to 1,000 calories, or 1 kilocalorie. So, the energy in a 300 (food) calorie ice cream cone is about the same as the amount of electricity required to light a 100-watt incandescent bulb for 3½ hours.

Food Energy Calculator
Food Calories	Btu	Megajoules	KilowattHours

1 food calorie = 1,000 calories, or 1 kilocalorie, or 3.968 Btu

Scientific Notation Explained

Scientific notation is a short-hand way of writing a number that has a lot of digits. For example, the number 525,000,000 could be written as 5.25E+08. The "+08" tells you to move the decimal eight places to the right. A negative number after the "E" would tell you to move the decimal a certain number of places to the left. For instance, 5.25E-03 is the same as 0.00525.

Common Energy Units: Scientific Notation
British Thermal Unit (Btu)	1.0
Millions of Btu	1.0E+06 Btu
Therm	1.0E+05 Btu
Billions of Btu	1.0E+09 Btu
Quad	1.0E+15 Btu
Calorie	1.0 Calorie
Kilocalorie	1.0E+03 Calories
Food Calorie	1.0E+03 Calories
Thermie	1.0E+05 Calories
Teracalorie	1.0E+12 Calories
Megajoule	1.0E+06 Joule
Joule	1.0 Joule
Gigajoule	1.0E+09 Joules
Terajoule	1.0E+12 Joules
watthour	1.0
Kilowatthour (kWh)	1.0E+03 watthour
Megawatthour (MWh)	1.0E+06 watthour
Gigawatthour (GWh)	1.0E+09 watthour
Terawatthour (TWh)	1.0E+12 watthour