Convert kVA To kW With Power Factor (+ Easy Calculator)

kVA to kW is one of the basic conversions in electric engineering. If you want to analyze different electric appliances on an AC circuit, you need to convert kVA to kW.

We created an easy kVA to kW calculator that converts kVA into kW with a known power factor. You will also find a kVA to kW table with calculated values. Here’s a screenshot of what the calculator looks like:

100-kva-to-kw-conversion
Example: 100 kVA on a 0.8 PF circuit is equal to 80 kW. You can check and freely use the dynamic kVA to kW conversion calculator below.

Let’s first cover the basics (this might sound a bit complex but once you get a hang of it, it’s very simple):

What’s the difference between kVA and kW?

kVA or kilovolt-ampere is a unit for measuring apparent power in electric circuits. In DC circuits, kVa is the same as kW; that is, apparent power (measured in kVA) is the same as real power (measured in W or kW). However, kVA is mostly used in AC circuits.

kW or kilowatt is a unit of electric power. It is equal to 1,000 Joules per second and it measures how fast the energy is transferred.

Here’s the deal:

In DC circuits, we can use the basic DC power circuit equation to figure out how many kW is 1 kVA:

P (power) = I (current) × V (voltage)

That means that in DC circuits, 1 kVA is equal to 1 kW. That means that 1 kVA is equal to 1,000 watts.

In alternating current (AC) circuits, where kVA to kW conversion is mostly used, the kVA to kW conversion depends on the power factor (PF).

To be able to use the kilovolt-ampere to kilowatt conversion calculator, you first need to determine the power factor of the AC circuit:

How Does Power Factor (PF) Influence kVA To kW Conversion?

In DC circuits, apparent power (kVA) is equal to real power (kW).

In AC circuits, apparent power (kVA) is often not equal to real power (kW). The difference between apparent power and real power is the fundamental difference between kVA and kW.

Here’s what these two different electric power are:

  • Real power is a product of voltage and current; basically volts (V) × amps (A).
  • Apparent power is a product of voltage and RMS current; almost volts (V) × amps (A) but not quite. That’s because in AC circuits the voltage and current and not in phase; this reduces the real power to apparent power. Here we have to deal with RMS current, and the power factor helps us out with that.

Power factor is the ratio of real power (kW) to the apparent power (kVA) in a circuit. It can take any value between -1 and 1. In practice, a power factor is a number between 0 and 1.

Here is a formula for the power factor (we will use it to derive kVA to kW formula):

PF = Real Power (kW) / Apparent Power (kVA)

kVA To kW Formula

As you can see, we can account for voltage and current not being in phase in AC circuits just by using the power factor. From the equation above, we can get this kVA to kW formula:

Real Power (kW) = Apparent Power (kVA) × PF

Now we have a formula that converts kVA to kW.

Example: Let’s say we have 1 kVA and 0.8 PF circuits. How many kW is 1 kVA?

Real Power = 1 kVA × 0.8 = 0.8 kW

In such a circuit, 1 kVA is equal to 0.8 kW.

If you know two inputs – kVA and PF – you can convert kVA to kW for any AC circuit. The easiest way is to use this calculator:

kVA To kW Calculator

Just insert or slide the kVA and PF inputs, and the calculator will dynamically calculate kW from kVA:

 

To help you out, we used this calculator to convert the most common kVA values into kW in 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 power factor AC circuits:

kVA To kW Conversion Chart

kVA: kW at 0.4 PF kW at 0.6 PF kW at 0.8 PF kW at 1 PF
1 kVA 0.4 kW 0.6 kW 0.8 kW 1 kW
5 kVA 2 kW 3 kW 4 kW 5 kW
10 kVA 4 kW 6 kW 8 kW 10 kW
15 kVA 6 kW 9 kW 12 kW 15 kW
20 kVA 8 kW 12 kW 16 kW 20 kW
25 kVA 10 kW 15 kW 20 kW 25 kW
30 kVA 12 kW 18 kW 24 kW 30 kW
35 kVA 14 kW 21 kW 28 kW 35 kW
40 kVA 16 kW 24 kW 32 kW 40 kW
45 kVA 18 kW 27 kW 36 kW 45 kW
50 kVA 20 kW 30 kW 40 kW 50 kW
55 kVA 22 kW 33 kW 44 kW 55 kW
60 kVA 24 kW 36 kW 48 kW 60 kW
65 kVA 26 kW 39 kW 52 kW 65 kW
70 kVA 28 kW 42 kW 56 kW 70 kW
75 kVA 30 kW 45 kW 60 kW 75 kW
80 kVA 32 kW 48 kW 64 kW 80 kW
85 kVA 34 kW 51 kW 68 kW 85 kW
90 kVA 36 kW 54 kW 72 kW 90 kW
95 kVA 38 kW 57 kW 76 kW 95 kW
100 kVA 40 kW 60 kW 80 kW 100 kW
120 kVA 48 kW 72 kW 96 kW 120 kW
140 kVA 56 kW 84 kW 112 kW 140 kW
160 kVA 64 kW 96 kW 128 kW 160 kW
180 kVA 72 kW 108 kW 144 kW 180 kW
200 kVA 80 kW 120 kW 160 kW 200 kW
250 kVA 100 kW 150 kW 200 kW 250 kW
300 kVA 120 kW 180 kW 240 kW 300 kW
350 kVA 140 kW 210 kW 280 kW 350 kW
400 kVA 160 kW 240 kW 320 kW 400 kW
450 kVA 180 kW 270 kW 360 kW 450 kW
500 kVA 200 kW 300 kW 400 kW 500 kW
1000 kVA 400 kW 600 kW 800 kW 1000 kW

Hopefully, this is clear enough and it will help you to convert any kVA to kW. If you have any questions, you can pose them in the comments below and we’ll try to help you out.

4 thoughts on “Convert kVA To kW With Power Factor (+ Easy Calculator)”

    • Hi Thomas, you should check this kW to amps article. Basically, it comes down to voltage. If you, for example, have a 220V circuit, the amp draw is calculated like this: 8500W/220V = 38.64 amps. This would be the amp draw in this case. Hope this helps.

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