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:

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