The quantity of natural gas is usually expressed in cubic meters (m3). If you want to know much electricity will burning gas generate, you have to convert gas m3 into kWh (kilowatt-hours). You will usually find the m3 on gas meters that look like this:
To help you out, we have created an m3 to kWh calculator. You simply input cubic meters (m3) and the calculator will dynamically convert m3 into kWh. Basically, we have to convert gas units to kWh.
Here’s an example of what the m3 to kilowatt-hour conversion calculator looks like:
Below the calculator, you will also find the m3 to kWh conversion chart with calculated values of kWh for the corresponding m3 of natural gas.
Let’s first look at the equation that converts m3 of natural gas to kWh. The key thing to remember is that 1 m3 of natural gas doesn’t always generate the same amount of electricity (kWh).
That’s because the energy density of natural gas varies a bit depending on the quality of natural gas (some produce more kWh, others less kWh):
m3 To kWh Conversion Formula
Different qualities of natural gas have different energy densities. That’s why we use a bit more complex equation to convert m3 to kWh precisely:
m3 × Calorific Value × 1.02264 ÷ 3.6 = kWh
The caloric value of natural gas is the parameter that changes. It’s usually around 40.0; depending on the quality of natural gas it can deviate +/-5%. 1.02264 is a correction factor, and 3.6 is the conversion factor for kWh.
For extremely precise calculations, we would you the upper equation. However, without more than a 5% loss in accuracy, we can simplify it quite a bit.
If you want to convert m3 to kWh, you just need to use this simple formula:
1 m3 = 10.55 kWh
Before we use the calculator that converts m3 gas into kWh, let’s look at both quantities:
Cubic Meter or m3 (Volumetric Quantity Of Natural Gas)
Gasoline, diesel, and liquid propane are measured in liters (or gallons) because they are liquids. Natural gas, on the other hand, is a gas; in a gaseous state.
That’s why we use m3 of natural gas to tell how much natural gas we have. Cubic meters are a unit of volume.
1 m3 of natural gas is equal to:
- 35.315 cubic feet of natural gas.
- 35,300 BTU.
- 31,736 kJ.
- 7,580 kcal.
- 10.55 kWh.
Kilowatt-Hour Or kWh (Unit Of Electric Energy Per Hour)
Electric energy is measured in watts. 1000 watts is equal to 1 kW; kilowatt. If we run a 1,000W electric appliance for 1 hour, we spend 1 kWh of electricity. 1 kWh of electricity costs anywhere from 0.10€ (Bulgaria) to 0.30€ (Germany).
To generate 1 kWh of electricity, we have to combust 0.0947 m3 or 94.7 liters of natural gas (100% efficient combustion).
We can use this data to calculate how many kWh will burning any amount of natural gas (expressed in m3) generate:
Gas m3 To kWh Calculator
You just insert m3 and the converter will dynamically calculate kWh. You can play around with the numbers a bit if you wish:
Note: It needs to be pointed out that natural gas does not have 100% efficiency. Power plants using natural gas can have more than 80% efficiency, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Natural gas generators, however, can have anywhere from 20% to 70% efficiency, thereby reducing the actual kWh we can get from natural gas.
Residential gas furnaces can have over 95% efficiency when burning natural gas as you can see here. This efficiency in furnaces is denoted by the AFUE rating.
m3 Natural Gas To kWh Calculated Table
To help you out, we have used the calculator above to make some of the most common m3 to kWh conversions, and summarized them in the table here:
| m3 Of Natural Gas: | Kilowatt-Hours (kWh): |
| 1 m3 gas | 10.55 kWh |
| 5 m3 gas | 52.75 kWh |
| 10 m3 gas | 105.50 kWh |
| 20 m3 gas | 211.00 kWh |
| 30 m3 gas | 316.50 kWh |
| 40 m3 gas | 422.00 kWh |
| 50 m3 gas | 527.50 kWh |
| 75 m3 gas | 791.25 kWh |
| 100 m3 gas | 1,055 kWh |
| 200 m3 gas | 2,110 kWh |
| 300 m3 gas | 3,165 kWh |
| 400 m3 gas | 4,220 kWh |
| 500 m3 gas | 5,275 kWh |
| 750 m3 gas | 7,912.50 kWh |
| 1,000 m3 gas | 10,550 kWh |
Hopefully, this will help you adequately determine the kWh value of natural gas. If you have any questions regarding the calculations, you can pose them in the comments below and we’ll try our best to help you out.
I am trying to convert 79.6 units used to kWh what is it and how do I calculate the cost?
Hello Nicola, you can get up to 839.78 kWh from 79.6 m3 of natural gas.
Simply divide or multiply by 10.55
You quote a formula , but based on the values you should be using in the formula , quoted lower down you page, the “simple conversion” should be 11.36 not 10.55 (1*1.02264*40/3.6 = 11.36) this is significantly more than your quoted 5% error (nearly 8% based on 11.36 and 10.55) however if the accepted figure for calorific value is 40 and it can vary from 38 to 42, then the error using your basic conversion factor is even greater at the extremes (11.9 @ 42 which is 13% error )
Why are you quoting 10.55 – makes no sense
Hello Roger, the 10.55 factor is a simple approximation. The actual formula is a more complex equation and the variables are difficult to pinpoint exactly. That’s why we make a rough estimation, but as you have adequately pointed out, this is not a 100% precise figure.
Hello my gas is 650m3 the The gas company calculated 7348.8kwh so is it wrong? How much should be accurate 650m3?
Hello Helen, gas companies have their own m3 to kWh calculation that factors in losses and some other factors. This m3 to kWh calculator calculates the hypothetical kWh you can get from natural gas at 100% efficiency. Hope this helps in understanding why there is a difference between what gas company calculates and what is the theoretical calculation.
Basic thing is …Multiply by 10.55 (and plus other factors)
So although energy companies are bound by the energy regulator price cap, they can tinker with this little equation as much as they like? How convenient.
And why, when you go to your energy supplier’s website and look at the conversion rate they have, why do they display it as the equation rather than the resulting value? Simple, to make it more complicated and difficult to understand.
Octopus Energy’s conversion rate is: 1.02264*39.9/3.6 which equals 11.33425
It takes 11.33425 units on my gas meter to make 1 KWh worth of gas.
Why not simply say that the conversion rate is 11.33425?
Bottom line, 11.33425 is much easier to understand and use to make a quick calculation than 1.02264*39.9/3.6.
Andy
Hi, it seems to me that when you wrote :
“1 m3 of natural gas is equal to:
35,315 cubic feet of natural gas.
35.300 BTU.” you have mixed up your decimal points and thousand separators.
Surely 1 cubic meter = 35.315 cubic feet.. Note the full stop, not the comma, i.e. “thirty-five point three one five”(NOT thirty-five thousand,three hundred and fifteen).
Similarly when you state that there are “35.300 BTU” in a cubic meter of natural gas you should have used a comma, not a full stop. There are of course 35,300 ( thirty- five thousand, three hundred) BTU in a cubic meter of N.G, not thirty-five point three zero zero. The use of a comma as a decimal point and a full stop as a “thousand separator” is accepted usage in many European languages but not in English.
Hello David, this is a fair point. We have corrected this thanks to your heads up. Hopefully, now the numbers are clearer to read.
Very useful information on converting cubic meter of gas usage into kwh
I had new meters installed and I was not told that old meters converts gas usage in cubic feet and new meter converts in cubic meters.
Hi if my last reading was 00503.761m3 and my new one is 00522.237m3 how much will that be in kWh thanks
Hello Heleen, you just look at the difference here: 18.474m3. You have basically burned about 3.7% more than in your previous reading. In terms of kW, you have used about 195 kW worth of natural gas. Hope this helps.
i am just about to start using gas and was told my British gas as I’m on 12.6 p per kw one unit on my dig meter is 12.6 p so 10 units would be £1.26 is that correct
Hello Fred, this math sounds quite right, yes.
How do i calculate the consumption of Gas per hour for generators with the following rating?
50KW, 100KW, 500KW, 1000KW
Hello Elijah, that’s a good question. Let’s take a 50 kW generator as an example. If you want to run a 50 kW generator at 100% output for 1 hour, you will need to calculate how much gas you need to produce 50 kWh of electricity (+ account for inefficiencies since gas generators don’t convert 100% of energy stored in gas into electricity).
We have cited in this article about the cost of gas for running a generator that you would need about 7.43 cubic feet of gas to produce 1 kWh of electricity. So, if you have a 50 kW generator running at 100% output, you would need 50 × 7.43 cubic feet = 371.5 cubic feet of natural gas. Obviously, if you run it at 25% output (12.5 kW average output), you would need a quarter of that, or about 92.88 cubic feet of natural gas.
You can use this same principle to calculate for 100 kW, 500 kW, or 1000 kW generators.
Hope all of this makes sense. It’s basically converting natural gas combustion energy into electricity.
Thank you very much
I’m using 4 units of gas per day with British gas how much is it costing me per day?
Hi Rob, which units are you referring to for gas? You can check the prices of natural gas in the US on the EIA website here.
I am trying to calculate how to charge someone (private rental) for their use of Propane Gas, their meter was 1418.4662 to 1477.98 so therefore I have calculated that they have used 676.235 kWh, however the LPG is charged in litres. Doing lots of searching I think that I divide by 7.08 to obtain the litres prior to multplying by the cost per litre but just need some clarification please as to whether I have done this correctly.
Hi Lesley, this LPG charged in litres and kWh conversions are a bit of a mess. Alright, from the meter difference, we see that 59.5138 m3 of propane gas was consumed. You have done your research right; 1 liter of LPG produces 7.08 kWh of electricity. Dividing by 7.08 is the right move here. 676.235 kWh / 7.08 kWh/1 liter of LPG = 95.5 liters of LPG. Hope this clarifies things. By the way, good job on research and the calculations.
Hi
My Baxi Platinum Boiler shows 47kwh for last 24 hours No other gas appliance has been used
My gas meter reads 7.34 M3 of natural gas used
This is only 6.4kwh per M3
Which is more likely to be accurate
Gas meter (newly installed August 2022 in new house) or Boiler meter?
Should I get gas meter checked or boiler or both?
Hi Ray, gas meters are usually the most accurate (we pay the gas bills based on that meter). Now, 7.34 m3 of natural gas can produce 78 kWh at 100% efficiency. Here, it is vital to understand that most boilers can’t really extract 100% of heat content from the gas; it can be much lower. In your case, the boiler used 47 kWh from the 78 kWh available. That means the efficiency of using gas is (47 kWh / 78 kWh = 0.603) 60.3%. That’s a bit low:
Here is a note about boiler efficiency from the Australian government:”… the thermal efficiency of boilers increase from a maximum of 70% thirty years ago to 97%.
So, if you have a very old boiler, the 60.3% is to be expected. If you have a newer boiler, the low efficiency is something you should look into. Hope this helps.