MWh to kWh — instant converter, formula and conversion table (2026)

1 MWh = 1,000 kWh. To convert megawatt-hours to kilowatt-hours, multiply by 1,000. To go the other way, divide by 1,000. That's the entire conversion — no decimals, no exceptions, just the SI prefix shift between mega (×10⁶) and kilo (×10³).

This page gives you the formula, a conversion table, real-world reference points (a typical home, a Tesla battery, a wholesale price quote) and the common mistakes that trip people up — particularly the difference between MW (power) and MWh (energy).

The formula

The conversion is a unit shift, not a calculation:

• MWh → kWh: multiply by 1,000
  Example: 5 MWh × 1,000 = 5,000 kWh
• kWh → MWh: divide by 1,000
  Example: 8,500 kWh ÷ 1,000 = 8.5 MWh

The reason: "kilo" (k) means a thousand, "mega" (M) means a million. A megawatt-hour is one million watt-hours; a kilowatt-hour is one thousand watt-hours. So 1 MWh contains exactly 1,000 kWh.

Conversion table

Real-world reference points

The conversion makes intuitive sense once you anchor it to physical things you know:

• 1 kWh — running a 1,000 W kettle for one hour, or fully charging an iPhone about 80 times.
• 10 kWh = 0.01 MWh — typical daily consumption of an EU two-person flat.
• 100 kWh = 0.1 MWh — fully charging a Tesla Model 3 long-range from empty (75 kWh battery + losses).
• 4,000 kWh = 4 MWh — typical annual consumption of an EU three-person household.
• 1,000 kWh = 1 MWh — the unit electricity is sold in on European wholesale markets. When ENTSO-E publishes a day-ahead price of "€86 /MWh", that's the wholesale cost of 1,000 kWh.
• 1,000,000 kWh = 1,000 MWh = 1 GWh — roughly the annual output of a single 200 kW solar farm or one offshore wind turbine.

Why MWh shows up on EU wholesale prices

European wholesale electricity is quoted in EUR per MWh for one reason: trade volumes. A single bid on EPEX SPOT or Nord Pool is rarely smaller than 0.1 MWh, and grid-scale movements are measured in hundreds of MWh per hour. Quoting in kWh would mean writing prices like "€0.086 /kWh" — fine for households, awkward for traders.

To translate a wholesale price to your bill: divide the EUR/MWh number by 1,000. So €86 /MWh = €0.086 /kWh wholesale. Your retail bill then adds grid fees, taxes and your supplier's margin on top — typically a 1.6–2.5× multiplier across the EU.

You can see today's live wholesale prices for every European bidding zone on euenergy, with both /MWh and /kWh quotes side by side.

MWh vs kWh vs GWh vs TWh — the full ladder

Energy units are powers of 10 from each other. The complete ladder used in electricity:

• 1 Wh — 1 watt running for 1 hour
• 1 kWh = 1,000 Wh — household billing unit
• 1 MWh = 1,000 kWh = 10⁶ Wh — wholesale-market unit
• 1 GWh = 1,000 MWh = 10⁹ Wh — used for power-station annual output
• 1 TWh = 1,000 GWh = 10¹² Wh — used for national consumption (Norway uses ~135 TWh/year)

Common mistakes

MW vs MWh. A megawatt (MW) is power — instantaneous rate. A megawatt-hour (MWh) is energy — power × time. A 1 MW solar farm generates 1 MWh of energy if it runs at full output for one hour, but in practice runs at 15–25% capacity factor, so over a year produces around 1,500–2,200 MWh.

mWh vs MWh. Lowercase "m" means milli (one thousandth). 1 mWh = 0.001 Wh = 0.000001 kWh. The difference between mWh and MWh is one billion. Always check capitalisation in technical writing.

Mixing watts and watt-hours. "I have a 100 W bulb" means power. "I used 100 Wh" means energy. A 100 W bulb consumes 100 Wh of energy if left on for one hour, or 0.1 kWh.

FAQ

How many kWh in 1 MWh?

Exactly 1,000. The "kilo" prefix means thousand and the "mega" prefix means million, so MWh = 1,000 × kWh by definition.

Is 1 MW the same as 1 MWh?

No. 1 MW is a rate (power); 1 MWh is a quantity (energy). 1 MW running for 1 hour delivers 1 MWh. 1 MW running for 30 minutes delivers 0.5 MWh.

How do I convert MWh to GWh?

Divide by 1,000. 1 GWh = 1,000 MWh. So 5,000 MWh = 5 GWh.

How much electricity is 1 MWh worth?

At European wholesale prices in 2026, 1 MWh costs roughly €40–€150 depending on country and time of day. Today's live prices show what it's worth right now in each EU bidding zone.

How many kWh does an average household use per year?

Across the EU, around 3,500–5,500 kWh (3.5–5.5 MWh) for a flat or small house, up to 8,000+ kWh for a larger detached home. Heating method matters most: a home on a heat pump consumes 3× more electricity than one on gas.

Sources: IEA Electricity 2026 — Prices, Eurostat Electricity price statistics.