Australian, European and many Asian spec sheets rate air conditioners by cooling kilowatts, while shops in Southeast Asia sell the same units by horsepower. This converter bridges the two — using the cooling capacity, not the electrical draw.
Cooling kW to HP Formula
Critical distinction: the kW on a capacity label is cooling output; the kW on the energy label is electrical input, typically 2.5–4× smaller. A "2.5 kW cooling / 0.78 kW input" unit is one machine described two ways. Never size a room by the input figure, and never size a generator by the cooling figure. This is a different question from converting mechanical power — for that see kW to HP.
Cooling kW ↔ Aircon HP ↔ BTU ↔ Tons
| Cooling kW | Aircon HP | BTU/hr | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | 0.76 | 6,824 | 0.57 |
| 2.5 | 0.95 | 8,530 | 0.71 |
| 3.5 | 1.33 | 11,942 | 1.00 |
| 5.0 | 1.90 | 17,060 | 1.42 |
| 7.1 | 2.69 | 24,225 | 2.02 |
| 9.0 | 3.41 | 30,708 | 2.56 |
Worked Example
Frequently Asked Questions
About 0.95 HP — it's what SE Asian markets sell as a "1 HP" unit.
No. Mechanical kW→HP divides by 0.7457; cooling kW→aircon HP divides by 2.638, because aircon "HP" is a capacity label, not mechanical power. Mixing them up gives answers ~3.5× wrong.
The "cooling capacity" or "rated capacity" kW. The "power input" kW is electricity consumption — use that only for running-cost and generator sizing.