How To Convert HP To KVA

HP, short for horsepower, represent how much power a device is capable of putting out. Kilo-volt-amps, abbreviated kVA, measures the apparent power of a circuit and is found by multiplying the voltage times the current in a circuit. In order to convert from the HP capacity of a device to the number of kVA used, you need to know the capacity and the efficiency of the device.

Step 1

Multiply the amount of HP by 746. For example, if you have 100 HP, you would multiply 100 by 746 to get 74,600.

Step 2

Multiply the result from Step1 by the efficiency of the device to calculate the number of volt-amps used. For example, if the device is 90 percent efficient, you would multiply 74,600 by 0.9 to get 67,140.

Step 3

Divide the number of volt-amps used by 1,000 to convert from volt-amps to kilo-volt-amps (kVA). Finishing the example, you would divide 67,140 by 1,000 to get 67.14 kVA.