How to convert VA to Watts and KVA to Kilowatts

Basics

Since watts is volts times amps, what is VA? VA (or volt-amps) is also volts times
amps, the concept however has been extended to AC power. For DC current

VA = Watts (DC current).

In AC if the volts and amps are in phase (for example a resistive load) then the
equation is also

VA=Watts (resistive load)

where V is the RMS voltage and A the RMS amperage.

In AC the volts and amps are not always in phase (meaning that the peak of the
voltage curve is does not happen at the peak of the current curve). So in AC, if the
volts and amps are not precisely in phase you have to calculate the watts by
multiplying the volts times the amps at each moment in time and take the average
over time. The ratio between the VA (i.e. rms volts time rms amps) and Watts is
called the power factor PF.

VA·PF = Watts (any load, including inductive loads)

In other words, volt-amps x power factor = watts. Similarly, KVA*PF = KW,

Or kilovolt-amps times power factor equals kilowatts.

When you want to know how much the electricity is costing you, you use watts.
When you are specifying equipment loads, fuses, and wiring sizes you use the VA, or
the rms voltage and rms amperage. This is because VA considers the peak of both
current and voltage, without taking into account if they happen at the same time or
not

Finding the Power Factor

How do you find the power factor? This isn’t easy. For computer power supplies
and other supplies that are power factor corrected the power factor is usually over
90%. For high power motors under heavy load the power factor can be as low as
35%.

Industry standard rule-of-thumb is that you plan for a power factor of 60%, which
somebody came up with as a kind of average power factor.
Converting VA to Amps

How to convert VA to amps? Use the following formula:

Where A stands for the RMS amps, VA stands for volt-amps, V stands for RMS
volts and PF stands for the power factor.

Converting VA to Volts

How to convert VA to volts? Use the following formula:

Where V stands for RMS volts, A stands for the RMS amps, VA stands for volt-
amps, and PF stands for the power factor.

What is KVA?

KVA is just kilovolt-amps, or volts times amps divided by 1000:

KVA·PF = KW (any load, including inductive loads)

Where KVA stands for kilovolt-amps, KW stands for kilowatts, and PF stands for
the power factor.

Keep the factor of 1000 straight when dealing with mixed units:

KVA·PF = W/1000 (any load, including inductive loads)

VA·PF = 1000·KW (Kilowatts to VA)

The Following equations can be used to convert beween amps, volts, and VA. To
convert between kilovolt-amps, kilowatts, and kiloamps, keep track of the factor of
1000.
Converting VA to Amps (voltage fixed)

The conversion of VA to Amps is governed by the equation Amps = VA·PF/Volts)

For example 12 VA·0.6/(12 volts) = 0.6 amp

Converting KVA to KW (Kilovolt-amps to Kilowatts)

The conversion of KVA to KW is governed by the equation KVA = KW/PF)

For example, if the power factor is 0.6

120 KVA·0.6 = 72 Kilowatts

Converting Watts to KVA (watts to kilovolt-amps)

The conversion of W to KVA is governed by the equation KVA=W/(1000*PF)

For example 1500W/(1000*0.83) = 1.8 kVA (assuming a power factor of 0.83)

F
Converting Amps to VA (voltage fixed)

The conversion of Amps to VA is governed by the equation VA = Amps · Volts/PF

For example 1 amp * 110 volts/0.6 = 183 VA

Converting Amps to KVA (voltage fixed)

The conversion of Amps to KVA is governed by the equation KVA = Amps · Volts/
(1000·PF)

For example 100 amp * 110 volts/(1000*0.6) = 18.3 KVA

Converting VA to Volts (current fixed)

The conversion of VA to Volts is governed by the equation Volts = VA·PF/Amps

For example 100 VA · 0.6/10 amps = 6 volts

Converting Volts to VA (current fixed)

The conversion of Volts to VA is governed by the equation VA = Amps · Volts/PF

For example 1.5 amps * 12 volts/0.6 = 30 VA

Converting Volts to Amps at fixed VA

The conversion of Volts to Amps is governed by the equation Amps = VA·PF/Volts

For example 120 VA* 0.6 /110 volts = 0.65 amps

Converting Amps to Volts at fixed VA

The conversion of Amps to Volts is governed by the equation Volts = VA·PF/Amps

For Example, 48 VA · 0.6 / 12 Amps = 2.4 Volts

Explanation

Amps are how many electrons flow past a certain point per second. Volts is a
measure of how much force that each electron is under. Think of water in a hose. A
gallon a minute (think amps) just dribbles out if it is under low pressure (think
voltage). But if you restrict the end of the hose, letting the pressure build up, the
water can have more power (like watts), even though it is still only one gallon a
minute. In fact the power can grow enormous as the pressure builds, to the point
that a water knife can cut a sheet of glass. In the same manner as the voltage is
increased a small amount of current can turn into a lot of watts.