BTU

British Thermal Unit (BTU) is a unit of heat energy defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is part of the British imperial system of units and is used primarily in the United States. The BTU is commonly used in the power, steam generation, heating, and air conditioning industries.

Definition

The exact value of the British Thermal Unit varies, as it can be defined based on different water temperatures. The most commonly used definition, and the one adopted by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is based on the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water from 59°F to 60°F at a constant pressure of one atmosphere. This is equivalent to approximately 1,055 joules or 0.293 watt-hours.

Usage

The BTU is widely used in the United States in many applications. In the heating and cooling industry, it measures the heat output of appliances such as furnaces and air conditioners. In the power sector, it is used to describe the heat value of fuels, with one of the common measures being the BTU content per pound or cubic foot of fuel. The efficiency of power plants is also often expressed in terms of BTU per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced.

Conversion

To convert BTUs to other units of energy, the following conversions can be used:

• 1 BTU = 1,055 joules
• 1 BTU = 0.293 watt-hours
• 1 BTU = 252 calories

Related Units

The BTU is related to other units of energy in the British imperial system, such as the therm (equal to 100,000 BTUs) and the quad (equal to 1 quadrillion BTUs). These larger units are used for measuring larger quantities of energy, such as national energy consumption or production.

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BTU Resources
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