BTU
Units & Measurements abbreviation · Engineering Unit
| Stands for | British thermal unit |
|---|---|
| Categories | Units & Measurements |
BTU stands for British thermal unit, an engineering unit abbreviation.
Heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, about 1,055 joules. US furnaces, air conditioners, grills and water heaters are rated in BTU per hour; a window AC for a 300-square-foot room is typically about 7,000 BTU.
Example: The window unit is rated 10,000 BTU, enough to cool roughly 450 square feet.
Usage notes
HVAC ratings described as "BTU" are really BTU per hour (BTU/h or BTUH), a power unit: 12,000 BTU/h equals one ton of cooling, about 3.5 kW. Natural gas is priced in therms (100,000 BTU) and MMBtu (one million BTU). Also written Btu.