Natural Gas Term of the Week: BTU

What it means: British thermal unit, a measure of the energy content of a fuel. The heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at a specified temperature and pressure. One Btu equals 252 calories, 778 foot pounds, 1,055 joules or .293 watt hours. One cubic foot of natural gas contains about 1,027 Btus.

See it in action: Btus are a useful means of comparing the energy content across the differing units of measurement used for different fuel sources.

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Author: Ben
Published: July 2, 2012
Last Updated: July 2, 2012