Board of Trade unit
- noun
- Archaic
- One Board of Trade unit is the same as one kilowatt-hour of energy.
Examples
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The electricity bill listed the total usage in Board of Trade units.
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Industrial consumption is often measured in thousands of Board of Trade units each month.
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A Board of Trade unit is essential for measuring energy consumption.
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The electricity bill showed usage in Board of Trade units.
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Industrial consumption is often measured in thousands of Board of Trade units each month.
-
One Board of Trade unit is the same as one kilowatt-hour of energy.
-
The electricity bill listed the total usage in Board of Trade units.
Synonyms
The energy used by a 1,000-watt device in one hour
The amount of energy a 1,000-watt device uses in one hour
How Much Energy
- Specialized
- Archaic
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a named institution ('Board of Trade') with 'unit' (a measurement), so a learner who knows the words can infer it denotes some measurement associated with that body. However, the specific referent — that it equals a kilowatt-hour and is a historical/British energy unit — is specialized and not predictable from the constituents alone, requiring prior exposure or domain knowledge.
Etymology
Board of Trade unit comes from the British Board of Trade, the government group that once set rules for trade and services. They used this 'unit' to count electricity used by customers, so today a Board of Trade unit means 'one kilowatt-hour' on energy bills.