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Glite Dictionary
B.T.U.

B.T.U.

5.5
A unit of energy used to measure the heat or cooling power of fuels and heaters like air conditioners
  • noun
  • /biː tiː juː/
  • Specialized
translation icon : B.T.U.
  • The heater produces 30,000 B.T.U. per hour.

Examples

  • The air conditioner is rated at 10,000 B.T.U. per hour.

  • They used a calculator to estimate how many B.T.U. are needed to heat the room.

  • Natural gas is often priced by the B.T.U. in energy markets.

  • How many B.T.U.s does this furnace generate?

  • Natural gas is often priced by the B.T.U. in energy markets.

  • The air conditioner is rated at 10,000 B.T.U. per hour.

  • They used a calculator to estimate how many B.T.U. are needed to heat the room.

Synonyms

BTU
vsB.T.U.
  • Specialized
9 6.1

A measure of heat energy used for heaters and air conditioners

is the same unit but expressed in joules and used for fuels and HVAC
British thermal unit
vsB.T.U.
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A unit of heat equal to the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit

is the same unit but expressed in joules and used for fuels and HVAC
B.Th.U.
vsB.T.U.
  • Specialized
9.9

A unit of heat equal to the amount needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit

is the same unit but expressed in joules and used for fuels and HVAC

Surface Forms

B.T.U. singular
B.T.U.s plural
BTUs plural
BTU singular

Morphology

B.T.U. = British thermal unit (opaque) = B + T + U

As an initialism, B.T.U. does not transparently convey the meaning of the expanded phrase to learners who do not already know the expansion.

Etymology

B.T.U. comes from the words British Thermal Unit: British shows where the name started, thermal means 'heat', and unit means a 'measure'. It originally named the small amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, so today a B.T.U. is used to measure the energy in fuels and the power of heaters and air conditioners.