British thermal unit
noun
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Despite its name, the British thermal unit, or BTU, may be more widely used in North America than in Britain. Air conditioners, furnaces, and stoves are generally rated by BTUs. (Though "BTUs" is often short for "BTUs per hour;" in air-conditioner ratings, for instance, "BTUs" really means "BTUs of cooling capacity per hour".) Fuels such as natural gas and propane are also compared using BTUs. The BTU first appeared in 1865 and isn't part of the metric system—the metric unit of energy is the much smaller joule—so it isn't much used by scientists, but its practicality keeps it popular for consumer goods and fuels. A better-known heat unit is the calorie; a BTU is equal to about 252 calories. (Since the familiar food calorie is actually a kilocalorie, a BTU equals only about a quarter of a food calorie.)
Examples of British thermal unit in a Sentence
Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 28 Mar. 2024
Sources in Singapore suggest April spot cargoes are changing hands between $8 and $9.25 per million British thermal units (mmBtu).
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Futures for February delivery have now risen for six straight trading sessions, including Tuesday's 7% jump to $3.19 per million British thermal units.
—Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
Most importantly for American bill payers, at about $2.36 per million British thermal units, natural gas hasn't been so cheap this time of year since late 2019, when the weather was also unusually warm.
—Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 11 Dec. 2023
These are best for large areas or for placing in a central spot and heating multiple rooms.
BTUs
BTUs are British thermal units or the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
—John Sass, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2023
That’s because a barrel of oil contains 5.8 million British thermal units’ worth of energy.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 5 July 2023
At the Waha trading hub in West Texas, spot prices Wednesday hit $2.36 per million British thermal units, 54% more than the daily average over the previous three months.
—David Uberti, WSJ, 23 June 2023
Using radiant infrared heat, this Duraflame pumps out some serious Btu (British thermal units).
—Gabriel Morgan, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'British thermal unit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near British thermal unit
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“British thermal unit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/British%20thermal%20unit. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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