BTU is a unit of measurement for heat energy used in North America. It measures an oven’s ability to provide heat, with common measurements in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Efficiency measurements are also important, as they indicate how much energy is required to heat a home. Furnace BTU input and output numbers reflect a furnace’s efficiency, and load calculations are necessary for determining heating needs.
An oven BTU is a unit of measurement that calculates the amount of heat energy, or heat energy, that an oven can provide. BTU is short for British Thermal Unit and is used throughout North America as a method of measuring energy and heat value. Furnace BTU number measures a furnace’s ability to deliver heat, and a higher output number represents a larger furnace.
The official definition of a BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a pound of 60-degree water by one degree at a pressure equal to one atmosphere. In most countries that use metric measurements, the BTU has been replaced by the joule (J). MBTU represents 1,000 BTU, while MMBTU equals 1 million BTU. A therm is the term for 100,000 BTUs, and therm is equal to the energy created when you burn approximately 100 cubic feet of natural gas.
When measuring an oven’s BTU, manufacturers list numbers in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, and 80,000, 100,000, and 120,000 BTUs are common measurements. Looking at the oven BTU measurements of various heaters and ovens is a good way to compare performance levels when shopping. Be sure to look at your furnace’s BTU output number when trying to determine heat output.
In addition to the BTU measurement on an oven, you may see an efficiency measurement, such as 80% or 90%, that highlights the oven’s heat output versus the amount of energy required. A more efficient oven requires less energy to heat your home. All newer furnaces should include a furnace BTU input number and an output number, which reflects a furnace’s efficiency. The difference between these two numbers represents the amount of heat produced (input) versus the amount of heat actually supplied to your home (output). Every oven “wastes” a certain amount of heat.
Several sites on the Internet provide calculators for determining the heating needs of a house or room. Such calculators work well for determining the furnace BTU measurement needed to provide adequate heating. Any company that installs a furnace should perform a calculation of a home’s heating needs, called a load calculation. Keep in mind, however, that load calculations can be a bit tricky due to several factors, including the amount of insulation in a home, the types of windows installed, and the location of the home.
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