The British thermal unit, or BTU, measures heat in the English system of measurement. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the BTU was formally defined as the amount of heat that raises the temperature of 1 lb. of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. This International Table definition was changed because -- while usable for most purposes -- it is not perfectly precise, since this calculation depends on the initial temperature of the water. You can convert a BTU measurement to the metric system by multiplying. The multiplication factor is different for joules, kilojoules and kilowatt-hours.
Instructions
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1
Multiply a BTU measurement by 1055.056 to convert the measurement to joules.
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2
Multiply a BTU measurement by 1.055056 to convert the measurement to kilojoules.
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3
Multiply a BTU measurement by 0.0002928 to convert the measurement to kilowatt-hours.