Convert British Thermal Units to Petajoules
Convert British Thermal Units (BTU) to Petajoules (PJ) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
PJ = BTU × 1.055055853e-12
About British Thermal Units
A British Thermal Unit (BTU) - the heat to raise 1 lb of water by 1°F - equals exactly 1,055.05585262 J. It dominates US HVAC: room air conditioners are rated in BTU/h (5,000-24,000 BTU/h = 1.5-7.0 kW); one ton of refrigeration is exactly 12,000 BTU/h. Natural gas is billed in therms (100,000 BTU) in the US. Higher heating values: natural gas ~1,020-1,050 BTU/ft³; No. 2 fuel oil ~138,700 BTU/US gal; propane ~91,500 BTU/US gal. 1 BTU = 1,055.06 J = 252.164 cal = 0.29307 Wh.
About Petajoules
A petajoule (PJ) is 10¹⁵ J - the national energy policy scale. IEA reports primary energy in PJ/year: Sweden ~600 PJ; Germany ~12,500 PJ; the United States ~93,000 PJ. World total primary energy supply is ~605,000 PJ = 605 EJ. The 1883 Krakatoa eruption released ~200 PJ ≈ 48 megatons TNT. A 1-megaton nuclear weapon releases 4.184 PJ. Global annual steel production embeds ~38,000-47,000 PJ of energy. 1 PJ = 10¹⁵ J = 277.78 GWh = 238.85 ktoe = 23.88 ktoe.
Quick Reference Table
| British Thermal Units (BTU) | Petajoules (PJ) |
|---|---|
| 1 BTU | 1.055 × 10-12 PJ |
| 2 BTU | 2.11 × 10-12 PJ |
| 5 BTU | 5.275 × 10-12 PJ |
| 10 BTU | 1.055 × 10-11 PJ |
| 25 BTU | 2.638 × 10-11 PJ |
| 50 BTU | 5.275 × 10-11 PJ |
| 100 BTU | 1.055 × 10-10 PJ |