Convert British Thermal Units to Therms
Convert British Thermal Units (BTU) to Therms (thm) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
thm = BTU × 1.000000000e-5
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 Therms
A therm is the US natural gas billing unit equal to exactly 100,000 BTU = 105,505,585.262 J ≈ 105.5 MJ. One CCF of average US pipeline gas contains ~1.02 therms. The EIA publishes residential gas prices in $/therm; spot prices at Henry Hub are in $/MMBTU (1 MMBTU = 10 therms). US households average 500-700 therms/year for space heating, water heating, and cooking. A 15 kW domestic boiler running 2 hours delivers ~1 therm of useful heat. 1 therm = 100,000 BTU = 105.506 MJ = 29.307 kWh = 25,200 kcal.
Quick Reference Table
| British Thermal Units (BTU) | Therms (thm) |
|---|---|
| 1 BTU | 1 × 10-5 thm |
| 2 BTU | 2 × 10-5 thm |
| 5 BTU | 5 × 10-5 thm |
| 10 BTU | 0.0001 thm |
| 25 BTU | 0.00025 thm |
| 50 BTU | 0.0005 thm |
| 100 BTU | 0.001 thm |