BTU is often used as a point of reference for comparing different fuels. Even though they're physical commodities and quantified accordingly, such as by volume or barrels, they can be converted to BTUs depending on the energy or heat content inherent in each quantity. BTU as a unit of measurement is more useful than physical quantity because of fuel's intrinsic value as an energy source.
This allows many different commodities with intrinsic energy properties to be compared and contrasted; for instance, one of the most popular is natural gas to oil. BTU can also be used pragmatically as a point of reference for the amount of heat that an appliance generates; the higher the BTU rating of an appliance, the greater the heating capacity. As for air conditioning in homes, even though ACs are meant to cool homes, BTUs on the technical label refer to how much heat the air conditioner can remove from their respective surrounding air.
The smaller the volume, the fewer BTUs are required to cool or heat. Thermal insulation is defined as the reduction of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in the range of radiative influence. Learn more. Professional heating and cooling installers can provide a much more detailed analysis of your home to select the correct furnace and air conditioning size, tailored to your needs.
Consider getting a free heating and cooling estimate for your home. Learn more about the cost of the average furnace installation. You are here. Square Feet:. If you live in a warmer climate, 40, BTU will heat more than 1, sq ft area. The key question, as you can see, is in which Climate Zone you live. To create a heating BTU calculator, you need to know how many BTU of heat per square feet you need in a certain climate zone.
Obviously, in the cold north, you will need more BTUs per square foot than in the warm south. How many BTUs exactly? Here is a neat table with heating BTUs per square foot for all 7 Climate Zones check the heating map above with Climate Zones for reference :. As you can see, in the north, you need about double the heating output to heat 1 square foot compared to the extreme south.
What about ceiling height? Some people so you need to add the height of a ceiling into the calculation. We presuppose the standard ceiling height of 8 ft.
To calculate BTU per square foot, start by measuring the square footage of each room you want to heat or cool. Then, add the square footage for each room together. Once you have the total square footage, just multiply that number by 20 to find how many BTUs per hour you'd need to heat or cool the space.
For example, if you're trying to heat or cool 1, square feet, you would multiply 1, by 20 and get 20, BTUs per hour.
To learn how to adjust BTU per square foot for special conditions, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods.
Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Measure the square footage of your entire home. If you're installing a furnace, find the square footage of each room in your home and add them together.
This will give you the total square footage of your space so you can choose a furnace that will adequately heat your home. For a triangular room, multiply the length and width, then divide by 2. Plug the radius into the following equation, using 3. Find out which climate zone you live in to determine the heating factor. Look for a climate zone map online and figure out which zone you live in to help you determine the heating factor, or the number of BTUs you need per square foot to adequately heat your home.
Multiply your square footage by the heating factor for your zone. All you have to do to find out what capacity furnace is best for your home based on its location is to multiply the square footage of the space by the heating factor. Better insulated homes need fewer BTUs per hour per square foot than older homes.
If your home is new or well insulated, you can use the lower of the 2 numbers for your climate zone; if it is older or poorly insulated, use the higher number of the range. Multiply your square footage by 30 BTUs to find out what capacity furnace you need. Alternatively, if you live in an older home in Zone 6, multiply your square footage by 60 BTUs to ensure you purchase a furnace with enough capacity to heat the space.
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