gas btu vs electric btu are they the same

[94yj]

i am looking in to replacing my 77.000 btu gas unit with a electric heat/a/c unit and wanted to know if i should get the electric unit with close to the same btu rating as mine i have now also are btu the same for gas and electric ratings if not what should i get that would be the same or close to 77k btu thanks

 

[crowldawg]

77,000 btu =21 kw if your new unit is rated in watts
A btu is a btu no matter the source.

 

[regguy1]

1000 Cu Ft of natural gas contains 1,000,000 BTU...If that helps for comparison

 

[MattT]

Check the comparative running costs before you go electric. Everyone I've spoken to that had electric heat complained it was expensive.

Also if there's nothing wrong with your existing gas furnace you should be able to get A/C added on to it.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I figured the gas vs electric cost vs the local REMC yesterday for a customer. Power is 3.35 times the cost of gas BTU to BTU.

For resistance heat, you'd need to give the electric company about 10% advantage on efficiency (100% vs 90%) so the true cost differential would only be about 3.0 times as expensive.

If you are talking about a heat pump though, it's going to be completely different. If I was dead set on electric heat, there's no way I'd try to do it with anything but a heat pump. The newer high efficiency ones have very impressive spec sheets.

Phil

p.s. To answer the OP post 1 BTU = amount of heat requried to heat 1 pound of water 1 degree Farenheit (at set conditions). There is no difference between an "electric" BTU and any other British Thermal Unit. However, to compare apples to apples you need to make sure you are comparing the output BTU's of both pieces of equipment, as fueled equipment will have an output BTU lower than the input BTU. The ratio of those 2 numbers multiplied by 100% is normally called the "efficiency" of the unit.

 

[94yj]

the main reason i am replacing the unit is it is 36 years old and most parts are out dated and no longer available and i figure i spent about 900.00 on propane fuel for a little over 3 months of heat which seems a little bit on the high side or at least to me anyway

 

[6768rogues]

A BTU is the amount of heat necessary to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. It does not matter what generates that heat. Is the 77000 BTU unit its output or input? If it is input, you need to reduce it to account for the unit's efficiency. Then you can fairly compare that output BTU to the output of an electric unit, which is considered to be 100% efficient. In our part of the world, it is many times more expensive to create heat with electric than gas, propane or fuel oil.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

the main reason i am replacing the unit is it is 36 years old and most parts are out dated and no longer available and i figure i spent about 900.00 on propane fuel for a little over 3 months of heat which seems a little bit on the high side or at least to me anyway

If you post your propane price per gallon, the amount you pay per KWH for electricity, and the input and output BTUs of your propane heater, we can calculate your projected additional cost in energy (or possibly...doubtfully...SAVINGS) you'll see each year by converting to electric resistance heat.

I'm going to hazard a WAG that you'll find your 36 year old furnace was originally rated at 80%. If so, I would discount that to 70% just based on age.

Also, you might post about your insulation situation. That may be a bigger problem then the furnace. Just my experience.

Phil