Therm

Therm (thm)

The therm is a unit of energy primarily used by natural gas utilities for billing purposes. It represents a practical quantity of energy that makes gas consumption easier to understand on customer bills.

Characteristics

• Natural gas billing standard in the US
• 1 therm = 100,000 BTU
• 1 therm = 105.5056 megajoules
• 1 therm ≈ 29.3 kilowatt-hours
• Based on: British Thermal Unit (BTU)

Applications

• Natural gas utility billing and metering
• Commercial and residential gas consumption tracking
• Energy cost comparisons between gas and electricity
• HVAC and heating system efficiency calculations
• Industrial gas usage reporting

Conversions

• 1 thm = 100,000 BTU
• 1 thm = 105.5056 MJ
• 1 thm = 105,505,600 J
• 1 thm = 29.3001 kWh
• 1 thm = 25,200 kcal

Practical Context

• Average US home uses 40-100 therms per month for heating
• Water heaters typically consume 20-30 therms monthly
• Gas cooking ranges use approximately 2-5 therms per month
• Natural gas prices are often quoted in dollars per therm