Thermal Conversions in Portfolio Manager
For each fuel type in Portfolio Manager a variety of units are offered so that you may enter your energy meter data using the units shown on your utility bills. In order to combine energy use across multiple meters with different units, conversions must be applied to express all meter entries in the same unit (for more on this process see Managing Energy Meters). Portfolio Manager uses a common unit of kBtu. Table 1 provides a summary of the conversion multipliers for all energy types and unit options in Portfolio Manager. These are the values Portfolio Manager uses to convert various units to kBtu for example, 1 MBtu = 1000 kBtu and 1 Therm = 100 kBtu.
In some cases the conversions in this table are standard multipliers. That is, 1 kBtu is by definition 1,000 Btu, and no thermal assumptions are required. In other cases, a thermal conversion factor is necessary. The Btu (or, heat) associated with a barrel of oil or a pound of coal depends on the chemical property of the oil (or coal). Table 2 provides summary information on the reference higher heat contents for each fuel. EPA applies these thermal conversions consistent with DOE’s Annual Energy Review, and EPA’s Inventory of US Greenhouse Gases and Sinks.
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Table 1 Summary of Available Fuel Units in Portfolio Manager and Conversion Factors to Obtain kBtu |
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Fuel Types in Portfolio Manager |
Input Unit Options Available |
Multiplier to convert input units to kBtu |
|
Electricity (Grid Purchase or Onsite Renewable) |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
kWh |
3.412 | |
|
MWh |
3412 | |
|
Natural Gas |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
cf |
1.029 | |
|
ccf |
102.9 | |
|
kcf |
1029 | |
|
Mcf |
1029000 | |
|
Therms |
100 | |
|
cubic meters |
36.339 | |
|
District Steam |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Lbs |
1.194 | |
|
kLbs |
1194 | |
|
MLbs |
1194000 | |
|
therms |
100 | |
|
District Hot Water |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
therms |
100 | |
|
District Chilled Water (Electric Driven Chiller, Absorption Chiller using Natural Gas, Engine-Driven Chiller using Natural Gas) |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Ton Hours |
12 | |
|
Kerosene |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Gallons |
135.00 | |
|
liters |
35.100 | |
|
Fuel Oil (No. 1), Fuel Oil (No. 2), Fuel Oil (No. 4), Diesel |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Gallons |
138.6905 | |
|
liters |
36.060 | |
|
Fuel Oil (No. 5 & No. 6) |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Gallons |
149.6905 | |
|
liters |
38.920 | |
|
Propane and Liquid Propane |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
cf |
2.5185 | |
|
kcf |
2518.5 | |
|
Gallons |
91.6476 | |
|
liters |
23.828 | |
|
Coal (anthracite) |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Tons |
25090.0 | |
|
Lbs |
12.545 | |
|
kLbs |
12545 | |
|
MLbs |
12545000 | |
|
Coal (bituminous) |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Tons |
24930 | |
|
Lbs |
12.465 | |
|
kLbs |
12465 | |
|
MLbs |
12465000 | |
|
Coke |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Tons |
24800.0 | |
|
Lbs |
12.400 | |
|
kLbs |
12400.000 | |
|
MLbs |
12400000.000 | |
|
Wood |
kBtu |
1 |
|
MBtu |
1000 | |
|
Tons |
15380.0 | |
|
Other |
kBtu |
1 |
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Table 2 Reference Heat Content for Each Fuel Type |
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Natural Gas1 |
1029 Btu/sc |
|
Kerosene1 |
5.67 MBtu/Barrel |
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Fuel Oil (No. 1, 2, 3, &4) and Diesel1 |
5.83 MBtu/Barrel |
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Fuel Oil (No. 5 &6)1 |
6.29 MBtu/Barrel |
|
Coke1 |
24.8 Mbtu/ton |
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Coal (Anthracite)1 |
25.09 MBtu/ton |
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Coal (Bituminous)1 |
24.93 MBtu/ton |
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District Steam2 |
1194 Btu/Lb |
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Propane and Liquid Propane3 |
3.85 MBtu/Barrel |
|
Wood4 |
15.38 MBtu/ton |
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References:
Heating content value of natural gas reflects the value for a standard cubic foot (scf). This is equivalent to 1 cubic foot at standard temperature and atmospheric pressure. At higher elevations, the atmospheric pressure is lower resulting in less heat per unit of volume. Most utilities account for this and report in standard cubic feet or include an adjustment explicitly on the bill. Therefore, all gas meters in Portfolio Manager are adjusted with the same thermal conversion factor.
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