Latent heat is measured in which unit?

Latent heat is measured in which unit?

• A. Calories
• B. Newtons
• C. British thermal units
• D. Joules

Answer: (C)

Latent heat is energy transferred during a phase change. In HVAC work and many US-based practice tests, the common unit for this energy is the British thermal unit (BTU). A BTU represents the amount of energy needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, and you’ll often see latent heat given as BTU per pound (or BTU per hour) in cooling and heating calculations. While calories and joules are valid energy units, they’re not the conventional units used in typical HVAC contexts. Newtons, on the other hand, measure force, not energy, so they don’t apply to latent heat.

Latent heat is energy transferred during a phase change. In HVAC work and many US-based practice tests, the common unit for this energy is the British thermal unit (BTU). A BTU represents the amount of energy needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, and you’ll often see latent heat given as BTU per pound (or BTU per hour) in cooling and heating calculations. While calories and joules are valid energy units, they’re not the conventional units used in typical HVAC contexts. Newtons, on the other hand, measure force, not energy, so they don’t apply to latent heat.