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Fuel Consumption Of Boiler Calculator

Work out fuel consumption of boiler instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Fuel Consumption Of Boiler Calculator

Fuel demand starts from required output divided by efficiency, which gives the heat that must be released in the furnace. Dividing by the fuel heating value converts energy into physical units: cubic feet for natural gas at about 1030 BTU/ft³, gallons for oil at about 138,500 BTU/gal.

Formula

Fuel rate

units/h = output / (efficiency x heating value per unit)

Worked example

With the default values below, Fuel Consumption Of Boiler Calculator returns Fuel burn rate of 592.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Boiler outputminimum 1 BTU/h
500,000 BTU/h
Boiler efficiencyaccepts 20–100 %
82 %
Fuel heating valueminimum 1 BTU per unit
1,030 BTU per unit
Firing hours per dayminimum 0.5 h
10 h

Results

Fuel burn rate
592.0 units/h
Daily fuel use
5,920.0 units/day
Heat input required
609,756 BTU/h
Daily heat input
6,097,561 BTU/day

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Fuel rate
  3. 3Fuel burn rate= 592.0 units/h
  4. 4Daily fuel use= 5,920.0 units/day
  5. 5Heat input required= 609,756 BTU/h
  6. 6Daily heat input= 6,097,561 BTU/day

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Fuel Consumption Of Boiler figure worked out?

units/h = output / (efficiency x heating value per unit). Fuel demand starts from required output divided by efficiency, which gives the heat that must be released in the furnace.

Should I use gross or net calorific value?

Match it to the efficiency figure. Efficiency quoted on gross calorific value must be paired with gross heating value, otherwise the fuel figure is out by 8-10 percent for natural gas.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: Boiler output, Boiler efficiency, Fuel heating value, Firing hours per day. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.

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