Noun. 1. specific heat-the heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree centigrade. heat, heat energy-a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature. 1  Facebook.
You begin to depreciate your property when you place it in service for use in your trade or business or for the production of income. You stop depreciating property either when you have fully recovered your cost or other basis or when you retire it from service, whichever happens first.
By separating the individual component costs by depreciable lives instead of depreciating the cost of the entire building over 39 years, the building is more rapidly depreciated. The resulting rapid depreciation, if done in accordance with IRS standards, will have many desirable results, including: 1) Reduced taxes.