| Below
are some commonly used
terms in the heating, ventilation
and air conditioning industry.
These may be useful when
dealing with contractors
or assessing a solution
to your problem.
Air
Conditioner -
Assembly of equipment
for the simultaneous
control of air temperature,
relative humidity,
purity, and motion.
Air
Cooled - Uses
a fan to discharge
heat from the condenser
coil to the outdoors.
Air-Source -
Air is being used as
the heat source or
heat sink for a heat
pump.
Ambient
Temperature -
The temperature,
usually of the air,
that surrounds operating
equipment.
BTU
(British Thermal
Unit) - The standard
of measurement used
for measuring the
amount of heat required
to raise the temperature
of one pound of water
by one degree (Fahrenheit).
BTUH -
The number of BTUs
in an hour.
Central
Air Conditioner System -System
in which air is treated
at a central location
and carried to and
from the rooms by
one or more fans
and a system of ducts.
Compressor -
The pump that moves
the refrigerant from
the indoor evaporator
to the outdoor condenser
and back to the evaporator
again. The compressor
is often called "the
heart of the system" because
it circulates the refrigerant
through the loop.
Condenser -
A device that transfers
unwanted heat out of
a refrigeration system
to a medium (either
air, water, or a combination
of air and water) that
absorbs the heat and
transfers it to a disposal
point. There are three
types of condensers:
air-cooled condensers,
water-cooled condensers,
and evaporative condensers.
The evaporative condenser
uses a combination
of air and water as
its condensing medium.
Most residential systems
have an air-cooled
condenser.
Condenser
Coil - A series
or network of tubes
filled with refrigerant,
normally located
outside the home,
that removes heat
from the hot, gaseous
refrigerant so that
the refrigerant becomes
liquid again.
Cooling
Capacity - A
measure of the ability
of a unit to remove
heat from an enclosed
space.
COP -
Coefficient of Performance
of a heat pump means
the ratio of the rate
of useful heat output
delivered by the complete
heat pump unit (exclusive
of supplementary heating)
to the corresponding
rate of energy input,
in consistent units
and under operating
conditions.
DOE -The
Department of Energy.
A government agency
that sets industry
efficiency standards
and monitors the use
of various energy sources.
EER -
Energy Efficiency Ratio
means the ratio of
the cooling capacity
of the air conditioner
in British Thermal
Units per hour, to
the total electrical
input in watts under
ARI-specified test
conditions.
Enthalpy -
Heat content or total
heat, including both
sensible and latent
heat. The amount of
heat contained in a
refrigerant at any
given temperature with
reference to -40°F.
Evaporator-
Absorbs heat from the
surrounding air or
liquid and moves it
outside the refrigerated
area by means of a
refrigerant. It is
also known as a cooling
coil, blower coil,
chilling unit or indoor
coil.
Evaporator
Coil - A series
or network of tubes
filled with refrigerant
located inside the
home that take heat
and moisture out
of indoor air as
liquid refrigerant
evaporates.
Free
Delivery - There
are no ducts and
the unit may be installed
in the field without
ducts if needed.
Ground-Source -
The ground or soil
below the frost line
is being used as the
heat source or heat
sink for a heat pump.
Ground
Water-Source -
Water from an underground
well is being used
as the heat source
or heat sink for
a heat pump.
HVAC -
Heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning.
Heat
Pump - An air
conditioner capable
of heating by refrigeration.
It may or may not
include a capability
for cooling. Outside
air or water is used
as a heat source
or heat sink, depending
upon whether the
system is heating
or cooling.
Heating
Capacity - A
measure of the ability
of a unit to add
heat to an enclosed
space.
HSPF -
Heating Seasonal Performance
Factor means the total
heating output of a
heat pump in British
Thermal Units during
its normal usage period
for heating divided
by the total electrical
energy input in watt-hours
during the same period.
Insulation -
Any material that slows
down the transfer of
heat.
(K)
Factor - The
insulating value
of any material.
Also known as conductivity.
Kilowatt
(kW) - Equal
to 1,000 watts.
Kilowatt-hour
(kWh) - A common
unit of electrical
consumption measured
by the total energy
created by one kilowatt
in one hour.
Latent
Heat - The heat
energy needed to
change the state
of a substance (i.e.:
from a liquid to
a gas) but not it's
temperature.
Sensible
Heat - Heat energy
that causes a rise
or fall in the temperature
of a gas, liquid
or solid when added
or removed from that
material. Sensible
heat changes the
temperature by changing
the speed at which
the molecules move.
Single
Package -A central
air conditioner which
combines both condenser
and air handling
capabilities in a
single packaged unit.
Split
System - A central
air conditioner consisting
of two or more major
components. The system
usually consists
of a compressor-containing
unit and condenser,
installed outside
the building and
a non-compressor
-containing air handling
unit installed within
the building. This
is the most common
type of system installed
in a home.
Supercooled
Liquid - Liquid
refrigerant cooled
below its saturation
point.
Subcooling -
Creating a drop in
temperature by removing
sensible heat from
a refrigerant liquid.
Superheated
vapor - Refrigerant
vapor heated beyond
its saturation point.
Superheating -
Creating a rise in
temperature by adding
heat energy to a refrigeration
vapor.
Ton -The
unit of measurement
for air conditioning
system capacity. One
ton of air conditioning
removes 12,000 Btu's
of heat energy per
hour from a home. Central
air conditioners are
sized in tons. Residential
units usually range
from 1 to 5 tons.
Water-Source -Water
is being used as the
heat source or heat
sink for a heat pump.
Sources of underground
water are wells and
sources of surface
water are lakes, large
ponds, and rivers.
Watt -
A unit of power that
equals one joule per
second. Named after
James Watt.
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