- Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, a rating that reflects the efficiency of a gas furnace in converting fuel to energy. A rating of 80 means that approximately 80 percent of the fuel is utilized to provide warmth to the home, while the remaining 20 percent escapes as exhaust.
Air Balance- The ability for distribute air through a system to precisely match the required amount heating or cooling which provides proper comfort.
Air Duct Distribution System- See duct work
Air Handler-The mechanical fan portion of your heating and cooling system that forces air through your home's air duct distribution system.
Blower - The same as an air handler. It is the fan that pushes air through the air ducting in the home or building.
- British Thermal Unit. In scientific terms, it represents the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. One BTU is the equivalent of the heat given off by a single wooden kitchen match. In a home, it represents the measure of heat given off when fuel is burned for heating and the measure of heat extracted from the home for cooling purposes.
- The capability of the mechanical equipment to heat or cool. Cooling and heating capacity are normally referred to in BTUs.
Carbon Monoxide - A colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced when carbon or carbonaceous (oil and natural gas) fuels are incorrectly burnt. Often called the "Senseless Killer" because as humans, we can not sense it with our five senses".
CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute)- A unit of measurement critical to the overcall performance of a heating cooling system. Design is 400 CFM per ton of cooling. (Varies with heating) A typical 4 ton air conditioning system requires approximately 1600 CFM to deliver the required cooling requirements. Only a system that has been designed, installed and verified through proper testing and measurng after installation can truly have its true efficiency confirmed. Several studies show that more that half of air conditioning do not attain their performance capabilty.
- The heart of an air conditioning or heat pump system. It is part of the outdoor unit that pumps refrigerant. The compressor maintains adequate pressure to cause refrigerant to flow in sufficient quantities in order to meet the cooling requirements of the system.
- Located in the outdoor unit, the coil dissipates heat from the refrigerant, changing the refrigerant from vapor to liquid.
Condenser Fan - A fan used to move air through air-cooled condenser coil of the outdoor unit.
Condensing unit - The outdoor portion of a heat pump or air conditioning unit which includes the condenser coil, compressor, condenser fan motor and so forth. It is a refrigerating mechanism which pumps vaporized refrigerant from the evaporator, compresses it, liquefies it in the condenser, and returns it to the metering device.
- Found in ductwork, this movable (manual or automatic) plate opens and closes to control airflow. Dampers are used effectively regulate airflow to certain rooms, thus giving a more even temperture throughtour the home or building. Automatic dampers are used by zoning systems.
Dehumidify - the process of removing moisture from the air to provide proper comfort.
- A furnace that pulls in return air from the top and expels warm air at the bottom
- Pipes or channels that carry air throughout your home or office. Can be made of several types of material. Many homes and buildings approved before 1978 contained asbestos ducting, insulation and insulators.
Effective Efficiency- The actual performance of a system compared to it potential or design, given as a percentage. A typical 3 ton air conditioning system rated at 36,000 Btu's (of cooling) performing at 25,200 Btu's has an effective efficiency of 70%. In other words, it is performing at a 70% efficiency level. What does that mean to its S.E.E.R.? Basically, a 13 S.E.E.R. system (what its efficiency can be) performing at a 70% Effective Efficiency would have only be have a true SEER of 9.1.
- The coil that is inside your house in a split system. In the evaporator, refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat from air passed over the coil
Expansion Valve – Is one type of metering device in refrigerating system, which reduces the pressure from the high side to the low side and is operated by pressure.
