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Air Handler |
The portion of a central air conditioning or
heat pump system that moves heated or cooled
air throughout a home's ductwork. In some
systems, a furnace handles this function.
Also known as the blower section and part of
the split system, this unit is commonly in
your home or attic. This has to be matched with the
condenser properly to assure maximum
efficiency. The air handler contains the heating
and evaporator coil. |
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A.F.U.E. |
"Annual Fuel Usage Efficiency" This
will range from 80% to 95%, and will be
provided to you when purchasing a gas
furnace. This percentage is the
efficiency of the amount of gas burned to
produce heat.
This rating applies to gas furnaces and is
based on average usage and includes fuel
usage during on and off cycling. The higher
the AFUE rating, the less fuel a furnace or
boiler will use.
AFUE% =
Furnace Efficiency. "AFUE" is a measure of a
furnace's heating efficiency. It stands for
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. The
higher the AFUE%, the more efficient the
product. The government's established
minimum rating for furnaces is 78%.
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ARI |
Air
Conditioning and Refrigeration
Institute is a nonprofit,
voluntary organization comprised of
manufacturers of air conditioning,
refrigeration and heating products. It
publishes standards for testing and rating
heat pumps and air conditioners in order to
provide the consumer with a standardized
unit of comparison between equipment of
various manufacturers. |
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Balance Point |
An
outdoor temperature -- usually between 30°F
to 45°F -- at which a heat pump's output
exactly equals the heating needs of the
house. Below the balance point,
supplementary electric resistance heat is
needed to maintain indoor comfort. |
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Bel |
A bel is a decibel
divided by 10. |
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B.T.U. |
British Thermal Unit; is a standard
of measure for cooling and heating
capacities. A BTU is the amount of heat
required to raise the temperature of one
pound of water (about one pint) by one
degree Fahrenheit. This is how the capacity
of air conditioning is measured. |
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Btuh |
Btu's per hour. |
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Compressor |
The major
component located in your outdoor unit (heat
pump or air conditioner). New units are
sold with a 5 year or 10 year limited
warranty form the manufacturer on this
part. When the compressor fails after the
warranty has expired it usually means the
replacement of the entire unit due to the
high cost of the compressor alone. |
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Condenser |
This is the unit that will sit outside and
is part of a split system, it contains the
compressor which is the heart of your air
conditioner or Heat Pump, it pumps the
refrigerant through your system. Some people
call the condenser the compressor, but the
compressor is a component of the condenser
along with the fan motor and condenser coil.
It is
called the condenser because it is where the
refrigerant goes from a gas to a liquid
(condenses) in the refrigeration cycle. |
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COP |
The Coefficient
of Performance
is a ratio used in rating the heating
efficiency of heat pumps. It is determined
by dividing the total heating capacity
(excluding supplementary resistance heat) by
the total electric input.
A
ratio calculated by dividing the total
heating capacity provided by the heat pump,
including circulating fan heat but excluding
supplementary resistance heat (Btu's per
hour), by the total electrical input (watts)
x 3.412. (See Heating Seasonal Performance
Factor, above.) |
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Decibel |
A decibel
describes the relative loudness of a sound. |
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Defrost Mode |
During the heating cycle of a heat pump,
frost may build up on the outdoor coil. To
remove the frost and maintain efficiency,
the system will automatically defrost
itself. This usually only takes a few
minutes, then the system automatically
switches back to heating. It is normal to
see steam rising from the outdoor unit when
this happens. |
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DOE |
Department
of Energy
is the federal agency in charge of
monitoring the consumption of energy
sources.
The Department of Energy is a federal agency
in charge of setting industry efficiency
standards and monitoring the consumption of
energy sources. |
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Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) |
A
ratio calculated by dividing the cooling
capacity in Btu's per hour (Btuh) by the
power input in watts at a given set of
rating conditions, expressed in Btuh per
watt (Btuh/watt). (See Seasonal Energy
Efficiency Ratio, above.) |
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Evaporator Coil |
The evaporator coil is the indoor coil located in the air handler or above the gas furnace
used in air conditioning. This
will produce you cooling in the air
conditioning mode and heating in a Heat Pump
mode. This is also very important in
removing humidity from your home.
It is
called the evaporator because it is where
the refrigerant goes from a liquid to a gas
(evaporates) in the refrigeration cycle. |
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GAMA |
Gas
Appliance Manufacturers
Association |
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Heat
Exchangers |
This term refers
to the components in a gas furnace in which
the actual combustion takes place.
Typically the manufacturers place a 20 year
limited warranty on the heat exchangers. On
the highest efficiency furnaces the heat
exchangers are warranted for as long as you
own your home. |
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Heat Pump |
A
Heat Pump is a reverse cycle air
conditioner. Simple terms When you run your
air conditioner, your outdoor unit will be
blowing hot air,( in other words removing
the heat from your home and sending it
outside). When you run your heat, you
reverse the flow of refrigerant and remove
the heat from the atmosphere outside and
blow it inside. When the temperature dips
below 40 degrees outside, the Heat Pump
labors in producing heat so they install a
back up or auxiliary electric heat strip to
supplement the Heat Pump. Electric Heat
strips are very expensive to operate. In
southern climates where it rarely dips below
40 degrees the heat pump is very efficient.
A 3 to 1 savings in heating compared to
electric heat strips. |
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Heat Source |
A body of air or
liquid from which heat is collected. In an
air source heat pump, the air outside the
house is used as the heat source during the
heating cycle. |
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Hot
Surface Ignition |
This component
replaces the traditional pilot on a gas
furnace. A hot surface ignition will "turn
on" when the furnace is starting and "turns
off" once the burners are lit. Because this
is only in use when the furnace is starting
there is no wasted energy from continuous
pilot operation. |
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H.S.P.F. |
"Heating Seasonal Performance Factor"
This will range from 6.8+ this will be
provided to you when purchasing a Heat
PUMP.
The
higher the HSPF rating, the more
efficient a heat pump is at heating your
home. There is no legislated minimum rating.
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HVAC |
Heating,
Ventilating and Air
Conditioning |
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Indoor Coil |
The portion of a
heat pump or central air conditioning system
that is located in the house and functions
as the heat transfer point for warming or
cooling indoor air. |
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Inducer
Fan |
The inducer fan
helps send the products of combustion up the
chimney or through the appropriate exhaust
vent. This component is only found on the
newer generation of furnaces with
efficiencies of 78% AFUE and higher. |
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Kilowatt
(kW) |
A kilowatt is 1000
watts.
A kilowatt hour (kWh) is the amount of
kilowatts of electricity used in one hour of
operation of any equipment. |
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Kilowatt
hour (kWh) |
A kilowatt hour is
the amount of kilowatts of electricity used
in one hour of operation. |
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M.H.P.U. |
The Mobile Home Package Unit is an
air conditioner with electric or gas heat or
can be a Heat Pump. This unit has the
condenser and air handler all-in-one
package. Commonly used in mobile homes and
sits outside. (Self-contained unit) |
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Outdoor Coil/Condensing Unit |
The portion of a heat pump or central air
conditioning system that is located outside
the home and functions as a heat transfer
point for collecting heat from or dispelling
heat to the outside air. |
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S.E.E.R. |
"Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio"
=
Cooling Efficiency. "SEER" is a measure of
cooling efficiency for air conditioning
products and
applies
to air conditioners and heat pumps and
describes the relationship between the Btuh, or cooling capacity of a unit, and the
amount of electricity required to run the
unit. This ratio is based on normal annual
usage. Units with higher SEER ratings
require less electricity to cool a home and
are therefore more efficient. This is a rating system for all
residential air conditioning equipment.
The base for all manufactures is "10" being
the lowest efficient up to "16+". The
difference from a "10" to a "12" S.E.E.R.
is about 15 to 20% difference in operating
cost. This S.E.E.R. is
based on a matched system condenser and
air handler. You can not rate a replacement
condenser using the existing air handler.
The condenser will be more efficient than
the old one, how much isn't known.
The
government's established minimum rating for
air conditioning is 10. |
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Single Package |
A
year 'round heating and air conditioning
system that has all the components
completely encased in one unit outside the
home. |
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Split System |
A heat pump or central
air conditioning system with components
located both inside and outside of a
building -- the most common types installed
in homes.
A
split system has a condenser that is located
outside and the air handler that is located
inside or in the attic or garage, copper
refrigeration pipes connects the condenser
and air handler. |
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SR |
Sound Rating is
measured in bels. The SR of a unit (heat
pump or air conditioner) is based on tests
performed at ARI standard rating conditions.
Although no energy consumption is tied to
the SR, it can directly affect the
consumer's comfort (as well as that of a
neighbor!). Average sound ratings range
from 7.2 to 8.2. Lower numbers indicate
quieter units. |
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Straight Cool |
This is an air conditioner that uses
different forms of heating such as Natural
Gas, LP Gas, Electric Resistance heat and
oil. |
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Supplementary Heat |
The auxiliary or emergency heat provided at
temperatures below a heat pump's balance
point. It is usually electrical resistance
heat.Also known as the heater package. But
supplemental heat can also be gas or oil -
fired equipment. |
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Therm |
A therm is a unit
of measure for natural gas. You will find
this term used on your gas bill. |
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TON |
Heat pumps and air conditioners
are generally sized in tons. Typical sizes
for single family residences are between two
and five tons. Each ton equals 12,000 Btuh.
It is important to note that actual capacity
is not constant and will change based on
outdoor or indoor temperatures. The
published capacity rating of air
conditioners and heat pumps is based on
performance at the ARI standard temperature
levels of 95 F outside, 80 F inside.
A
ton is the total BTU capacity of a system.
One ton is equal to the BTU's required to
melt one ton of ice in a 24 hour period.
There are 12,000 BTU's in a ton, a 2 ton air
conditioner will produce 24,000 BTU's, a 3
ton will produce 36,000 BTU's and etc...
The size of the area to be cooled will
determine the correct size of the system in
tons.
The actual capacity of a unit will change
based on indoor and outdoor conditions.
The published rating of a unit is based on
its performance at the ARI
standard temperature levels: 95°F outside,
80°F inside. |
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Watt (W) |
A Watt is unit of
electricity. |
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Zone |
A
zone is the area that one thermostat is
controlling. For example: A two story house
with a thermostat on each floor has two
zones, one for each floor. |
