includes all building elements (duct systems, air handling units, cavities
of the building structure and mechanical closets) through which air is
delivered to or from the conditioned spaces.
the fan unit of a furnace and the fan-coil unit of a split-system, packaged
air conditioner or heat pump.
renewable source of energy that has been stored as plant and animal material;
producing fuels from living materials or decayed waste materials; examples:
manure, wood, compost, ethanol from corn, methane from landfills.
can use crop waste or entire crops that can be gasified or burned as fuel.
(British thermal unit):
the IP standard unit for measuring the amount of energy consumed by a
process, the amount of energy transferred from one location to another,
or the amount of embodied energy (such as the heat content of fuel); it
is the amount of heat energy necessary to raise the temperature of one
pound of water one degree Farenheit.
(British Thermal Units per hour):
one of the two (watts is the other) standard units of measure (IP System)
for the rate at which energy is used by equipment or the rate at which
energy moves from one location to another.
a measurement of a structure’s resistance to the uncontrolled leakage
of air and the water vapor it contains (see infiltration).
the sections of the building that enclose conditioned or inside spaces
through which heat transfer may occur to or from the outside, including
the floor, walls, windows, doors, ceiling and roof.
how well a building provides an energy efficient, comfortable and productive
rock-like solid fossil fuel found underground. Burned or gasified to produce
(coefficient of performance):
for a heat pump- the ratio of the rate of heat delivered to the rate of
energy input, in consistent units, for a complete heat pump system under
designated operating conditions.
temperature scale used in the metric system in which water freezes at
0o and boils at 100o.
(compact fluorescent lamp):
a fluorescent lamp that is packaged as a bulb similar in size to a typical
heat transfer mechanism that occurs when two materials of different temperature
are in direct contact or when there is a difference in temperature within
a single material- the warmer material or side conducts it’s heat
to the cooler one.
measurement of how easily heat energy can move through material.
heat transfer mechanism that occurs when a material comes in contact with
air (or other gas or liquid) - a warmer material heats up the air adjacent
to its surface, and in turn the warmer air rises and is replaced with
more cooler air.
a measurement of an air duct system’s resistance to the uncontrolled
leakage of air and the water vapor it contains.
unintentional air loss from or gain to (via holes, cracks etc.) an air
distribution system, or the rate at which the unintentional air gain or
ratio of light output from a lamp to the electric power it consumes. Efficacy
is measured in lumens per watt (LPW).
a site inventory and descriptive record of features impacting the energy
use in a building; it includes building component descriptions, energy
using equipment and appliance descriptions, and all energy features.
object or material that produces energy by changing it from one source
the ratio of useful energy output (at the point of use) to the energy
input in consistent units for a designated time period, expressed in percent.
measurement scale on which under standard atmospheric pressure the boiling
point of water is at 212o above the zero of the scale, the freezing point
is at 32o above zero.
commonly used lighting in commercial and institutional facilities; a fluorescent
lamp uses electricity conducted through mercury and inert gases. Typical
fluorescent lamps are manufactured as 2 to 8 foot long tubes (4 foot being
the most common) or as CFLs.
a lumen of light evenly distributed over a one square foot (0.09 square
nonrenewable energy sources that come from fossilized plants and animals
and cannot be replenished; examples: coal, oil, natural gas.
renewable source of energy from the internal heat in the core of the earth;
examples: hot springs, steam, volcanoes.
harnessing heat and steam generated below earth’s surface.
the capacity to increase the molecular activity of a substance and thereby
increase its temperature.
A mechanical refrigeration-cycle system with has been designed to accomplish
space heating, water heating or both and, when the evaporator and condenser
effects are reverse, may be used for space air conditioning or water chilling.
how heat energy is transferred via conduction, convection, and radiation.
(Heating Season Performance Factor):
a standard measurement of the efficiency of an electric heat pump. The
total heating output of a heat pump during its normal annual usage period
for heating in Btu divided by the total electric power input in watt-hours
during the same period.
heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
the equipment, distribution network, and terminals that provide the processes
of heating, ventilating and/or air conditioning to a building.
renewable source of energy that comes from water and is harnessed to produce
the most common type of home lighting; a standard incandescent lamp uses
an electric current to heat a small coil of tungsten filament inside a
glass bulb to produce light.
The uncontrolled leakage of air and the water vapor it contains through
holes (cracks etc.) in the building envelope caused by pressure differences
between the indoors and outside air.
invisible radiation or light contiguous to red in the visible spectrum;
light energy we feel as heat.
material mainly used to retard the flow of heat.
a measure of electricity, equal to 1000 watts.
a lighting industry term for an electric light bulb, tube, or other lighting
a device to which power is delivered.
a measure of light output from a lamp (often called a bulb or tube). All
lamps are rated in lumens. For example, a 100-watt incandescent lamp produces
about 1750 lumens.
odorless fossil fuel gas found underground. Burned or gasified to produce
heat and electricity.
source of energy that is either unable to be replaced naturally or is
naturally replaced very slowly; examples: fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural
gas, petroleum, propane) and nuclear fuels (uranium).
splitting radioactive uranium atoms to create heat energy.
that form Uranium are split apart and release heat energy which produce
steam for electric turbines.
set in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass.
dark, flammable liquid that occurs naturally below the surface of the earth.
Must be drilled and pumped out. Burned or gasified to produce electricity.
the effect of producing electric current using light
voltaic: producing direct electric current by chemical action.
device that converts solar energy directly into electricity.
an air compartment or chamber of an air distribution system to
which one or more ducts are connected.
a gaseous hydrocarbon found in natural gas and petroleum and used as fuel.
heat transfer mechanism that occurs when two materials are separated by
air or a vacuum- the warmer surface emits or radiates across the air space
to the cooler surface.
surface (typically a layer of aluminum foil) placed in an airspace to
block radiant heat transfer between a heat-radiating surface and a heat-absorbing
the ratio of the light reflected by a surface to the light falling upon
source of energy that is virtually inexhaustible and is naturally and
quickly replenished; examples: solar, wind, hydropower (water), geothermal,
(Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio):
a standard measurement of the seasonal cooling efficiency of an electric
air conditioner. Specifically, the estimated total cooling of a central
air conditioner in Btu’s during its normal usage period for cooling
(not to exceed 12 months) divided by the total electric energy input in
watt-hours during the same period.
number of years needed to pay for energy efficiency improvements using
the energy cost savings that accrue annually from those improvements-
the initial cost of the improvements divided by the annual energy cost
savings from those improvements.
energy derived from the sun.
heat is collected to heat domestic or pool water or create steam for electricity