Home    Contact Us    Free Quote

Nate certification represents real world working knowledge of HVAC and HVAC/R systems.

---

---

International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) "Credited installer of ground source heat pump technology."

---

---

Independent Trane Comfort Specialist Dealer

Air Change
The amount of air required to completely replace the air in a room or building; not to be confused with re-circulated air.


Air Conditioner
Assembly of equipment for the simultaneous control of air temperature, relative humidity, purity, and motion.


Air Flow
The distribution or movement of air.


Air Handling Unit (AHU)
Equipment with a heating element and/or cooling coil and other components in a cabinet or casing.


Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)
A rating that denotes the efficiency of gas heating equipment. It is the amount of heating your equipment delivers for every dollar spent on fuel. A higher rating indicates more efficient equipment. This rating is calculated in accordance with the Department of Energy test procedures.


ARI
Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute is a non-profit, voluntary organization comprised of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration manufacturers. ARI publishes standards for testing and rating heat pumps and air conditioners to provide you with a standarized measure of comparison, so ARI ensures a level of quality within the industry.


Balance Point
An outdoor temperature, usually between 30˙ F and 45˙ F, at which a heat pump's output exactly equals the heating needs of the home. Below the balance point, supplementary electric resistance heat is needed to maintain indoor comfort.


BTU (British Thermal Unit)
The standard measurement used for measuring the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree (Fahrenheit). BTUH - The number of BTUs in an hour.


Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning any fuel, CO is poisonous and symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to those of the flu; headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness.


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.


CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute)
The abbreviation for cubic feet per minute, commonly used to measure the rate of air flow in an air conditioning system.


Coil
A heating or cooling element made of pipe or tubing, usually with plates or fins.


Condensation
The process by which a gas is changed into a liquid at constant temperature by heat removal.


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.


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.


Dehumidification
The reduction of water vapor in air by cooling the air below the dew point; removal of water vapor from air by chemical means, refrigeration, etc.


Dehumidifier
A device that removes excess moisture from the air.


Duct
Conduits used to carry air. They can be round or rectangular, sheet metal or fiberglass or vinyl tubes. In air conditioning systems they carry air from the home to the air conditioning system or furnace and back to the home.


Emergency Heat (Supplemental or Auxillary Heat)
The back-up heat built into a heat pump system.


ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator)
A machine that draws fresh air into the home and exhausts stale air from the home. It uses a process to preheat or pre-cool (depending on the season) to reduce energy costs associated with conditioning the air.


Energy Star®
A government supported branding used to identify energy efficient products. The branding was developed by the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency.


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.


Filter
A device used to remove dust and other particles from air for the purposes of reducing the load on the respiratory system and to protect the HVAC equipment. Filters vary greatly in particle arrestance; the higher the MERV rating, the better the filter.


Freon
A general term used to identify, any of a group of partially or completely halogenated simple hydrocarbons containing fluorine, chlorine or bromine, which are used as refrigerants.


Furnace
That part of an environmental system which converts gas, oil, electricity or other fuel into heat for distribution within a structure.


Ground Water-Source
Water from an underground well is being used as the heat source or heat sink for a heat pump.


Heat Gain
The amount of heat gained, measured in BTU's, from a space to be conditioned, at the local summer outdoor design temperature and a specified indoor design condition.


Heat Pump
An air conditioner that contains a valve that allows it to alternate between heating and cooling.


Heat Exchanger
The part of a furnace that transfers heat from burning fuel to the air used to heat your home. Also, from a boiler to water for hydronic heating.


HVAC
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.


HVACR
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.


HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator)
A machine that brings fresh air into a home through a process that preheats the air so it has less impact on your utility bill.


Humidification
The process of adding moisture to the air within a space.


Humidifier
A device that adds moisture to warm air for your home.


Humidify
The amount of moisture in the air. Air conditioners remove moisture for added comfort.


IAQ
Indoor air quality.


Infiltration
Air flow into a space usually through walls and leaks around doors and windows.


Load Calculation
A mathematical design tool used to determine the heat gain and heat loss in a building so that properly sized air conditioning and heating equipment may be installed.


Packaged Unit
A self-contained heating and/or air conditioning system.


R-22
A refrigerant containing chlorine used in air conditioning systems. The EPA has mandated that R-22 cannot be manufactured after 2010 because it has been linked to the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming. Most commonly referred to by its trademarked name, Freon.


R-410A
The refrigerant that replaces R-22. It does not contain chlorine and is not hazardous to the environment.


Refrigerant
A substance that produces a refrigerating effect while expanding or vaporizing.


Refrigerant Charge
The procedure an HVACR technician performs to ensure that the system has enough of the right kind refrigerant for peak operating performance.


Relative Humidity (RH)
The percent of moisture actually in the air compared to the maximum amount of moisture the air can hold at that temperature.


SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)
A rating that denotes the efficiency of air conditioning equipment. It is the amount of cooling your equipment delivers for every dollar spent on electricity. It is the ratio of cooling delivered by a system, measured in BTUs, to the dollar cost of the electricity to run the system, as measured in watt-hours. This ratio is determined using specified federal test procedures. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the unit. The more efficient the unit, the lower the operating cost.


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.


Thermidistat
Highly sophisticated programmable thermostat that senses the outdoor temperature, indoor air temperature, and indoor relative humidity. A microprocessor communicates with the heating and cooling equipment to determine the most efficient way to achieve perfect comfort. When used with a variable speed blower motor, this cite can reduce humidity even when cooling isn't necessary (as when the indoor temperature is 70 degrees but relative humidity is high, eg, when it's raining).


Thermostat
A temperature control device, typically found on a wall inside that consists of a series of sensors and relays that monitor and control the functions of a heating and cooling system.


Tonnage
The unit of measure used in air conditioning to describe the cooling capacity of a system. One ton of cooling is based on the amount of heat needed to melt one ton (2000 lbs.) of ice in a 24 hour period. One ton of cooling is equal to 12,000 Btu/hr.


Ventilation
The process of supplying or removing air, by natural or mechanical means, to or from any space. Such air may or may not have been conditioned.


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.


Zone System
A method of dividing a home into zones and enabling you to control the amount of comfort provided to each.


Zoning
The practice of providing independent heating and/or cooling to different areas in a structure. Zoning typically utilizes a system controller, zoning dampers controlled by a thermostat in each zone, and a bypass damper to regulate static pressure in the supply duct.