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“Never Settle For Less Than Excellence”
Engineering Excellence HVAC Retrofit Keyword Dictionary
ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air
Conditioning Engineers. ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global
society advancing human well-being through sustainable
technology for the built environment. The Society and its members focus on
building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and
sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing
and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.
ASHRAE was formed by the merger in 1959 of American Society of Heating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) founded in 1894 and The American Society of
Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE) founded in 1904. See https://ashrae.org/
Blower: (Fan) An air handling device for moving air in a distribution system. A
blower can move great quantities of air through duct
systems that initiate friction to air passage. The blower
in this photo is drawing air through a cooling coil on
the left and is powered by the belt on the right side of
the photo. The left side of the blower is open to draw
air into the blower wheel. The control in the forefront
samples the passing air to determine if smoke is
present. If the smoke sensor detects products of
combustion in the air it will terminate blower
operation
BMS/EMS (Building Management System or Energy
Management System): A user interface system to monitor or
control equipment, including lighting, based upon occupancy or
energy savings opportunities.
Close out Documents: Forms to assure the tenant or owner that a
scope of work contracted was performed to their specifications.
Typically include photos, startup sheets, final permit, and lien
waivers.
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Condensate: The liquid that
separates from a gas due to a
reduction in temperature, e.g.,
water that condenses from flue
gases and water that condenses
from air circulating through the
cooling coil in air conditioning
equipment.
The dew point
temperature is the temperature
at which the water vapor in the air becomes saturated and starts to condense into
water droplets. If the air is saturated with moisture, its relative humidity would
be 100% and rain or condensation would be imminent. The air conditioner not
only reduces temperature to assure comfort, but removes moisture which drains
into the condensate drain pan and out through the condensate trap.
Cost of Ownership: The financial estimate intended to help buyers and
owners determine the direct and indirect costs of a product. For
HVAC--- total costs include the sum of the initial cost of the
mechanical equipment, maintenance, repair expense and energy
costs. Some companies will also include costs such as downtime,
lost sales in transactions per hour, productivity etc in analyzing total
Cost of Ownership. When examining a Return On Investment (ROI) or payback for
replacing old equipment with new more energy efficient equipment, savings are
reviewed to finalize calculations considering utility
rebates and tax incentives as well as energy and
repair savings.
Crane: A type of machine, generally equipped with a
hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, which can
be used both to lift and lower materials.
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Curb: A raised portion of the roof used
to locate a roof top unit.
Curb Adaptor: A transition made from sheet intended to adapt a new HVAC unit
of different size to an existing curb.
Damper: A movable baffle in the duct work of your heating and cooling system
that can open or close to control the amount of warm or cool air entering or
leaving certain areas of your home. A motorized damper is typically used in a
zoned system, like ZTE. A bladed device used to vary the volume of air passing
through the air outlet, air inlet, or duct.
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Disconnect: An electrical device consisting of switches, fuses or circuit breakers
used to isolate electrical equipment for service or repair.
Disposal: HVAC equipment must be disposed of properly, in accordance with
local and federal jurisdictions. (See also EPA).
Economizer: A mechanical device used to reduce energy consumption by using
outside air to temper a space. When the temperature of the outside air is cooler
than the recirculated air and desired humidity levels are present, the economizer
can decide to use the outside air to cool the space. Energy savings is accomplished
by not running the mechanical cooling
as often. Another term that is important
when talking about economizers is
Enthalpy, as it is the term used to
indicate the total heat content of one
pound of air and is measured in BTU’s
per pound.
We use a wet bulb
thermometer to measure enthalpy.
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EER, Energy Efficiency Ratio: A ratio calculated by dividing the cooling capacity in
Btu's per hour (Btuh) by the power input in watts at any given set of rating
conditions, expressed in Btuh per watt (Btuh/watt). EER & SEER cannot be
compared equally. EER refers to laboratory conditions while SEER changes with
the inside and outside conditions, falling as the temperature difference between
inside and outside gets larger. Typically smaller tonnage equipment will have both
an EER and an SEER rating. When looking at
higher efficiency equipment options most
ratings are in EER for equipment 7.7 ton and
greater. An example in layman’s terms is an
EER of 11 means 11 BTUS’s of heat are
removed with one watt of electric used by
an AC system. A BTU of heat is the amount
of heat required to raise 1 lb of water one degree Fahrenheit. Thomas A Winstel,
expert HVAC connoisseur loved to explain that one BTU is the equivalent heat
generated by one of your grandma’s old long wooden kitchen match sticks. It will
generate enough heat as it burns down to raise the temperature of one pound of
water one degree Fahrenheit.
Efficiency: A rating on comfort equipment is similar to the miles per gallon rating
on your car. The ratio of useful output energy of a piece of equipment to input
energy.
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency: The regulatory agency of the Federal
Government charged with overseeing issues pertaining to air and water quality.
http://www.epa.gov/
Equipment Lift: A mechanical device used to raise or lower material. Sometimes
referred to as scissor lift, boom,
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Equipment Receiving and Inspection Sign-Off
Form: Installation crew to verify that the proper
equipment was received and is not damaged.
Final inspection: Refers to the activity of the
local municipalities to approve or accept the
work that was permitted in accordance with
local building codes.
FLA: (Full Load Amps), the maximum amperage
a motor consumes at the height of its capacity.
FLA is a “rule of thumb” value not to exceed, or
damage may occur to the motor.
Flashing: thin pieces of impervious material installed to prevent the passage of
water into a structure from a joint or as part of a weather resistant barrier.
Gantry: frame structure
raised on side supports so
as to span over or around
something.
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Gas Shut off: a valve to shut off the flow of gas
to a unit in order to provide service or
replacement.
GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter): is a fast-acting
circuit breaker designed to shut off electric power in the
event of a ground-fault within as little as 1/40 of a
second. It works by comparing the amount of current
going to and returning from equipment along the circuit
conductors.
Heating Type: Refers to the type of heating source a unit employs to temper a
space. Examples are: Natural Gas, Propane, or electric resistance.
HP (Horsepower): Generally speaking in electrical terms, horsepower rating is
the work output available from the shaft of an electric motor when it is operating
at full load. As a general average, about 85% of the electric power input to an
electric motor is available for productive use on the shaft. Many will refer to HP
as the rating of a motor. A horsepower is equal to 746 W of electrical power or
0.746 kW. One horsepower is work being done at a rate of 33,000 ft-lb/min. One
foot-pound is the work necessary to raise a weight of 1 pound a vertical distance
of 1 foot. A 1 hp motor running at full load is doing 33,000 ft-lb of work every
minute it runs. No person can do work at the rate of 1 hp, and neither can a
horse, except for very short bursts of energy.
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Kilowatt (KW): Equal to 1,000 watts. One watt (W) is the SI unit of power or one
joule per second. 1 kW = 10 3 W; and the megawatt is 10 6 W
Kilowatt-hour: The work done in one hour by an agent working at the constant
rate of one kilowatt. Since such an agent does 1000 J of work each second, the
work done in 1 hr is 3600 X 1000 = 3,6000,000 J:
1 kWh = 3.6 X 10 6 J = 3.6 MJ.
Note the kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, not power.
Model #: Catalog number or reorder number that identifies the make and option
for the product. Typically model numbers can be deciphered to determine the
tonnage of a HVAC packaged unit
New Equipment Submittal Sign-Off Form: A form used to sign off and verify that
new OEM HVAC equipment and adaptor curbs submittals were compared to
existing equipment being replaced prior to ordering new equipment.
OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. The
original manufacturer of the part or piece of
equipment.
Payback Analysis: An overall measurement of
the efficiency and value of your heating and air
conditioning system. Payback analysis is used to
measure the period of time required to add up
the energy saving on higher efficient equipment
against the purchase price of that equipment. Or
to calculate the monthly energy savings against
the monthly payments to purchase an upgrade.
Permit:
Construction must be inspected during construction and after
completion to ensure compliance with national, regional, and local building codes.
Failure to obtain a permit can result in significant fines and penalties, and even
demolition of unauthorized construction if it cannot be made to meet code.
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Rebates: A return or refund on what has already been paid or contributed. It is a
type of promotion that is used to incentivize or supplement product sales. Many
time tax incentives or utility rebates are offered as a promotion to replace old
inefficient HVAC units with new high efficiency units and can help generate an
improved payback and return on your investment
Refrigerant Recovery: is the act of processing used refrigerant gas which has
previously been used in some type of cooling loop such that it meets
specifications for new refrigerant gas. In the United States, the Clean Air Act of
1990 requires that used refrigerant be processed by a certified reclaimer, which
must be licensed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
and the material must be recovered and delivered to the reclaimer by EPAcertified technicians.
Replacement Unit Checklist: Information gathered to determine the proper
equipment is ordered and that the performance will remain the same after the
replacement
Safety Equipment: (Personal Protective
Equipment) refers to protective clothing,
helmets, goggles, or other garments or
equipment designed to protect the wearer's
body from injury or infection.
SEER: Abbreviation for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This is the measurement
used to rate the efficiency for a cooling system that can also be used for heating
(i.e. containing a heat pump. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the system.
Please see EER for more information.
Sensor: a transducer whose purpose is to sense (that is, to detect) some
characteristics such as temperature, humidity or light. It detects events or
changes in quantities and provides a corresponding output, generally as an
electrical or optical signal.
Serial #: Identification number that will typically include date of manufacture and
location of manufacture and is a means of tracking the build of the unit.
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Site Survey: To visit a site with the intent to gather all pertinent data regarding
existing equipment or conditions and to identify any hurdles that may prevent
laborers from performing their work safely and efficiently.
Smoke detector: a device that senses
smoke as an indication of fire.
Located either in a roof top unit or
return ductwork.
Startup: Carry out a series of measurements to determine that the unit is
installed properly and that it is operating per the manufacturers specifications.
Start-up Form: Recording of the measurements made during the startup
Structural Reinforcement: to provide increased load capacities in existing
buildings and structures or their individual parts. The need for structural
reinforcement usually occurs in cases where the load-bearing structures no longer
meet the requirements for normal use as a result of higher loads or the changes
were made in order to accommodate a new piece of equipment.
Structural Review: to determine if a new or existing structure can sufficiently
support a load. To be performed and stamped by a licensed structural engineer.
Submittals: consists of the manufacturer’s product information and
specifications. An "approved" submittal authorizes quantity and quality of a
material or an assembly to be released for fabrication and shipment.
Thermostat: Or t-stat, a component of an HVAC
system which senses the temperature of a space.
Often used as the user interface for heating and
cooling.
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Ton: A sizing measure for the capacity of air conditioners and heat pumps. 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, and a 3 ton will produce 36,000 BTU's
and so on... The size of the area to be cooled will determine the correct size of the
system in tons. Published capacity ratings are based on ARI standard
temperatures of 95°F, outside and 80°F inside, but the actual capacity of a system
changes with outdoor and indoor temperatures.
Unit Tie-down: Means of securing an HVAC unit.
Also referred to as “hurricane straps” or “seismic
clips”.
Voltage: Voltage is electrical pressure in the
electrical system. Volts (electrical pressure) in a
closed electrical system causes current to flow.
No volts, no pressure, nothing happens or flows
In a direct relationship, the higher the pressure in
a given system, the more flow this pressure can
cause. Electrical engineers design electrical supply systems to supply the
customer with 120/208V or 240V or 480 V delta etc. Regardless of the supply
voltage, the denomination in voltage is electrical pressure to cause current to
flow. This term is named for Allesandro Volta, an Italian who invented the
battery. It again represents a source of energy or the electrical potential between
two points.
Weight analysis for permitting and to minimize risk: The existing and new unit
weights along with curbs are compared to ensure that additional load is not
added to a structure or building.
10 Knollcrest Drive • Cincinnati, OH 45237 • (844) 969-3923 www.engineeringexcellence.com