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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| NEAT | National Energy Audit Tool |
| Sling Psychrometer | Instrument used to measure water vapor content of the atmosphere |
| ALA | Approximate Leakage Area |
| ALA Square Inch | 10% of air flow |
| Wet Bulb Temperature | Used to evaluate the humidity in the air |
| Plenum | A sealed chamber at the inlet or outlet of an air handler |
| Dry Bulb Temperature | The temperature of air measured by a thermometer freely exposed to the air |
| Heat Rise | Supply Temp minus Return Temp |
| CAZ | Combustion Appliance Zone |
| Air Barrier | Material that is continuous, sealed at the seams and impermeable to airflow |
| Thermal Boundary | A line or plane where insulation and air barriers exist in order to resist thermal transmission and air leakage throu or within a building shell |
| R-Value | Measure of K value of a specific material (K is a measure of heat conduction) |
| Flame Retention Burner | An oil burner designed to hold the flame near the nozzle surface |
| Efflorescence | White powdery deposit left by water that moves through masonry and leaves minerals from mortar or soild behind as it evaporates |
| Rise-Run Rate for vent connectors | 1/4" rise over 1' run (Allows combustion gases to rise through the vent and prevent condensation from pooling & rusting the vent) |
| Primary Air Barrier | When there are two air barriers the most airtight is the primary air barrier |
| Heating Degree Days | Degrees when average temperature is below 65F ex: average temperature today is 50F=15HDD) |
| 1 ton of cooling | 12,000 BTUs/hour |
| Low-E | E=emissivity refers to building materials designed to reduce heat transfer through thermal conductivity |
| Therm | 100,000 BTUs or roughly 100 cubic feet of natural gas |
| Rise-Run for extension ladder | 1' run for every 4' rise |
| Dense Packing | ![]() Shoving cellulosic insulation in at a rate of 3.5-4lbs per cubic foot, usually done on exterior walls |
| Falls | What does propane gas do from a leak |
| ACH | Air Changes per Hour |
| Intermediate Zones | Unconditioned spaces that are sheltered within the exterior shell of the house |
| Latent Heat | Heat given off when matter changes state |
| Sensible Heat | heat that causes a change in temperature |
| Bypasses | Conduits for air travel within building cavities IE: porch overhangs |
| Balloon Framing | Long, continuous framing members that run from sill plate to eave line with intermediate floor structures nailed to them. |
| Convection | Heat tranferred from one place to another using a fluid |
| Conduction | Heat transfer within a substance or from one substance to another |
| Net free area | ![]() The actual amount of area in a vent that is not the material itself (metal grills and louvers have have 60-75% net free area, wodden ones only 20-25%) |
| How to fasten single wall vent pipe | 3 screws or rivets |
| Base Load | Water heating, lighting, refrigeration and any other year-round energy use |
| AFUE | Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency |
| Vent Connector | Connects appliances venting outlet with the chimney |
| Radiation | Continuous and unequal exchange of heat |
| Energy Factor | Total energy delivered over total energy purchased expressed as a percentage |
| SIR | Savings to Investment Ratio |
| BAS | Building Airflow Standard |
| IFGC confined space | A room containing 1 or more combustion appliances that has less than 50 cubic fee of volume for every 1000 BTU/H of appliance output |
| Power Venters | create a stable and negative draft, commonly used for sidewall venting |
| FLA | Full Load Amp |
| U-Value | Overall heat transfer coefficient-describes how well a building element conducts heat (smaller the value the better) |
| SSE | Steady State Efficiency-Efficiency of a furnace once it is up and running |
| TESP | Total Exterior Static Pressure |
| Optimal refrigerator temperature range | 35-40 degrees F |
| Optimal freezer temp | -5 degrees F |
| Sensible Heat | Heat that causes a change in temperature |
| Manometer | Instrument used to check air pressure |
| PMI | Per Manufacturer's Instructions |
| Rises | Natural gas does what from a leak |
| 2-4 years | Gas burner should be maintained every |
| IWC | Inches Water Column |
| Commissioning | the process of ensuring that systems are designed, installed, functionally tested, and capable of being operated and maintained to perform to design intent. |
| Atmospheric Chimney | Transports combustion gases using the flames' heat and gas' buoyancy |
| Draft Diverter | Also known as a "draft hood" helps vent combustion air away from hot water heaters |
| CH4 | Natural Gas |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet |
| Blower door standard pressure | 50 Pascals |
| Pressure Pan | Used to block registers and measure air pressure behind it |
| ASHRAE 62-1989 | Standard for acceptable IAQ 15 CF/M or outdoor air per person or .35 air changes per hour |
| Sones | Units of perceived loudness |
| Hours per year | 8760 |
| Seasonal Energy Use | heating and cooling |
| ECM | Energy Concervation Measures |
| DWH | Domestic Water Heater |
| Dense Pack | Installation of Cellulose at density of 3.5-4.0 lbs/cubic foot |
| First law of thermodynamics | Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but merely moves from place to place and changes form. |
| Second law of thermodynamics | Heat moves from high temperature regions to low temperature regions-never the reverse |
| Enthalpy | The internal heat of a material measured in BTUs per pound |
| Backdrafting | Continuous spillage of combustion gases from a combustion appliance |
| Power | Energy divided by time |
| rh | relative humidity |
| Baffle | A plate or strip designed to retard or redirect the flow of flue gases |
| capillary action | The ability of water to move through materials, even upward against gravity through small tubes or spaces |
| capillary barrier | A material or air space designed to stop capillary acton from carrying water into a building |
| COP | Coefficient of Performance A heat pump or air conditioner's output in whatt-hours of heat moved divided by watt-hours of electrical input |
| Decatherm | one million BTU's or 10 therms |
| Desiccant | Liquid or solid material used to absorb water or water vapor |
| Drainage Plane | A space that allows water storage and drainage in a wall cavity |
| Exfiltration | Air flowing out of a residence from its conditioned space through the shell |
| Flashing | ![]() Waterproof matterial used to prevent leakage at intersections between the roof surface at wall penetrations |
| Footcandle | A measure of light intensity |
| Frost Line | the maximum depth of the soil where water will freeze during the coldest weather |
| Insolation | the amount of solar radiation striking a surface |
| Make-Up Air | Air supplied to a space to replace exhausted air |
| Mastic | A thick creamy stubstance used to seal seams and cracks in building materials |
| ODS | Oxygen Depletion Sensor |
| Oxygen Depletion Sensor | A safety device for unvented combustion heaters that shuts gas off when oxygen is depleted |
| Psychrometrics | The science of the relationship between air, water vapor, and heat |
| Resistance | The property of a material resisting the flow of electrical energy or heat energy |
| Sash | ![]() A movable or stationary part of a window that frames a pieces of glass |
| Scale | ![]() Dissolved minerals that precipitate inside boilers and storage tanks |
| Sealed-Combustion | A combustion appliance that draws combustion air from outdoors and has a sealed exhaust system |
| SEER | Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio |
| SC | Shading Coefficient |
| Shading Coefficient | A decimal describing how much solar energy is transmitted through a window, compared to a clear, single glass, which has an SC of 1.0 |
| Sill | ![]() The bottom of a window or door frame |
| Soffit | ![]() The underside of a roof overhand or a small lowered ceiling |
| Solar Gain | Heat from the sun that is absorbed by a building and contributes to the need for cooling |
| SHGC | Solar Heat-Gain Coefficient |
| Solar Heat-Gain Coefficient | The ratio of solar heat gain through a window to incident solar heat. Includes both transmitted heat and absorbed and reradiated heat. |
| Solar Transmittance | The percent of total solar energy transmitted by a material |
| Specific Heat | The ratio of a material's heat storage capacity to the heat storage capacity of water |
| Spillage | Temporary flow of combustion gases from a dilution device |
| Split-system | An air conditioner that has the condenser and compressor outdoors and the evaporator indoors |
| Standing Losses | Losses from a hot water storage tank through its shell |
| Static Pressure | measurement of a pressure in a fluid filled chamber at a specific location |
| Steam Trap | ![]() An automatic valve that closes to trap steam in a radiator until it condenses |
| Strike Plate | ![]() The metal plate attached to the door jamb that latch inserts into. |
| Subcooling | The number of degrees Fahrenheit that a condenser and nearby piping cools the liquid refrigerant below its saturation temperature |
| Thermal Break | A piece of relatively low conducting material between two high conducting materials |
| Thermal Bridging | Rapid heat conduction resulting from direct contact between very thermally conductive materials like metal and glass |
| Vapor Diffusion | The flow of water vapor through a solid material |
| Visible Transmittance | The percent of visible light transmitted by a glass assembly |
| HERS | Home Energy Rating Systems |
| RESNET | Residential Energy Services Network |
| IECC | International Energy Concervation Code |
| Emittance | The ability of a material to emit radiant energy from its surface |
| Absorptance | The ratio of a solar energy absorbed to incident solar |
| Reflectance | The ability of a material's surface to reflect radiant heat. Also called reflectivity |
| Heating Balance Point | Where outdoor temperature is such that no indoor heating is needed |
| RH | Relative Humidity |
| Relative Humidity | Measures how saturated the air is with a percentage of water vapor. |
| Gusset | a metal plate used to strengthen a joist |
| Thermal Conductivity | How much heat in BTUs flows through a 1" thick by 1' square foot slab of that material per hour when there is a 1-degree-Fahrenheit temperature difference between the slab's two surfaces |
| Thermal Break | A piece of relatively low conducting material between two high conducting materials |
| Design Temperature | The temperature equaled or exceeded 97.5% of the time during the three coldest months: Dec, Jan & Feb |
| Q | heating loss (usually in BTU/hr) |
| Leeward Side | The side sheltered by the wind |
| MVG | Minimum Ventilation Guideline |
| MVR | Minimum Ventilatin Rate |
| HRV | Heat Recovery Ventilator |
| ERV | Energy Recovery Ventilator |
| Scissor Trusses | A roof truss in which the braces cross like scissors. Usually used for cathedral ceilings |
| W-W R | Whole-Wall R-Value |
| Whole-Wall R | The average R-value of a wall including framing materials |
| Clear-Wall R | The average R value of the cavity between framing members |
| XPS | Extruded Polystyrene |
| EIFS | Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems |
| Drainage Plane | A space that allows water storage and drainage in a wall cavity, adjacent to or part of the weather-resistant barrier. |
| Thermal Barrier | A sheeting material that protects the materials behind it from reaching a temperature of 250F during a fire. |
| Ignition Barrier | A material used with foam insulation to prevent the foam from igniting. |
| Fire Partition | A fire barrier that prevents the spread of fire between rooms on one level of a building. |
| Firewall | A structural fire barrier between buildings that is designed to remain intact and standing in, during and after a fire |
| rough opening | Structural framing around the window to which the window fram is attached |
| LBL | Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory |
| SHGC | Solar Heat Gain Coefficient |
| Solar Heat Gain Coefficient | The ratio of solar heat passing through the glass to solar heat falling on the glass at a 90 degree angle. |
| SC | Shading Coefficient |
| Shading Coefficient | Compares the solar transmittance of a glass assembly compared single-pane glass which has a SC of 1. Always less than 1 |
| VT | Visible Transmittance |
| Visible Transmittance | Measures how much visible light is admitted by the window glass. |
| Casement Window | A window attached to it's frame with one or more hinges |
| Heating System | The heater and its distribution system |
| Circulator | A blower or pump for moving the heating fluid, air, water or steam |
| Flue | ![]() A passageway for venting combustion gases |
| Open-Combustion | Combustion chamber, heat exchanger, flues & chimney OPEN to surrounding air |
| Closed-Combustion | Combustion chamber, heat exchanger, flues & chimney CLOSED to surrounding air |
| Draft | The force that brings combustion air into the combustion chamber and propels the combustion gases out through the venting system. |
| Delivered Efficiency | The percentage of the fuel's potential energy that actually heats the living space. |
| Cycling Losses | The heat lost while warming up a furnace or boiler |
| High Limit Control | Bimetal element attached to a switch in the burner's control circuit. Extinguishes the burner in the event of overheating. |
| Thermocouple | Small Electric generator powered by heat from the pilot light or gas appliance. If the pilot light goes out, the current stops and the spring-loaded valve closes shutting off the gas. |
| Zoning | Dividing a home into parts or zones that are controlled by separate thermostats |
| COP | Coefficient Of Performance |
| Hydronic Heat Pump | Uses the refrigeration cycle to move heat from the earth or a body of water into the home through a hydronic distribution system |
| All-Fuel Chimney | Chimneys used as verticle chimneys for oil and solid-fuel appliances. |
| Vent Damper | Reduces the heat loss from a furnace or boiler by closing off the chimney when the burner isn't operating. |
| Lumens Per Watt | Lighting Efficiency or efficacy is measured by these units |
| footcandle | a lumen of light distributed over one square foot of area |
| CRI | Color Rendering Index |
| Rattler | Measures CO levels in ambient air |
| DG-700 | Commonly used digital pressure and flow guage |
| WCD | Worst Case Draft |
| Smoke Pen | Handheld device that tests for spillage or air leaks |
| 20-25 years | Expected life span of a furnace |
| Internal Gains | Waste heat from lighting, refrigeration etc. as well as people |
| evapotranspiration | The process by which a plant releases water vapor |
| Radiant Barrier | ![]() Foil sheet or coating designed to reflect heat rays or retards their emission |
| Evaporative Cooler | ![]() Device for cooling homes in dry climates that cools the incoming air by humidifying it. |
| SEER | Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio |
| Manual J | Method developed by the air conditioning Contractors of America to size heating and cooling equipment. |
| SHF | Sensible Heat Factor |
| Sensible Heat Factor | The moisture removal capacity of an air conditioner |
| Recovery Capacity | Gallons per hour a water heater can heat |
| Tankless Water Heater | ![]() heats water as it flows through the heater, eliminating the need for a storage tank |
| Heat Traps | Valves or loops of pipe that stop convection of hot water into the ht and cold water pipes ablove the storage water heater or external storage tank. |
| ETS | Environmental Tobacco Smoke |
| BTL | Building Tightness Limit |
| Conductance | The property of a material to conduct some energy form like heat or electricity |
| footing | The part of a foundation system that actually transfers the weight of the building to the ground |
| Fill Tube | A plastic or metal tube used for its stiffness to blow insulation inside a building cavity |
| Hydronic | An ambiguous term meaning either hot-water space heating or both hot water and steam space heating |
| Infrared | Pertaining to heat rays emitted by the sun or warm objects on earth |
| Jamb | The side or top piece of a window or door frame |
| Kinetic Energy | Energy in transition or motion |
| Plate | a piece of lumber installed horizontally to which the vertical studs in a wall frame are attached |
| Relamping | The replacement of an existing lamp with a lower wattage lamp |
| BPI | Building Performance Institute |
| Relay | An automatic, electrically-operated switch |
| Return Air | Air circulating back to the furnace from the house, to be heated by the furnace and supplied to the rooms. |
| Rim Joist | The outermost joist around the perimeter of the floor framing |
| Service Wires | the wires coming from the utility transformer to the service equipment of the building |
| Stop | A thin trim board for windows and doors to close or slide against |
| Substrate | A layer of material to which another layer is applied |
| Task Lighting | Lighting provided at the area where a visual task is performed |
| Thermodynamics | The study of work, heat and energy in a system |
| Threshold | The raised part of a floor underneath a door that acts as an air and dust seal |
| Truss | A lightweight, rigid framework designed to be stronger than a solid beam of the same weight |
| hygrometer | Instrument that measures relative humidity |
| Header | a framing member crossing and supporting the ends of joists, studs, or rafters so as to transfer their weight to parallel joists, studs, or rafters |
| CB | Circuit Breaker |
| Circuit Breaker | Safety device which opens (breaks) an electric circuit automatically when it becomes overloaded |
| Laths | ![]() Narrow strips which support plastering |
| Stringer | A long horizontal timber in a structure supporting a floor |
| Stucco | A fine plaster used for interior decoration and fine work also used for rough outside wall coverings |
| Tread | The horizontal part of a step |
| Water Table | The finish at the bottom of a house that carries water away from the foundation |
| Fire Block | Blocks normally installed in balloon framed walls to slow down the spread of fire. |
| King Stud | The stud running from top to bottom plate on either side of a window or door. |
| Embodied Energy | The available energy that was used in the work of making a product |
| Air Change | The amount of air required to completely replace the air in a room or building. |
| Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | Carboxyhemogoblin Saturation |
| Supply | The ductwork that carries air from the air handler to the rooms in the house. |
| IAQ | Indoor Air Quality |
| sill plate | The first component of the framing, bolted to the foundation walls, supports the building while anchoring it to the foundation. |
| 35 PPM | Carbon monoxide level limit for ambiant air per OSHA and BPI |
| BAS | Building Airflow Standard |
| Building Airflow Standard | BAS |
| 60 seconds | How long before an appliance fails the spillage test |
| 9 ppm | ASHRAE limit for 24-hour carbon monoxide exposure |
| R-7 | Ventilation exhaust ductwork outside building shell must have insulation rated at: |
| R-14 | Minimum insulation level for attic access openings |
| Asbestos | Blower door testing cannot be performed if ______ could become airborne |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety & Health Administration |
| 400 cfm | One ton of cooling requires how much blower capacity |
| .23 | U-Value of 2X4 wood stud |
| 4.38 | R-Value of a 2X4 wood stud |
| 250 | How many pascals in 1 IWC |
| magnehelic gauge | A sensitive differential pressure or vacuum gauge |
| Radon | You might pressurize a house if what is present? |
| energy recovery ventilator | A ventilator that recovers latent and sensible energy from the exhaust airstream and imparts it to the incoming airstream. |
| Add Humidity | What does ventilation do for a home during the winter? |
| Heating Seasonal Performance Factor | Rating for heat pumps describing how many BTUs they provide per watt-hour of electricity consumed |
| HSPF | Heating Seasonal Performance Factor |
| heat pump | Apparatus that extracts heat from a liquid that is at a higher temperature than its surroundings |
| NFPA | National Fire Protection Agency |
| Hydronic Heaters | Includes baseboard heaters (convectors) and radiant flooring that uses warm water as the heat source. |
| Stick Frame | Skeletal framing system using thin columns spaced closely together |
| Stem Wall | water-resistant wall built on top of a foundation and designed to lift vulnerable wall materials away from insects and water |
| Point Load | Load concentrated in a small area |
| Pier | Water-resistant column built on top of a foundation and designed to lift vulnerable materials away from insects and water. |
| BTU | The amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit |
| Dew Point | The temperature at which air can no longer hold more water |
| Material Safety Data Sheet | All chemicals & smoke pens brought on site need a: |
| disable or have it repaired | What should you do about the CO producing appliance before proceeding with additional diagnostics or inspections |
| combustion appliance safety inspection | CO test, draft measurement, spillage evaluation and worst case depressurization of CAS |
| inspect for leaks | In homes with natural gas or propane service, what test is needed |
| attic leakage | When considering air sealing a house, which part should you give the highest priority? |
| mechanical ventilation | What is the correct action if final CFM50 is LOWER than BAS and less than .7XBAS |
| 1-2 feet from draft diverter | On a DHW unit, where should the test hole be drilled? |
| 5 minutes | How long does it take to acheive Steady State Efficiency? |
| Intersitial | word relating to the space between walls in balloon framing where there can be convection currents. |
| 35ppm | You turn off appliances and ventilate spaces if the ambiant CO levels are greater than: |
| 100-300PPM | Level 1 action for oven: recommend CO detector & a service call should be taken if SSE CO levels are: |
| 300PPM or more | Level 2 Action for oven: unit must be serviced and if no improvements, install an exhaust fan at 250 CFM if SSE CO levels are: |
| shows if they're connected | Why is a zone test helpful between an attached garage and a house? |
| flame flickers | What is the symptom of a cracked heat exchanger |
| air sealing | Attic insulation shall not be recommended until after what is performed? |
| zone testing | what test will show how much air leaks between the attic and the living space? |
| local codes | How are minimum insulation levels determined |
| GAMA | Gas Appliance Manufacturing Association |
| Calculating BAS (Building Airflow Standard) | 1) Calculate BAS based on Volume, then 2) calculate based on Occupancy, then 3) Take the higher of the two standards |
| 3 Forms of Heat Transfer | Convection, Conduction, Radiation |
| How Many BTUs in 1 kWh? | 3412 |
| How many BTUS in 1 Therm of Gas | 100,000 |
| Heat Load | Used to measure appliance capacity |
| Heat Loss | Total Seasonal Heat Loss |
| CFM50 | CFMn*NC |
| NC | "N" Correction factor from LBL charts |
| Occupancy BAS | Required Airflow = 15 cfm * # of occupants |
| Volume BAS | .35 * Volume/60 |
| CO >35 ppm | 1) Disable appliance 2)Repair before proceeding |
| AFUE | Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency |
| AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) | Efficiency of unit in operation (with starts/stops) UNIT ONLY |
| Seasonal Efficiency | TOTAL system efficiency: AFUE PLUS distrib losses, average over course of heatin season |
| 5 minutes | Length of time that a combustion appliance should run to achieve"Steady State Efficiency" |
| 60 Seconds | Amount of permissible time after ignition that spillage is allowable from the flue. |
| Backdrafting | Continuous Spillage |
| "Draft Measurement" is done in both Category I and IV heating systems. | False |
| Category I includes natural draf and fan assisted draft | True |
| Category IV includes Sealed combustion and Fan Induced draft | False |
| Category IV includes "Power vented" and "sealed combustion" | True |
| Category I vents, under normal conditions, will have NEGATIVE draft pressure | True |
| Category IV vents, under normal conditions, will have POSITIVE pressure | True |
| What is the order of testing when a chimney is shared by mutiple appliances? | Smallest BTU input rating to highest |
| Draft heating should always be check for spillage at the base of the chimney liner or flue | True |
| Vent draft pressure should be measured before the appliance reaches steady state. | False |
| CAZ | Combustion Appliance Zone |
| Combustion | chemical reaction that involves the combination of a fuel with oxygen |
| 3 Elements required for combustion | Fuel, Oxygen, Heat |
| Draft | Movement of combusion by-products through the flue and out of the building |
| Combustion by-products | Heat, Light, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Water/vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon MONOxide |
| Carbon Monoxide | Colorless, odorless, tasteless and DEADLY-is the result of incomplete combustion |
| Methods to differentiate Heating Systems | Fuel type, Distribution type, Vent design and General Condition |
| Furnace | Used in forced hot air system |
| Boiler | Used in hydronic and steam systems |
| Distribution Types | Forced Air, Gravity, Hydronic, Steam |
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| Terms | 310 |
| Creator | matthewrolnick |
| Created | October 30, 2009 |
| Groups | None |
| Subjects | None |
| Access | Anyone |
| Edit | Creator Only |