HVAC Terms That Are Handy to Know

When speaking with an HVAC professional about your system, you may become confused when they use HVAC terms to describe your system. If you know and understand some of the basic terms that are used in the HVAC industry, you'll be on top of what all the professional terminology means.Here are some of the basic HVAC terms that you'll hear when a heating or air conditioning system is being described.

• HVAC -- (H)eating, (V)entilation and (A)ir (C)onditioning comprises your entire HVAC heating and cooling system.

• BTU -- Describes how much heating capacity your HVAC system has. The higher the BTU rating, the greater its heating ability.

• Ton -- How much cooling capacity your central air conditioning has. Just like a BTU unit, the more tons your air conditioner has, the greater its cooling ability.

• AFUE -- Stands for Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency, and refers directly to how efficient your furnace is. The higher the AFUE number, the more efficient the system.

• SEER -- The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is how the efficiency of air conditioners is classified. The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the system.

• MERV Rating -- MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. It directly relates to how efficient your HVAC system filter is, and the higher the MERV rating, the more efficient it is at trapping dirt, dust, smoke and pollen particles.

• Off-Grid -- Going "off-grid" means you have your own power source, like solar panels or a windmill, and are able to disconnect from your local utility service provider.

• Energy Star -- A product designation from the Environmental Protection Agency that promises an Energy Star product meets or beats EPA energy efficient guidelines.

If you'd like to know more about HVAC terms and what they mean, contact Air Assurance. We'll answer your questions and provide outstanding service for all of your HVAC needs. Serving the Tulsa metropolitan area for more than 50 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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SEER, EER and COP: Three Terms You Should Know Before You Shop

When Tulsa-area homeowners search for an efficient air conditioner to combat this summer’s heat, they will be confronted with three acronyms: SEER, EER and COP, often given in air conditioning sales literature without explanation. To find the best value for your home, make sure you understand the HVAC terms: Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, Energy Efficiency Ratio, and Coefficient of Performance (SEER, EER and COP) before any purchase.

COP

If you are considering a heat pump to cool and warm your Broken Arrow home, the COP will be an important measure. Mechanical devices such as heat pumps should have a COP of at least three, though the range can be two to four. Higher COP means greater efficiency.

EER

Of SEER, EER and COP, EER is the most involved calculation. EER is a ratio of the cooling energy coming from a window air conditioner and the electricity used to operate the air conditioner. A high EER means the room air conditioner will save you more money on your electrical bill than a machine with a low EER.

If a sales person tries to dazzle you about the virtues of a particular unit, just mention that your EER is calculated as British Thermal Units (BTUs) divided by Watt-hours. Your knowledge is your best defense against distracting sales talk.

SEER

With SEER, EER and COP, Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is the only measure to calculate costs for an entire season. This allows you to estimate electricity costs for your Broken Arrow home when shopping for, and comparing, various central air conditioners.

The higher a central air conditioner’s SEER, the more efficiently the machine will cool your Broken Arrow home. Look for numbers of 13, the current minimum allowed by regulation, or higher. While you can find central air conditioners with SEERs into the 20s, their expense may not support your investment. Take comfort, though—a 13 SEER unit is 30 percent more efficient than a 10 SEER unit.

For help understanding how SEER, EER and COP will affect your central air conditioner purchase for your Tulsa-area home, contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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11 HVAC Terms Every Tulsa Area Homeowner Should Know

When it comes to heating and cooling a Tulsa-area home, homeowners are at a disadvantage. Why? HVAC terms require time to understand them, and heating and cooling is generally not an area of expertise for the average homeowner. With just a little knowledge under your belt, however, you can use these HVAC terms to effectively communicate with your HVAC technician the next time your equipment requires service or repair, or you’re ready to upgrade. Here’s what you need to know:

• Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER), the cooling efficiency rating that reveals a unit’s performance capacity. This rating is used with central air conditioning and heat pumps

• Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), the rating used to show the efficiency potential for furnaces (and boilers)

• Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF), the heating term used to show a heat pump’s potential for heating efficiency

• Air handler, the unit that’s located indoors. Consisting of a motor and a fan, the air handler pushes conditioned air into the home

• Condenser, or the heat exchanger, employed in air conditioning and heat pump systems to condense refrigerant into a liquid, which facilities heat transfer

• Heat exchanger, a separate component of the furnace that helps to transfer heat that’s generated by the burners

• Ductwork, the system of interconnected pipes that snake throughout your home to supply conditioned air to the living spaces

• Ventilation system, a mechanical device that encourages air circulation in the home, and facilitates the equal exchange of outgoing and incoming air

• Air filter, the device that filters out impurities from the air before that air supply moves into the heating/cooling system

• Load calculation, a method for calculating the home’s unique heating and cooling load, which is used to help the contractor select the right-sized system

• Manual D, the methodology employed when sizing ductwork

• Manual S, the method used to size the heating or cooling system, used in conjunction with the load calculation

With a few HVAC terms under your belt, contact Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for more information about installing, repairing or maintaining your home’s heating and cooling systems. We've served homeowners in greater Broken Arrow for nearly 30 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Alphabet Soup: Deciphering HVAC Terms

Unless you're a seasoned professional, you probably need help figuring out all the HVAC terms and acronyms. HVAC itself stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, by the way. Here are the meanings behind some common and important HVAC terms:

• ACCA: Air Conditioning Contractors of America. A nonprofit industry group promoting professionalism, efficiency and healthy indoor air.

• AHRI: Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. A nonprofit organization that publishes testing and rating standards for air conditioners and heat pumps.

• BTU: British thermal unit. The standard unit of measurement for heating and A/C capacity.

• CFC: Chlorofluorocarbon. An ecologically-harmful refrigerant known to harm the ozone.

• COP: Coefficient of performance. An efficiency ratio measuring heat delivered versus heat used. Higher numbers are better.

• ERV: Energy recovery ventilator. Saves heat energy from your exhaust air to pre-heat incoming air, and adds water vapor from the exhaust to the incoming air to help maintain consistent humidity indoors.

• HCFC: Hydrochlorofluorocarbons. Another refrigerant used in heat pumps and air conditioners. Considered a less harmful alternative to CFCs.

• HRV: Heat recovery ventilator. Saves energy from your outgoing air; similar to an ERV but without regulating air moisture.

• HFC: Hydrofluorocarbon. A refrigerant with no or almost no harmful effects on the ozone.

• HSPF: Heating seasonal performance factor. Measures efficiency relative to the season; higher scores are better.

• IAQ: Indoor air quality. Refers to condition of indoor air, levels of pollution, etc.

• NATE: North American Technician Excellence. A testing and certification nonprofit for HVAC technicians.

• R-22: Refrigerant banned from new machines since 2010 by the EPA for links to global warming and ozone depletion.Will soon be phased out entirely.

• R-410A: Replacement refrigerant for R-22. Not ecologically hazardous and contains no chlorine.

• SEER: Seasonal energy efficiency ratio. An efficiency measurement that shows the amount of energy required to cool the air. Higher numbers are better.

It's good to know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to purchasing or repairing HVAC equipment, and learning these HVAC terms will help. For professional assistance with home heating and air conditioning around Broken Arrow, get in touch with Air Assurance. We've been servicing the Tulsa metropolitan area since 1985.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Image courtesy of Shutterstock