The HVAC industry has plenty of acronyms. You may hear about them when you're in the market for a new heating or cooling system or see them on stickers or units and have a hard time figuring out what they mean. Let's decode some commonly used HVAC acronyms.
BTU
In the HVAC industry, the British Thermal Unit (BTU) is one of the most common HVAC acronyms, and it's a measure of the amount of heat that an HVAC unit can remove from or add to the air in an hour. Knowing a building's BTU requirements ensures you have the right HVAC system installed.
ACH
Air changes per hour (ACH) is the rate that air enters and leaves a room in an hour. It's obtained by dividing the air volume flowing into or out of a room by the room's volume. A higher ACH value implies better ventilation.
SEER
The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) defines the cooling efficiency of a heat pump or air-conditioning system. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the cooling system.
HSPF
Heating Season Performance Factor (HSPF) measures a heat pump's overall heating efficiency during the heating season. The higher the rating, the more efficient the heat-pump system.
FCU
A fan coil unit (FCU) is a device that uses a fan and a coil to cool or heat a room. It can heat or cool without ductwork. FCUs can be free-standing, ceiling, or floor-mounted to control a room's temperature.
VAV
A Variable Air Volume (VAV) system is an HVAC system that varies the quantity of air it supplies at constant temperatures. VAV systems enable precise control of temperature and lower fan noise and energy use.
Understanding HVAC acronyms can make shopping for an HVAC unit and dealing with HVAC issues less confusing. If you have any HVAC-related questions about HVAC acronyms or anything else, please get in touch with us at Air Assurance. We've served the HVAC needs of residents in the Broken Arrow area for more than 35 years.