SEER
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio — a measure of cooling efficiency over a typical cooling season.
AFUE
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency — measures a furnace's efficiency in converting fuel to energy.
HSPF
Heating Seasonal Performance Factor — measures the efficiency of heat pumps.
BTU
British Thermal Unit — the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
Ton
A unit of cooling capacity equal to 12,000 BTUs per hour.
Refrigerant
The fluid in an AC system that absorbs and releases heat to cool your home.
EER
Energy Efficiency Ratio — cooling efficiency measured at a single high outdoor temperature, which makes it especially relevant in hot desert climates.
Heat Pump
A system that cools in summer and reverses to heat in winter by moving heat instead of burning fuel.
Condenser
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner or heat pump that releases heat from your home to the outside air.
Evaporator Coil
The indoor coil where refrigerant absorbs heat from the air passing over it. A dirty or frozen coil reduces cooling.
Compressor
The pump inside the outdoor unit that circulates refrigerant. It is one of the most important — and expensive — parts of the system.
Capacitor
An electrical part that helps motors start and run. Capacitors are a common failure in extreme heat.
Air Handler
The indoor unit containing the blower and coil that moves conditioned air through your ductwork.
Ductless Mini-Split
A heating and cooling system with an outdoor unit connected to one or more indoor units, with no ductwork required.
Zoning
A setup that divides a home into areas with separate thermostats and dampers so each zone gets the right amount of airflow.
MERV
Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value — a 1–16 rating of how well an air filter captures particles. Higher numbers capture smaller particles.
Short Cycling
When a system turns on and off too frequently, often caused by oversizing, a dirty filter or a thermostat problem.
Load Calculation
An engineering calculation of how much heating and cooling a home needs, used to size new equipment correctly.
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