AFUE
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. The AFUE percentage tells you how much energy is being converted to heat.
The higher the number the greater the efficiency.
Air Handler
The portion of your heating and cooling system that forces air through your home's ductwork.
BTU
British Thermal Units. The amount of heat it takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. The higher
the BTU rating, the larger the heating capacity of the furnace or air conditioner.
Capacity
The ability of a heating or cooling system to heat or cool a given amount of space. Heating is usually expressed
in BTUs, cooling is expressed in tons.
CFM
Stands for Cubic Feet per Minute. A measurement of airflow that indicates how many cubic feet of air pass by a
stationary point in one minute. The higher the number, the more air is being forced through the system.
Carbon Monoxide
A colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas produced when carbon-based fuels, such as natural gas, burns without
sufficient air nearby.
ComfortHeat
Carrier's exclusive ComfortHeat technology accurately predicts the need for heating while cutting
temperature swings in half.
ComfortHeat Pump System
ComfortHeat Pump System is Carrier's exclusive heat pump system that provides significantly warmer supply
air from the registers for enhanced occupant comfort.
Compressor
The motor/pump that drives the air conditioning unit. It is responsible for pumping refrigerant throughout the
system.
Condenser Coil
Part of the outdoor portion of a heating or cooling system, that releases or collects heat from the outside air.
Damper
A valve or moveable plate used in duct work that opens and closes to control airflow. They are used to direct
air to specific areas of the home.
DB
Decibels (dB) are a unit measuring the intensity of noise.
Downflow
A type of furnace that takes cool air from the top and blows warm air to the bottom-commonly used where furnaces
must be located in a second-floor closet or utility area.
Ductwork
Hollow pipes used to transfer air from the Air Handler to the air vents throughout your home. Ductwork is one of
the most important components of a home heating and cooling system.
EcoLogic
Maytag's designation of green heating and cooling equipment.
EER
Energy Efficiency Ratings (EER) measure the efficiency with which a product uses energy to function. It is
calculated by dividing a product's BTU output by its wattage.
Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC)
An electronic device that filters out large particles and contaminants in indoor air. It then electronically
pulls out tiny particles that have been magnetized, such as viruses and bacteria, drawing them to a collector
plate.
Energy Saver Switch
An energy-saver switch causes the air conditioner's fan and compressor to cycle on and off together,
reducing energy use.
Energy Star
Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through
superior energy efficiency. Products with the Energy Star rating will be efficient and save cost on energy
bills.
Evaporator Coil
Part of a split-system air conditioner or heat pump located indoors. The evaporator coil cools and dehumidifies
the air by converting liquid refrigerant into a gas (or vice-versa). A blower motor, typically in a furnace,
then moves air over the coil to either heat or cool your home.
Fan Coil
An indoor component of an air conditioner or heat pump system, used in place of a furnace and evaporator coil,
to provide change the refrigerant from a gas to a liquid (or vice-versa) and blow air over the coil to cool or
heat your home.
HSPF
The Heating Seasonal Performance Factor is a measure of the heating efficiency of a heat pump. The higher the
HSPF number, the more efficiently the heat pump heats your home.
HVAC
Term used for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
Heat Exchanger
The part of a furnace that transfers heat to nearby air.
Heat Pump
A product that works just like an air conditioner in cooling mode; however, in heating mode, the refrigerant
flow is reversed and heat is extracted from the outside air too heat your home.
Humidifier
A piece of equipment that adds water vapor to heated air as it moves out of the furnace. This adds necessary
moisture to protect your furnishings and reduce static electricity.
Hybrid Heat
Hybrid Heat systems deliver exceptional performance by using a heating source that provides the most
energy-efficient comfort during moderate heating conditions.
IdealDefrost
IdealDefrost is Carrier's proprietary defrost management innovation for maintaining the ideal defrost
interval for a heat pump, enhancing comfort and efficiency.
IdealHumidity
IdealHumidity is Carrier's proprietary humidity management innovation for maintaining the ideal comfort in
a home.
Indoor Coil
see Evaporator Coil
Load Estimate
A series of studies performed to determine the heating or cooling requirements of your home. An energy load
analysis uses information such as the square footage of your home, window or door areas, insulation quality and
local climate to determine the heating and cooling capacity needed by your furnace, heat pump or air
conditioner. When referring to heating, this is often known as a Heat Loss Analysis, since a home's heating
requirements are determined by the amount of heat lost through the roof, entry ways and walls.
Low Boy
Low Boy is a type of furnace configuration in which the furnace is lower in height and occupies more floor
space.
MERV
The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value is the standard comparison of the efficiency of an air filter. The MERV
scale ranges from 1 (least efficient) to 16 (most efficient), and measures a filter's ability remove
particles from 3 to 10 microns in size.
Matched System
A heating and cooling system comprised of products that have been certified to perform at promised comfort and
efficiency levels when used together, and used according to design and engineering specifications.
Operating Cost
The day-to-day cost of running your home comfort equipment, based on energy use.
Outdoor Coil
see Condenser Coil
Payback Analysis
Overall measure of the efficiency and value of your home comfort system. By combining your purchase price and
ongoing operating costs, a payback analysis determines the number of years required before monthly energy
savings offset the purchase price.
Puron Refrigerant
Puron Refrigerant is an environmentally sound refrigerant designed not to harm the earth's ozone layer.
Federal law requires that all manufacturers phase out ozone depleting refrigerants in the next few years. Puron
Refrigerant is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a replacement from Freon 22*.
QuieTech
QuieTech is a noise reduction system that provides comfortable heat while generating very little noise in the
process.
R-22 refrigerant
R-22 is a single component HCFC refrigerant with low ozone depletion potential. It has long been used in a
variety of air-conditioning and refrigeration applications in a variety of markets. Production of R-22 will
cease in 2015 per the Montreal Protocol.
Reciprocating Compressor
A type of compressor used in air conditioners that compresses refrigerant by using a type of "piston"
action.
Reclaiming
Returning used refrigerant to the manufacturer for disposal or reuse.
Recycling
Removing, cleaning and reusing refrigerant.
Refrigerant
A chemical that cools air as it evaporates.
Refrigerant Lines
Two copper lines that connect the Condenser (Outdoor) Coil to the Evaporator (Indoor) Coil.
SEER
The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a measure of the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner or heat
pump. The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the system is at converting electricity into cooling power.
Scroll Compressor
A specially designed compressor that works in a circular motion vs. an up and down piston action.
Single Package Product
One outdoor unit that contains both a heating and a cooling system.
SmartRecovery
Smart Recovery starts the system in advance to be sure that each zone reaches your selected temperature setting
at the scheduled time.
Split System
Refers to an air conditioner or heat pump that has components in two locations. Usually, one part of the system
is located inside (evaporator coil) and the other is located outside your home (condenser coil).
Thermidistat
The Thermidistat Control monitors temperatures both inside and outside, as well as indoor humidity and adjusts
system operation to maintain the temperature and humidity levels set by the homeowner.
Thermostat
Unit that monitors and controls your HVAC system products.
Thermostatic Expansion Valve
A thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) is precision device used to meter the flow of liquid refrigerant entering
the evaporator at a rate that matches the amount of refrigerant being boiled off in the evaporator.
Ton
A unit of measure for cooling capacity. One ton = 12,000 BTUs per hour.
Two Stage Compressor
Two Stage Compressors are capable of two levels of operation, a low stage and a high stage. Properly sized
equipment will operate 80% of the time in low stage, enhancing efficiency and comfort with lower humidity levels
and quieter operation. It's like getting two air conditioners or heat pumps in one system.
UL
UL is an objective, non-profit organization that tests and rates electrical products for public safety.
Upflow
A type of furnace that draws cool air from the bottom and blows the warmed air out the top into the duct work.
This type of furnace is usually installed in a basement or an out-of-the-way closet.
Ventilator
A ventilator captures heating or cooling energy from stale indoor air and transfers it to fresh incoming air.
WeatherShield
WeatherShield is a special coating of the outdoor condensing unit coil to resist corrosion from salt air found
mainly in coastal areas.
Zoning
A way to increase your home comfort and energy efficiency by controlling when and where heating and cooling
occurs in a home. Programmable thermostats are used to control operating times of the equipment. Dampers are
used to direct air flow to certain parts or "zones" of the home.