Below are some commonly used terms in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry. These may be useful when dealing with contractors or assessing a solution to your problem.
Air Cooled - Uses a fan to discharge heat from the condenser coil
to the outdoors.
Air-Source - Air is being used as the heat source or heat sink for a
heat pump.
BTUH - The number of BTUs in an hour. Central Air Conditioner System -System in which air is treated at
a central location and carried to and from the rooms by one or more fans and a system of ducts.
Compressor - The pump that moves the refrigerant from the indoor
evaporator to the outdoor condenser and back to the evaporator again. The compressor is often called "the heart of the system" because it circulates the refrigerant through the loop.
Free Delivery - There are no ducts and the unit may be installed in
the field without ducts if needed.
HVAC - Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Heat Pump - An air conditioner capable of heating by refrigeration.
It may or may not include a capability for cooling. Outside air or water is used as a heat source or heat sink, depending upon whether the system is heating or cooling.
Insulation - Any material that slows down the transfer of heat . (K) Factor - The insulating value of any material. Also known as
conductivity.
Kilowatt (kW) - Equal to 1,000 watts. Kilowatt-hour (kWh) - A common unit of electrical consumption
measured by the total energy created by one kilowatt in one hour.
Watt - A unit of power that equals one joule per second. Named
after James Watt.