An air conditioning system that comes in two to five pieces: one piece contains the compressor, condenser, and a fan; the others have an evaporator and a fan. The condenser, installed outside the house, connects to several evaporators, one in each room to ...

The force per unit area acting on the surface of a solid boundary parallel to the flow.

A masonry or metal stack that creates a draft to bring air to a fire and to carry the gaseous byproducts of combustion safely away.

The central heating or cooling system contains a fan that gets its air supply through these ducts, which ideally should be installed in every room of the house. The air from a room will move towards the lower pressure of the return duct.

A device built into or installed above a combustion appliance to assure the escape of combustion byproducts, to prevent backdrafting of the appliance, or to neutralize the effects of the stack action of the chimney or vent on the operation of the applianc ...

A comprehensive legislative package that mandates and encourages energy efficiency standards, alternative fuel use, and the development of renewable energy technologies. Public Law 102-486, October 24th, 1992. Also authorized the Federal Energy Regulatory ...

A byproduct of low-temperature carbonization of a solid fuel.

The inner coil in a heat pump that, during the cooling mode, absorbs heat from the inside air and boils the liquid refrigerant to a vapor, which cools the house.

When the temperature of the hydrothermal liquids is over 350 F (177 C), flash-steam technology is generally employed. In these systems, most of the liquid is flashed to steam. The steam is separated from the remaining liquid and used to drive a turbine ge ...

An estimate of power demand at some future period.

A unit of work done by the force of one dyne acting through a distance of one centimeter.

The use of two or more different fuels (e.g. wood and coal) simultaneously in the same combustion chamber of a power plant.

The process by which a power plant, apparatus, or building is approved for operation based on observed or measured operation that meets design specifications.

A container that holds rock used as the thermal mass to store solar energy in a solar heating system.

The low effective temperature of the sky on a clear night.

An investment in a power plant or demand side management measures or programs, that become uneconomical due to increased competition in the electric power market. For example, an electric power plant may produce power that is more costly than what the mar ...

The production of hydrogen using a photoelectrochemical cell.

The process of degrading organic material (biomass) by microorganisms in aerobic conditions.

A type of heating appliance that extracts so much of the available heat content from a combusted fuel that the moisture in the combustion gases condenses before it leaves the furnace. Also this furnace circulates a liquid to cool the furnace's heat exchan ...

A device used to protect the user of any electrical system or appliance from shock.