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Energy Terms

A device for conditioning air in an interior space. A Room Air Conditioner is a unit designed for installation in the wall or window of a room to deliver conditioned air without ducts. A Unitary Air Conditioner is composed of one or more assemblies that u ...

The control of the quality, quantity, and temperature-humidity of the air in an interior space.

An air distribution outlet, typically located in the ceiling, which mixes conditioned air with room air.

A building energy auditing technique used to determine and/or locate air leaks in a building shell or envelope.

The presence of contaminants in the air in concentrations that prevent the normal dispersive ability of the air, and that interfere with biological processes and human economics.

The use of devices to limit or prevent the release of pollution into the atmosphere.

The prescribed level of pollutants allowed in outside or indoor air as established by legislation.

The component of a combustion device that regulates the amount of air entering the combustion chamber.

A material or structural element that inhibits air flow into and out of a building's envelope or shell. This is a continuous sheet composed of polyethylene, polypropylene, or extruded polystyrene. The sheet is wrapped around the outside of a house during ...

The area between the layers of glazing (panes) of a window.

A type of heat pump that transfers heat from outdoor air to indoor air during the heating season, and works in reverse during the cooling season.

see Air-Source Heat Pump.

A type of heat pump that transfers heat in outdoor air to water for space or water heating.

A building architectural element (vestibule) with two airtight doors that reduces the amount of air infiltration and exfiltration when the exterior most door is opened.

A building construction technique used to create a continuous air retarder that uses the drywall, gaskets, and caulking. Gaskets are used rather than caulking to seal the drywall at the top and bottom. Although it is an effective energy-saving technique, ...

The ratio of light reflected by a surface to the light falling on it.

A group of organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; a series of molecules composed of a hydrocarbon plus a hydroxyl group; includes methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and others.

Primitive plants, usually aquatic, capable of synthesizing their own food by photosynthesis.

A type of electrical current, the direction of which is reversed at regular intervals or cycles; in the U.S. the standard is 120 reversals or 60 cycles per second; typically abbreviated as AC.

A popular term for "non-conventional" transportation fuels derived from natural gas (propane, compressed natural gas, methanol, etc.) or biomass materials (ethanol, methanol).