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Air Conditioning Terminology AFUE- Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency - A measure of a gas furnace's efficiency in converting fuel to energy the higher the rating, the more efficient the unit. For example: A rating of 90 means that approximately 90 percent of the fuel is used to provide warmth to your home, while the remaining 10 percent escapes as exhaust.
The amount of energy that's needed to change the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. For your home, it represents the measure of heat given off when fuel is burned for heating or the measure of heat extracted from your home for cooling. This is what the heat removed from your home is measured in.
A standard measurement of airflow. A typical system requires 400 CFM per ton of air conditioning.
The output or producing ability of a piece of cooling or heating equipment. Cooling and heating capacities are referred to as BTUs.
An exclusive feature of a high efficiency home comfort system from Trane. This method of ramping airflow gives you greater humidity control in cooling and provides warmer air during heating start up.
The heart of an air conditioning or heat pump system. It pumps the refrigerant into the Condenser, then out & into the Evaporator coil and finally back to be re-circulated. It is part of the outdoor unit and pumps refrigerant in order to meet the cooling requirements of the system.
Consists of the compressor, condenser and a fan. The outdoor unit that's usually making all the noise (at least with some Mfg.'s. & in older models).
In an air conditioner, the coil dissipates heat from the refrigerant, changing the refrigerant from vapor to liquid. In a heat pump system, it absorbs heat from the outdoors.
Found in ductwork, this movable plate opens and closes to control airflow. Dampers can be used to balance airflow in a duct system. They are also used in zoning to regulate airflow to certain rooms.
Pipes or channels that carry air throughout your home. In a home comfort system, ductwork is critical to performance in fact, it's as critical as the equipment.
Looks like a radiator on a car. It's the other half of your air conditioning system usually installed inside the box on top of your furnace (or beside the furnace, if located in your attic). It gets cold and takes the heat and moisture out of the air (the cold refrigerant absorbs the heat in your home as the indoor blower passes warm air across it).
Located in the furnace, the heat exchanger transfers heat to the surrounding air, which is then pumped throughout your home.
This rating is used in measuring the heating efficiency of a heat pump. The higher the number, the more efficient the unit.
A heating and cooling system combined in one package. A package unit is typically installed on top of the home or building, or sometimes can be on the ground level. Most commercial applications have Package Units, while most homes have Split Systems.
This is the real name for what many people call Freon. It's the fluid & gas that evaporates and condenses throughout your system, absorbing heat in the evaporator coil and then releasing heat in the condensor coil. Most residential air conditioning systems contain R-22 refrigerant. R-22 is regulated by international controls under the Montreal Protocol and in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is scheduled to be in production until the year 2020. It's used in approximately 95 percent of air conditioning equipment manufactured in the U.S. today.
A measure of cooling efficiency for air conditioners and heat pumps. The higher the seer, the more energy efficient the unit. The government's minimum SEER rating is 10. (It's similar to comparing miles per gallon in automobiles.)
This is Trane's torture chamber for heating and air conditioning systems, where five years of service are condensed into 16 torturous weeks. If a product doesn't make it through our SEET lab, it's not manufactured. We push our equipment to extremes because we'd rather test them in our lab than in your home.
The most common residential system in the country. The furnace & evaporator coil (or air handler) are inside the home (usually located in the attic, a closet or in an attached garage), and they are connected to the condensing unit with refrigerant piping. Split systems must be matched for optimum efficiency.
A thermostat consists of a series of sensors and relays that monitor and control the functions of a heating and cooling system.
The unit used to measure the capacity of an air conditioning system. One ton of air conditioning removes 12,000 BTU's of heat energy per hour from your home.
A method of dividing a home into different comfort zones so each zone can be independently controlled depending on use and need.
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