HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering. The goal of HVAC design is to balance indoor environmental comfort with other factors such as installation cost, ease of maintenance, and energy efficiency. The discipline of HVAC includes a large number of specialized terms and acronyms, many of which are summarized in this glossary.
air changes per hourair conditionerair handlerair handling unitBritish thermal unit (BTU)centrifugal fanchillercoilcondenserconstant air volumecontrollerdamperdeep lake water coolingΔTductdehumidifierdiffuserdry bulb temperaturedry bulb thermometereconomizerenthalpyevaporatorfan coil unitflowfresh air fanfresh air fractionfresh air intakefurnacegas furnace heat exchangergrilleheating coilheat exchangerheat gainheat loadheat lossheat pumpheat transferhspf - (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor)intermediate fluidlouvermakeup air unitminimum outside airoutside air damperoutside air temperaturepackaged terminal air conditionerpackaged unitplenum spacepsychrometricrooftop unit (RTU)radiant ceiling panelsradiant floorradiationSEERThe SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating of a unit is the cooling output during a typical cooling-season divided by the total electric energy input during the same period. The higher the unit's SEER rating the more energy efficient it is.
smoke dampersplit systemsuperheatsubcoolingsystemterminal unitthermal zonethermostattwo-stage (cooling and heating)txv - Thermostatic Expansion Valveunderfloor air distributionunitary controllervariable air volumezoning system