Glossary

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The SEER rating is the ratio of Btu of cooling delivered to watt-hours of electricity consumed over the cooling season. It is used to characterise the performance of electric cooling equipment over a typical cooling season. A higher SEER rating indicates a higher efficiencyconnections. 

A measure of the capacity of a heating or cooling system.The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water through a change of one degree Fahrenheit. 

A colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon. 

The ability of insulation to slow the transfer of heat is measured in R-values. The higher the R-value the better the insulation resists the flow of heat. 

A naturally-occurring, radioactive gas which is heavier than air and is common in many parts of the country. Mitigation measures may involve crawl space and basement venting. 

The driving force behind the flow of electricity somewhat like pressure is in a water pipe. Most homes are wired with '110' and '220' volt lines. The '110' volt power is used for lighting and most of the other circuits. The '220' volt power is usually used for the kitchen stove, water heater and dryer. 

The Alberta New Home Warranty Program (ANWHP) is the leading provider of new home warranty, renovation warranty, and homebuilder insurance.  Alberta's New Home Buyer Protection Act stipulates that all new homes on or after Feburay1, 2014 built must include warranty coverage of one year for materials and labour, two years for delivery and distribution systems, five years for building envelope and 10 years for major structural defects. 

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. Dimensionless ratio used to indicate the fuel conversion efficiency of a furnace as a percentage. A 96% AFUE furnace will output 96 Btu of useful heat for 100 Btu of fuel consumption. A 96% AFUE, 50,000 Bth/h gas furnace will have a heat output of 48,000 Btu/h (i.e., 50,000 x 0.96 = 48,000).

British Thermal Unit per hour (sometimes written as Btuh), used to rate the output or capacity of heating or cooling equipment. One Btu/h is equivalent to 0.293 watts of capacity.

Coefficient of Performance. The COP is a measure of a heat pump’s efficiency. It is determined by dividing the energy output of the heat pump by the electrical energy needed to run the heat pump, at a specific temperature. The higher the COP, the more efficient the heat pump. This number is comparable to the steady-state efficiency of oil- and gas-fired furnaces.

Provides a calculation method for determining the heat loss and heat gain of residential buildings for selecting the appropriate output capacity of a space heating / cooling appliance or group of appliances.

 A blower door is a machine used to measure the airtightness of buildings. It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones, to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope. In other words, the blower door test quantifies and locates the outside air that enters your home. The blower door is an effective tool used in several energy efficiency programs.