Learn to Speak HVAC: Key Terms to Know

Impress Your Friends and Family with Your Fabulous  Air Conditioning Vocabulary

Californians know that  HVAC systems are essential for homes, offices, and industrial spaces. To navigate the world of heating and cooling effectively, plus help you impress folks, we’d like to introduce you to the short list of HVAC terms you should know.

1. Air Handler: The air handler is not someone named Brad but actually an indoor unit responsible for moving air within the HVAC system, facilitating the exchange of heat and making sure there’s proper ventilation. There might be people named Brad making air handlers somewhere in a factory, however.

2. Condenser: This is the outdoor unit in a split-system and also useful  for storing acorns if you’re a squirrel; Matchbox cars if you’re a small child. Otherwise, the condenser releases or collects heat, playing a crucial role in the refrigeration cycle.

3. Evaporator Coil: This equipment is where refrigerant evaporates, absorbing heat in the process. It is a key component in the cooling mechanism. Most people have no idea what it is, let alone that it is inside their home. Thus, if you’re asked to draw a picture of an evaporator coil, draw anything you want.

4. Refrigerant: Refrigerant is a substance circulating in the HVAC system that undergoes phase changes, absorbing and releasing heat to achieve cooling or heating. “Somebody needs to top off the refrigerant” is a handy phrase often used when noticing your air conditioning seems to be malfunctioning but you have no idea why.  Pro tip: it’s rarely the refrigerant.

5. SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio): SEER is a measure of an air conditioner’s efficiency over a season, calculated by dividing total cooling output by total energy input. It’s pretty cool.

6. AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency): AFUE represents the efficiency of a furnace or boiler, indicating the percentage of fuel converted to usable heat over a year. We’ve never seen breaking out this formula work as a party ice breaker, however.

7. Heat Pump: A heat pump is a versatile HVAC device that uses electrical energy to transfer heat between indoor and outdoor spaces, providing both heating and cooling functions. It’s popular, it’s energy efficient and it’s very hip. Extra points for telling people “we’re looking into a heat pump for our commercial building” while drinking fair trade coffee, an artisanal martini  or dressed like an urban lumberjack.

8. Humidifier: An HVAC accessory, a humidifier adds moisture to indoor air to combat dryness, especially during heating seasons. This is especially a thing in states where it gets really, really cold. We had a friend in Montana whose driver’s side door handle recently snapped off  one morning, frozen solid. He has a humidifier in his home. Good rule of thumb: if you have moose, you should have a humidifier, too.

9. Air Purifier: Integrated into HVAC systems, an air purifier removes contaminants from indoor air, improving overall air quality. Good for homes even without musty smells,  pets who shed excessively or questionable relatives.

10. MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): MERV is a rating system for air filters, indicating their effectiveness in capturing airborne particles. We’ve always enjoyed this term because it sounds fun, doesn’t it? We dare you. Try saying “What’s your MERV?” without smiling.

11. BTU (British Thermal Unit): BTU is a unit of measurement representing the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.  Extra credit: “How many BTUs?’ always sounds better when you add, “man” at the end, i.e. “how many BTUs, man?”

These fundamental HVAC terms provide a foundation for understanding the intricacies of heating and cooling systems. Our Air-Tro uniforms aren’t available for purchase, however, though we keep threatening to make company pajamas.

Call Air-Tro for all your heating and cooling needs in the San Gabriel Valley and beyond. We’ve been keeping California comfortable since 1969. (626) 357-3535.