Shopping for an air conditioner, or even speaking to an air conditioner salesman or repairman, can be pretty frustrating if you don’t understand air conditioner terminology. Don’t know an HVAC from an EER? We understand your problem, so here is a list of basic air conditioner terminology.
- ACCA: Air Conditioning Contractors of America. This is their trade association, through which you can find qualified contractors for your air conditioning system.
- Airflow: This refers to the amount of air moved through the duct system of your unit.
- Air handler: Part of a heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, this component contains the blower that circulates the air through the ductwork.
- Btu: Btu stands for British thermal unit. One Btu is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree.
- Charging the system or checking the charge: This refers to the refrigerant in your system. Charging puts refrigerant in, while checking it measures the pressure to see if you have the correct amount.
- Compressor: This component turns refrigerant gas into liquid by pressurizing it.
- EER: EER stands for energy efficiency ratio. A unit’s EER is determined by dividing the unit’s wattage by its Btu. Higher EERs are preferable.
- HVAC: This stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. It’s a general term covering the entire field of heating and air conditioning systems.
- SEER: Seasonal energy efficiency ratio rates the efficiency of central air conditioners. The higher the rating, the better. Federal minimum rating for residential units is 13 SEER. For Energy Star it’s 14 SEER.
- Split-system air conditioner: This is a two-part unit, in which certain elements such as the blower, hot coils and air handler are in a furnace in the house, while the condensing unit and compressor sit outside.
For more expert advice about air conditioner terminology and other issues related to home comfort, please feel free to contact us at Aladdin Heating and Cooling. We serve Birmingham, Shelby Township, Rochester and the Metro-Detroit area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioner terminology and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston.
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