You Don't Understand The "Lingo"

Alright, this wasn't one of the original seven mistakes for this booklet. But it IS important. It's so important, I decided to define eight of the most common Heating and Air terms so YOU understand what contractors are saying!

BTU: (British Thermal Unit) - The amount of energy that's needed to change the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. This is what the heat removed from your home is measured in.

COIL: Looks like a radiator on a car. Usually installed inside the box on top of your furnace. It take the heat and moisture out of the air as the refrigerant (what you might know as Freon) evaporates.

CONDENSER: This is the unit outside the home that's usually making all the noise (at least in the older models). This holds the compressor which is called the heart of your system. In addition it also transforms your refrigerant (freon) from a gas to a liquid. Finally there's a fan discharging heat to the outdoors.

REFRIGERANT: This is the real name for what many people call freon. It's the fluid that evaporates at low temperatures and pulls heat and humidity out of the air.

S.E.E.R. & A.F.U.E.: Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. Higher S.E.E.R. ratings use electricity more efficiently. Air conditioners and coils are rated by S.E.E.R. Furnaces are rated by A.F.U.E.

SPLIT SYSTEM: The most common system in the country. Some components are inside the home and others outside. The inside is the furnace an evaporator coil. Outside is the condensing unit.