A list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations.
- AC
- Alternating current: electric current which reverses direction approximately 60 times a second.
- AFUE
- Annual fuel utilization efficiency: rating that describes how efficient a heating system is over an entire heating season.
- BTU
- British thermal unit: the amount of energy needed to cool or heat 1 pound of water by 1°F.
- BTU/h
- British thermal units per hour: amount of British thermal units (the amount of energy needed to cool or heat 1 pound of water by 1°F) consumed in 1 hour.
- CFM
- Cubic feet per minute.
- CSA
- Canadian Standards Association.
- DC
- Direct current: electric current that flows in 1 direction only.
- GHG
- Greenhouse gas: a gas in the atmosphere that traps energy from the sun.
- GWh
- Gigawatt-hours: electric power consumption of 1,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
- HVDC
- High voltage direct current: the transmission of direct current electricity, usually over long distances.
- Joule
- A standard unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a 1 ampere current passes through a resistance of 1 ohm for 1 second.
- kV
- Kilovolt: a unit of potential energy equal to 1,000 volts.
- kVA
- Kilovolt-ampere: a unit of power equal to 1,000 volt-amperes.
- kW
- Kilowatt: a unit of power equal to 1,000 watts.
- kWh
- Kilowatt-hour: 1,000 watts of electrical energy produced in 1 hour.
- Low-e
- Low emissivity: usually referring to windows coated with a thin, invisible, metallic layer that allows heat in and keeps UV rays out.
- MBH
- A standard unit of electrical energy equal to thousands of British thermal units (BTU) per hour.
- MCFH
- The flow rate of 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas per hour.
- MVA
- Megavolt amperes: a standard unit of electrical energy equal to 1 million volt-amperes (1 volt-ampere is equal to 1 watt).
- MW
- Megawatt: a standard unit of electrical energy equal to 1,000,000 watts.
- MWh
- Megawatt hour: 1,000,000 watts of electrical energy produced in 1 hour.
- Wh
- Watt-hour: 1 watt of electrical energy produced in 1 hour.