Glossary

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

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

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