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