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Geo-Speak

Know exactly what your Sobieski Services technician is talking about.

BTU (British Thermal Unit):

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. BTU is used to signify the heating and cooling capacity of a system and the heat losses and gains of buildings and homes.

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BTUH:

The number of BTUs produced in one hour.

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Closed-loop heat pump system:

A heat pump system that uses a loop of buried plastic pipes as a heat exchanger. Loops can be horizontal or vertical.

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COP (Coefficient of Performance):

The ratio of heating and cooling provided by a heat pump (or other refrigeration machine) to the energy consumed by the system under designated operating conditions. The higher the COP, the more efficient the system.

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Compressor:

The central part of a heat pump system. The compressor increases the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant and simultaneously reduces its volume while causing the refrigerant to move through the system.

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Condenser:

A heat exchanger in which hot, pressurized (gaseous) refrigerant is condensed by transferring heat to cooler surrounding air, water or earth.

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Cycling losses:

The actual efficiency of a heating or cooling system is reduced because of start-up and shut-down losses. Oversizing a heating or cooling system increases cycling losses.

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Desuperheater:

A device for recovering superheat from the compressor discharge gas of a heat pump or central air conditioner for use in heating or preheating water.

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Fossil fuel:

Any of several types of combustible fuels formed from the decomposition of organic matter. Examples are natural gas, propane, fuel oil, oil and coal.

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Geothermal heat pump:

A heat pump that uses the earth as a heat source and heat sink.

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Heat exchanger:

A device designed to transfer heat between two physically separated fluids or mediums of different temperatures.

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Heat pump:

A mechanical device used for heating and cooling, which operates by pumping heat from a cooler to a warmer location. Heat pumps can extract heat from air, water or the earth. They are classified as either air-source or geothermal units.

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Heat sink:

The medium - air, water or earth - which receives heat rejected from a heat pump.

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Heat source:

The medium - air, water or earth - from which heat is extracted by a heat pump.

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Open-loop heat-pump system:

A heat-pump system that uses groundwater from a well or surface water from a lake, pond or river as a heat source. The water is returned to the environment.

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Payback:

A method of calculating how long it will take to recover the difference in cost between two different heating and cooling systems by using the energy and maintenance-cost savings from the more efficient system.

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Supplemental heating:

A heating system used during extremely cold weather, when additional heat is needed to moderate indoor temperatures. May be in the form of fossil fuel or electric resistance.

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Source: WaterFurnace