AFUE

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. A measure of a gas furnace’s efficiency in converting fuel to energy—the higher the rating, the more efficient the unit.  The majority of furnaces today are either 80% or 95% efficient . . . in a laboratory at sea level.  Having a properly sized furnace and a quality installation has everything to do with your heating system actually achieving its highest possible efficiency.  See NATE certification

BTU

British thermal unit; the amount of heat required to raise or lower the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. Most commonly we refer to this acronym when sizing a furnace.  We need to be very careful with this one.  Too many BTU (or large a furnace) will cause the furnace to run short cycles.  Short cycling will lead to uneven temperatures, higher gas bills and more frequent breakdowns.  To determine the correct BTU sizing of a furnace, see heat gain and loss calculation.

BTUh

British thermal units per hour. 12,000 BTUh equals one ton of cooling.

CFM

Abbreviation for cubic feet per minute, a standard measurement of airflow. A typical system requires 400 cfm per ton of air conditioning.  This is a measurement many contractors use to size systems.  Simply counting the heat vents in your home is a small part in properly sizing systems.  See heat loss and heat gain when it comes to sizing.

CleanEffects™ (also Trane CleanEffects™)

Trane Air filtration system that removes 99.98% of airborne allergens down to .1 micron from the filtered air, making it 100 times more effective than a standard 1” filter. Trane CleanEffects also removes over 99% of the influenza virus from your home’s filtered air, according to research by the Harvard School of Public Health, in collaboration with scientists at Environmental Health and Engineering Inc. (EH&E).

Climatuff® Compressor

The Trane Climatuff® Compressor was the world’s first successful heat pump compressor. To this day it’s the only compressor Trane uses in its residential systems. It’s well known for its superior durability, its low noise levels and high efficiency.  Climatuff has the lowest failure rate in the industry.

DC Motors (Variable Speed)

Direct current electricity. This type of electricity (as opposed to Alternating Current, or AC) flows in one direction only, without reversing polarity.  All Trane variable speed motors are DC.  The DC motor is much more energy efficient than the AC type.  DC motors may be run continuously to create more even temperatures and create better filtration, (the more air you circulate, the more air you filter.)

Downflow furnace

A furnace that intakes air at its top and discharges air at its bottom.

Dual Compressors

An outdoor unit featuring two compressors, one for everyday cooling and a second larger one for extreme temperature days. Provides superior durability designed for cost-saving efficiency and low sound levels.  Dual compressors are available in the xl 20i air conditioners and heat pumps. The xl 20i was the 2009 Green Product of the year recipient.

ENERGY STAR®

Trane’s high efficiency systems carry the ENERGY STAR label. The result of Trane’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ENERGY STAR products are more energy efficient and help reduce our whole earth’s pollution problems. Choosing a Trane ENERGY STAR Comfort System assures homeowners of lower energy bills and improved indoor-air quality for their home.

Heat Gain and Loss calculation (Heat Load)

Assessed by a dealer, the calculation factors in a number of criteria in your home (square footage, number of windows, year-round weather concerns) and determines what size components you should include as part of your total comfort system.   Having a furnace of air conditioner that is too large will create short cycles, creating uneven temperatures, higher utility bills and more frequent break downs.  A system that is sized to small will run forever, it seems.

Heat gain

Heat added to the home by infiltration, solar radiation, occupant respiration and lighting.  This is the heat that needs to be removed during the air conditioning season.

Heat loss

The amount of heat lost during the colder months.  Single pane windows and light levels of attic insulation are great sources of heat loss.

Heat pump

A mechanical-compression cycle refrigeration system that can be reversed to either heat or cool the controlled space.  A heat pump looks and smells like an air conditioner.  The major difference is a heat pumps reversing valve.  Keep in mind that when the air conditioner is on it is actually removing the heat from the indoors and expelling it outside via the refrigerant.  In heat pump mode, the refrigerant is reversed, and now the system draws heat from outdoors.  With some refrigerant magic, the heat that is drawn from outdoors is used to heat the home.  Don’t worry, there is plenty of heat in the air at 35 degrees.  Absolute zero is negative 440 degrees.

HSPF

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. This rating is used in measuring the heating efficiency of a heat pump. The higher the number, the more efficient the heat pump system.  Its SEER rating for a heat pump.

Hybrid system (also Hybrid Heat)

This type of system provides energy-efficient comfort for moderate heating conditions. Depending on the weather and your comfort needs, it can use either gas or electricity, with an electric heat pump as the outdoor component and a gas furnace the indoor component.

NATE

North American Technician Excellence—certification acknowledging a dealer/technician as one of the most knowledgeable and experienced at installing and servicing high-performance, precision-engineered heating and cooling systems.  The lead technician at Comfort Solutions all have the NATE certification.

Refrigerant

A chemical that produces a refrigerating effect while expanding and vaporizing. Most residential air conditioning systems contain R-22 or R-410a. R-22 is regulated under the Montreal Protocol and in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency. R-22 air conditioners and heat pumps will no longer be manufactured beginning 2010.  The new generation of air conditioners and heat pumps use R-410a refrigerant.

SEER

Is an acronym for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio; a measure of cooling efficiency for air conditioner and heat pump systems. The higher the SEER, the more energy efficient the unit.

Spine-Fin™ coil

All-aluminum outdoor coil that features the patented Spine Fin™ design. It provides greater heat-exchanging capabilities (meaning higher efficiencies) and is more resistant to corrosion than a traditional copper/aluminum coil.  This coil system is also the easiest to clean and maintain.

Trane CleanEffects™ (also CleanEffects™)

The CleaEffects is the most effective filtration system on the market today.  Trane air filtration system that removes up to 99.98% of airborne allergens down to .1 micron from the filtered air, making it 100 times more effective that a standard 1” filter. Trane CleanEffects also removes over 99% of the influenza virus from your home’s filtered air, according to research by the Harvard School of Public Health, in collaboration with scientists at Environmental Health and Engineering Inc. (EH&E).  And you clean it forever.  It has nothing to replace.

Trane FreshEffects™ (also Energy Recovery Ventilator or FreshEffects™)

Energy-efficient system to exchange stale indoor air for an equal amount of fresher outdoor air.

Two-stage Air Conditioner/Heat Pump

An air conditioner that runs in high and low stages to increase efficiency and comfort while reducing operation noise.  On more mild days, say in the low 90’s the air conditioner will run in low stage.  On extreme days the air conditioner will run at full capacity.  Keep in mind it costs less to run a “smaller” air conditioner.

Two-stage heating/cooling

Two-stage heating and cooling is considered to be more efficient, because it operates at low speed most of the time. However, on days when more heating or air conditioning is required, it switches to the next stage for maximum comfort.

Variable-speed motor(s)

The fan motor inside Trane’s variable-speed furnace is designed to vary its speed based on your home’s heating and air conditioning requirements. Working in conjunction with your thermostat, it keeps the appropriate-temperature air (e.g. warm air on cold days) circulating throughout your home, reducing temperature variances in your home. It provides greater air circulation and filtration, better temperature distribution, humidity control, higher efficiency and quiet performance.  It also costs much less to run.

Zoning System

A method of dividing a home into different comfort zones so each zone can be independently controlled depending on use and need; an air conditioning system capable of maintaining varying conditions for various rooms or zones.  Zone systems are more easily installed when the ductwork is exposed.  In a finished home see paint and sheetrock.