Tips and Terms

Tips and Terms by Update Heating and Cooling Services

Tips and Terms for Summer

• Before summer begins, have us clean and check your home’s air conditioning system.
• Invest in a high-quality air filter and be sure to change it every 30 days.
• Dust or vacuum the vents in your home often to ensure the free flow of cool air.

Tips and Terms for Winter

• Install storm or thermal windows and doors.
• Caulk and weatherstrip all windows and doors.
• Ensure your fireplace has a tight-fitting damper.
• Seal gaps between heated and unheated spaces.
  *This may be around pipes, ducts, fans or vents.

Tips and Terms for:

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, a rating that reflects the efficiency of a gas furnace in converting fuel to energy. A rating of 90 means that approximately 90 percent of the fuel is utilized to provide warmth to your home, while the remaining 10 percent escapes as exhaust.

Available only from American Standard.

British Thermal Unit. In scientific terms, it represents the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. One BTU is the equivalent of the heat given off by a single wooden kitchen match. For your home, it represents the measure of heat given off when fuel is burned for heating or the measure of heat extracted from your home for cooling.

Cubic feet per minute, a standard of airflow measurement. A typical system produces 400 CFM per ton of air conditioning.

The output or producing capability of a piece of cooling or heating equipment. Cooling and heating capacity are normally referred to in BTUs.

The heart of an air conditioning or heat pump system. It is part of the outdoor unit that pumps refrigerant. The compressor maintains adequate pressure to cause refrigerant to flow in sufficient quantities in order to meet the cooling requirements of the system.

Located in the outdoor unit, the coil dissipates heat from the refrigerant, changing the refrigerant from vapor to liquid. In American Standard units, the coil is called Spine Fin.

Found in ductwork, this movable plate opens and closes to control airflow. Dampers are used effectively in zoning to regulate airflow to certain rooms.

American Standard’s tough, time-tested compressor.

A furnace that pulls in return air from the top and expels warm air at the bottom.

Pipes or channels that carry air throughout your home.

The coil that is inside your house in a split system. In the evaporator, refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat from air passed over the coil.

Available only from American Standard.

A device for the transfer of heat energy from the source to the conveying medium.

Available only from American Standard.

A furnace that lies on its side, pulling in return air from one side and expelling warm air from the other.

A device that injects water vapor into heated air as the air is expelled from the furnace.

The amount of moisture in the air. Air conditioners remove moisture for added comfort.

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. Refers to the efficiency of the heating mode of heat pumps over an entire heating season. The higher the number, the more efficient the unit.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Integrally Controlled Motor. A specially engineered, variable-speed motor used in American Standard’s top-of-the-line indoor units. ICM motors are more than 90 percent efficient versus 60 percent efficiency for conventional motors. Continuous comfort, quiet operation and ultimate system efficiency are the benefits of the indoor products graced with the ICM motor.

A piece of air conditioning and heating equipment in which all components are located in one cabinet. Used occasionally in residential applications, the packaged unit is installed either beside or on top of the home.

A substance that produces a refrigerating effect while expanding or vaporizing.

Set of two copper lines connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, a rating that measures the cooling efficiency of a heat pump or air conditioner. The higher the number, the more efficient the unit.

Seasonal Extreme Environmental Test. It’s the American Standard torture chamber for heating and air conditioning systems, where five years of service ware is tested.