Building Science and Energy Efficiency Terminology Quiz!

Building Science and Energy Efficiency Terminology

• Absolute humidity is a measure of air moisture content expressed in grains or pounds of water vapor per pound of dry air.
• Asbestos is a material made of brittle mineral fibers that can cause lung damage.
• Air conditioning refers to the process of cooling buildings with a refrigeration system.
• The blower door is a device that measures and locates air leaks in buildings.
• Combustion efficiency refers to the efficiency of fuel burning in heating systems.
• The coefficient of performance (COP) is a measure of heat pump or air conditioner output in watt-hours divided by electrical input.
• Evaporative coolers are devices that cool homes in dry climates by humidifying incoming air.
• The energy efficiency ratio (EER) is used to measure the efficiency of air conditioners or heat pumps.
• The equivalent length is a measure of the length of straight pipe or duct that has equivalent resistance to a pipe or duct fitting.
• Fenestration refers to window and door openings in a building shell.
• The shell is a building's exterior walls, floor, and roof assembly.
• Enthalpy is the internal heat of a material measured in BTUs per pound.

Building and HVAC Glossary

• Fiberglass is a fibrous material made by spinning molten glass.
• Footcandle is a measure of light intensity on a surface.
• The gable is the triangular section of an end wall formed by the pitch of the roof.
• Insulated glass is two or more glass panes spaced apart and sealed in a factory.
• Mortar is a mixture of sand, water, and cement used to bond bricks, stones, or blocks together.
• The oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) is a safety device for unvented combustion heaters that shuts gas off when oxygen is depleted.
• Polystyrene insulation is a rigid plastic foam insulation, usually white or blue in color.
• A pressure boundary is an air barrier or plane where the largest blower-door-induced pressure is found.
• Psychrometrics is the science of the relationship between air, water vapor, and heat.
• A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of electric energy equal to 3600 kilojoules or 3412 BTUs.
• The low-water cutoff is a float-operated control for turning the burner off if a steam boiler is low on water.
• The minimum ventilation guideline (MVG) is the measured blower door air-leakage value below which mechanical ventilation is necessary.

Energy Efficiency Glossary

• The glossary includes definitions of various energy efficiency terms and concepts.
• Purlins are framing members that support roofing materials and sit on top of rafters.
• R-value is a measure of thermal resistance.
• Radiant barriers are designed to reflect heat rays or retard their emission.
• Radiation is heat energy that travels through the air.
• Radon is a radioactive gas that decomposes into radioactive particles.
• Rafter is a roof beam that follows the roof's slope.
• Rain screen is a combination of a weather-resistant barrier and a space used to keep wall assemblies dry in high rainfall climates.
• Reflectance is the ability of a material's surface to reflect radiant heat.
• Retrofit refers to improving the thermal performance or maintenance of an existing building.
• Solar gain is heat from the sun that is absorbed by a building and contributes to the need for cooling.
• Weatherization is the process of reducing energy consumption and increasing comfort in buildings by improving energy efficiency.