You’ll be Speaking Like a Tech in No Time
This month, top college basketball teams across the nation are battling it out to make the finals in the NCAA tournament. It’s an exciting time affectionately called March Madness because players and fans “go mad” for their teams. This got us thinking: What makes our customers go mad—not with excitement but in exasperation? If we had to choose one thing, we’d say it’s how HVAC techs often talk in acronyms! More than once we’ve heard our customers ask: What does that mean?
Sound familiar? If so, we’d like to end the madness now. Instead of making you guess and wonder, we’ve put together a list of the 10 most common HVAC acronyms. So, get ready to improve your furnace education by learning to speak HVAC!
Most Commonly Used HVAC Acronyms
Ready to increase your heating and cooling knowledge? Here we go.
AC
AC stands for air conditioning. Simple and easy.
AFUE
While it might sound like you’re sneezing, AFUE actually stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratio. This is the percent of heat produced for every dollar of fuel used. So, the higher the AFUE rating, the lower your fuel costs.
BTU
If you’re considering a new cooling unit, you’ll most likely see the term BTU. This stands for British thermal unit, which is a measurement of your energy use. It is important to know this measurement when choosing a new system because it takes into consideration your home’s size.
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency is a government organization that focuses on environmental safety. When it comes to your HVAC system, the EPA provides important information about your indoor air quality.
HVAC
This is probably one you know. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. It’s the system used to move air between indoor and outdoor areas and what the team at Miller’s excels at doing.
IAQ
This is your indoor air quality. Miller’s installs top-of-the line air purifiers, air cleaners and UV light filtration systems to make your indoor air super fresh and clean.
KW
This stands for kilowatt, which is a unit of electric power. One kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts.
NATE-certified
Most of our technicians fall into the category of NATE-certified. NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence. When you have this certification, you have undergone training and passed many tests involving heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to make you exceptional at what you do.
SEER
This is a very popular term that you’ve probably seen often. SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. The higher the SEER rating, the better energy efficiency your system has. Today’s minimum standard for air conditioning is 13 SEER.
VOCs
VOCs are not good things. This acronym stands for volatile organic compounds, which are harmful gases emitted into the air. Home products that emit VOCs include cleaning agents, burning fuels, paint thinners, tobacco, cleaning agents, etc. Long-term exposure to VOCs has been linked to cancer. A good IAQ system will help zap these nasty pollutants.
Score Big With Your New Knowledge!
Now that you’re so much smarter, we hope you’ll continue to use those HVAC smarts. One way to use that extra brain power and stay on your game is by scheduling annual maintenance for your furnace components and your cooling system. Call the team at Miller’s for your annual AC check and slam dunk any issues before they pop up. You can reach out to us and schedule a checkup at 757.623.6600 or click here.