Central Air Conditioning Systems Key Terms

Understand the key terms related to central air conditioning systems

By Howard Robertson

Central air conditioning systems are replacing room air conditioners everywhere. These systems use ducts to distribute cooled air to several rooms at one time or make use of pipes to dispense chilled water to heat exchangers in more than one room.

Whether you want to use central air conditioning systems for commercial or residential purposes, you will need to be conversant with certain key terms that you will hear from the suppliers and service providers. This guide explains some of the common terms associated with central air conditioning systems, such as HVAC, capacitors, compressors, condensers, BTU and R-410A refrigerant.

HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning)

HVAC is referred to as climate control and is important in large industrial and office buildings, where regulation of humidity and temperature is necessary. The primary use of HVAC is to regulate room temperature, humidity and air flow to ensure that such elements remain within the acceptable ranges.
Try: For information about HVAC, you can refer to AirConditioning-and-Heating.com, an informative website for the HVAC industry.

A/C compressors

A compressor is a mechanical device that pressurizes a gas to turn it into a liquid, thereby removing or adding heat. A compressor is the main element of conventional heat pumps and air conditioners.
Try: You can read through basic information on A/C compressors at
FurnaceCompare.com.

A/C capacitors

An a/c capacitor is an electrical component that stores electrical energy. It provides this energy to facilitate the spinning of the motor and thus start the air conditioner.
Try: PC Magazine, a magazine for the electronics and computing products, publishes information about a/c capacitors. You can also refer to Tech it Out UK, an online information resource, for information about a/c capacitors.

Condenser

A condenser removes unwanted heat from the refrigerant and transfers that heat outdoors. There are three types of condensers: air-cooled, water-cooled and evaporative.
Try: Warmair.com, an information resource for the HVAC industry, provides information about condensers and their applications.

Ton

In the HVAC industry, a ton is the unit of measurement for determining the cooling capacity of a refrigeration system. You will need to understand and evaluate the cooling capacity of your refrigeration system before choosing the refrigerant for your applications.
Try: You can refer to the glossary at BetterBricks, a consultancy firm. Lennox International, a reputable supplier of HVAC products, explains the relation between ton and BTU, another capacity measurement unit for a HVAC system.

BTU (British Thermal Unit)

This is the British unit for measurement of heat. One BTU is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1°F from a starting point of 39.2°F.
Try: You can refer to the glossary by Hoffman Specialty (PDF), a reputable manufacturer of products for steam and hydronic systems.

Heat pumps

A heat pump is a device that uses compression and decompression of gas to heat (or cool) a house.
Try: Jiangsu Shinco Air conditioner Manufacture Co., a reputable manufacturer of air conditioners, provides information about heat pumps. You can also refer to D&H Climate Control, an information resource for the HVAC industry.

R-410A (or Puron) refrigerant

R-410A (also known as Puron, Genetron R410A or AZ-20) is an HFC (hydro-fluoro-carbon) refrigerant and its ozone depletion potential is lower than that of R-22. In addition, you can operate R-410A systems at higher operating pressure than R-22 refrigeration systems.
Try: You can read through information on Puron refrigerant at Puron. SpacePak, a provider of air-conditioning systems, offers basic information about R-410A refrigerant, its advantages and disadvantages.

SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)

SEER is a measurement of efficiency for cooling devices such as heat pumps and air conditioners. SEER is the total number of BTUs of heat removed from the air divided by the total amount of energy required by the unit.
Try: ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, provides detailed information about SEER.