Providing homeowners with the finest air conditioning advice since 1990.

Air Conditioning & Heating Terms

- Learn HVAC lingo to help you communicate with your Anaheim contractor.

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. For example: A rating of 90 means that approximately 90 percent of the fuel is used to provide warmth to your home, while the remaining 10 percent escapes as exhaust.

BTU - British Thermal Unit. This is the amount of heat it takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. 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.

CFM - Cubic Feet Per Minute. A standard measurement of airflow. A typical system requires 400 CFM per ton of air conditioning.

Capacity - The output or producing ability of a piece of cooling or heating equipment. Cooling and heating capacities are referred to on BTUs.

Compressor - The heart of an air conditioning or heat pump system. It is part of the outdoor unit and pumps refrigerant in order to meet the cooling requirements of the system.

Condenser Coil or Outdoor Coil - In an air conditioner, the coil dissipates heat from the refrigerant, changing the refrigerant from vapor to liquid. In a heat pump system, it absorbs heat from the outdoors.

Damper - Found in ductwork, this movable plate opens and closes to control airflow. Dampers can be used to balance airflow in a duct system. They are also used in zoning to regulate airflow to certain rooms.

Ductwork - Pipes or channels that carry air throughout your home. In a home comfort system, ductwork is critical to performance - in fact, it's as critical as the equipment.

Evaporator Coil or Indoor Coil - The other half of your air conditioning system located inside your home in the indoor unit. This is where the refrigerant evaporates as it absorbs heat from the air that passes over the coil.

Gas Furnace Heat Exchanger - Located in the furnace, the heat exchanger transfers heat to the surrounding air, which is then pumped throughout your home.

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 unit.

Package Unit - A heating and cooling system contained in one outdoor unit. A package unit is typically installed either beside, on top of the home, or sometimes in the attic.

Refrigerant - A chemical that produces a refrigerating effect while expanding and vaporizing. Most residential air conditioning systems contain R-22 refrigerant. R-22 is regulated by international controls under the Montreal Protocol and in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is scheduled to be in production until the year 2020. It's used in approximately 95 percent of air conditioning equipment manufactured in the U.S. today.

SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. A measure of cooling efficiency for air conditioners and heat pumps. The higher the seer, the more energy efficient the unit. The government's minimum SEER rating is 10. (It's similar to comparing miles per gallon in automobiles.)

Split System - The combination of an outdoor unit (air conditioner or heat pump) with an indoor unit (furnace or air handler). Split systems must be matched for optimum efficiency.

Thermostat - A thermostat consists of a series of sensors and relays that monitor and control the functions of a heating and cooling system.

Ton - A unit of measurement used for determining cooling capacity. One ton is the equivalent of 12,000 BTUs per hour.

Zoning - A method of dividing a home into different comfort zones so each zone can be independently controlled depending on use and need.

Green Solutions Really Do Matter

Technology makes life easier for humans, but it can also hurt the life of our planet. The new rave is "Green" and it isn't a fad that will go away. More and more people are realizing that if they want their grandchildren to have a planet to live on, they need to help change the way we all live.

The Hit Of HVAC

A home HVAC system is responsible for up to 50% of the total monthly utility bill for a family. Hair dryers, stoves, play stations and computers all fall short of the energy drain of a home cooling system.

What You Can Do

New solutions are advancing that make it possible for homeowners to really make a difference. Geothermal and Solar Voltaic are leading the way in efficient power, air conditioning and heating. If you can't swallow the initial investment of a geothermal or solar solution, don't worry. Modern HVAC systems are operating more efficiently than ever before. From higher SEER ratings to variable speed fans to ventilators that exchange stale air without losing energy - many options exist to you as a homeowner that will save you money, and help preserve energy resources.

Empower Your Contractor

When an Anaheim HVAC contractor steps into your home for HVAC repair or maintenance, what is their goal? To give you the best price and service? That's a good goal. To do their job correctly in the least expensive way possible? Maybe not the best plan. "But I need to save money and wasn't counting on this repair!" We know. We're homeowners too.

You need to empower your local contractor to suggest newer, more efficient solutions for you. Often they are beat down by customers who just want the cheapest solution. You can demand a great price, but don't make them take the cheapest route to resolve your needs. That will end up costing you more anyway. Take baby steps - a new programmable thermostat can actually save you a lot of money by allowing precise temperature control. Going that route instead of purchasing a cheap thermostat is a Green Choice. One decision at a time leads the way to a better tomorrow.

If you don't have a local contractor you can depend on, check out our recommended dealer list for local shops that can do the job right: Anaheim HVAC Dealers

Why Use Get More Comfortable?

GetMoreComfortable.com is a completely free resource for learning more about home indoor comfort systems. We stay on top of HVAC technology like no one else. Why? Because we're owned by the largest private HVAC distributor in America.

Since this site is sponsored by America's largest, privately owned distributor, you can trust that it will have great information that is not one sided for a particular brand. Look through the site and you'll see no attempts to push a certain manufacturer on you. Why? Because there are a lot of manufacturers out there making great product. We believe in pointing you towards the right information, and the right HVAC contractors in your hometown.

Get More Comfortable wants to empower you as a homeowner to learn things you didn't know about HVAC - "cool" things. Much more than just the time each month to change your air filter. We know you'll think differently about HVAC when you understand the purpose of an evaporator coil, or how an advanced air cleaner can not only purify your air but help your system run better.

If you have specific questions you can simply send us your request on our home page contact form. We are not selling your information, or adding you to some monster SPAM list. We'll simply route the request to a local specialist that will get you a solid answer.

We hope that by using this site, you will truly be able to Get More Comfortable.

"My wife and I had a hybrid system installed for our home since fuel prices are pretty high in our area. The dealer we used didn't install it correctly, and for an entire year we didn't benefit at all from the extra expense we paid for hybrid heating.

I talked to the Get More Comfortable team, and they recommended a new thermostat that would handle my existing system. I ordered it, had it installed, and now for the first time we are truly saving money with our home heating system. I highly recommend them!"

- Kory & Sonshine / Johnson City, TN