Acronym |
Full Name |
Description |
Function |
Notes |
ACEEE |
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy |
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ACH |
Air Changes Per Hour |
Measurement related ventilation |
Used to quantify fresh air in buildings |
Determine air infiltration = how tight or leaky the building envelope is. |
AESC |
Avoided-Energy Supply Costs |
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AMI |
Advanced Metering Infrastructure |
Integrated system of smart meters, communications networks, and data management systems |
Enables two-way communication between utilities and customers |
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ANSI |
American National Standards Institute |
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AQMD |
Air Quality Management District |
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ARRA |
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act |
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ASHP |
Air-source Heat Pump |
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BPA |
Building Performance Association |
Member organization |
Represents EE industry |
Merger of HPC, HEM, EFN and BPI |
BPI |
Building Performance Institute |
Education and training |
Certifications |
Part of BPA |
BRO |
Behavior, Retro Commissioning, and Operational Efficiencies |
EE savings, not directly from equipment |
Considers impacts of complete solutions |
Much of this is related to behavior |
BTU |
British Thermal Unit |
A measure of heat energy |
Determine heating capacity or needs |
Roughly equal to the heat output of one wooden match |
CAISO |
California Independent Systems Operator |
Independent grid operator |
Load manager for the CA electrical grid |
Predicts demand and directs resources across the 26k miles of electrical distribution lines in CA |
CARB |
California Air Resources Board |
Regulatory body |
Oversees Air Quality Districts |
Responsible for protecting the public from the harmful effects of air pollution |
CCA |
Community Choice Aggregator |
A local government entity that provides consumers an option to IOUs |
Provide the public choice over their energy sources |
AB 117 passed in 2002 allowing CCAs - also known as CCEs |
CCE |
Community Choice Energy |
A local government entity that provides consumers an option to IOUs |
Provide the public choice over their energy sources |
AB 117 passed in 2002 allowing CCEs - also known as CCAs |
CCS |
Carbon Capture and Storage |
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CDA |
Comprehensive Design Approach |
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CEC |
Clean Energy Connection |
EFCA Contractor Directory |
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CEC |
California Energy Commission |
State agency |
Responsible for building codes and enforcement |
Located in Sacramento |
CFM |
Cubic Feet per Minute |
A measurement of flow |
Quantify volume |
Can be applied to liquids and gasses |
CFM25 |
CFM @ 25 Pascals |
A reference pressure measurement |
Standard pressure reference for Air Duct testing |
Allows you to quantify how leaky duct systems are |
CFN50 |
CFM @ 50 Pascals |
A reference pressure measurement |
Standard pressure reference used for Blower Door testing |
Allows you to quantify building envelope (shell) infiltration (air leaks) |
CH4 |
Methane |
Natural occurring gas |
Main component of Natural Gas |
GWP of 28-36 |
CO2 |
Carbon Dioxide |
Natural occurring gas |
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Used as baseline in GHG conversations |
COP |
Coefficient of Performance |
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CPUC |
California Public Utilities Commission |
State agency |
Regulatory body |
Provide oversite of investor owned utilities (regulated monopolies). Main office in SF |
DER |
Distributed Energy Resources |
Electricity production and storage from small grid connected sources |
Simple term to describe non-utility produced electricity |
Renewables, Wind, solar, etc |
DER |
Deep Energy Retrofit |
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DERM |
Distributed Energy Resource Management |
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DOER |
Department of Energy Resources |
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DOT |
U.S. Department of Transportation |
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DR |
Demand Response |
Remote control of appliances in response to loads |
Third party controls to reduce load during peak demand |
A grid loss management tool. Typically controlled by a Utility to reduce loads during high demand periods |
EDC |
Energy Distribution Company |
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EE |
Energy Efficiency |
Short for Energy Efficiency |
Often used in policy conversations related to EE |
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EEAC |
Energy Efficiency Advisory Council |
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EER |
Energy Efficiency Ratio |
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EFCA |
Efficiency First California |
Member organization |
Represents EE and Clean Energy Industries |
Was a chapter of EFN - which merged into BPA in 2019 |
EFN |
Efficiency First National |
Member organization |
Represents EE |
Merged with 3 other organizations to form BPA |
EGIA |
Electric & Gas Industries Association |
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EIA |
Energy Information Administration |
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EIS |
Environmental Impact Statement |
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EISA |
Energy Independence and Security Act |
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ELR |
Envelope/Enclosure Leakage Ratio |
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EM&V |
Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification |
Incentive program analysis |
Used to determine effectiveness of incentives |
Often used after a program has been in operation to determine effectiveness |
EPA |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
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EPRI |
Electric Power Research Institute |
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ERCOT |
Electric Reliability Council of Texas |
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FHA |
U.S. Federal Housing Authority |
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GETs |
Grid-Enhancing Technologies |
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GHG |
Green House Gas |
Gas that contributes to global warming |
Identify gases causing global warming |
CO2 ia s GHG, Methane and many others are too |
GMP |
Grid Modernization Plan |
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GPM |
Gallons per minute |
Measurement of the volume of fluid moved over time |
Measure flow of liquids |
Typically used in reference to water but applies to all liquids |
GSHP |
Ground-source Heat Pump |
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GSR |
Gas Service Representative |
Gas Utility employee |
Field technician |
Primary responder for Natural Gas related issues |
GWH |
Giga Watt Hours |
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GWP |
Global Warming Potential |
A scale used to compare impacts of GHG gasses |
Used to measure impacts on ozone layer |
CO2 has GWP of 1, Methane GWP 28-36, |
GWSA |
Global Warming Solutions Act |
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HERS |
Home Energy Rating System |
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HPCs |
Home Performance Contractors |
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HPSH |
Heat Pump Space Heating |
Using a heat pump to provide heat |
Electric heating option |
Most efficient way to heat building |
HPWH |
Heat Pump Water Heating |
Using a heat pump to provide hot water |
Electric water heating option |
Most efficient way to heat water |
IAQ |
Indoor Air Quality |
A measurement of particulates and other factors |
Used as a metric to determine health impacts of indoor air |
Humidity, ventilation, particulates, combustion by products, off gassing, are all factors that affect IAQ |
IOU |
Investor Owned Utility |
Regulated Monopolies |
Provide Natural Gas or Electricity |
There are 4 IOUs in California |
IR |
Infrared |
Spectrum of light. Outside the range of human vision |
IR cameras can be used to see heat |
Often used as part of an Energy Audit |
IRA |
Inflation Reduction Act |
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ISO |
Independent System Operators |
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IWR |
Inches of water column |
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KW |
Kilo Watt |
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KWH |
Kilo Watt Hours |
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LBNL |
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
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LEED |
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design |
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LNG |
Liquefied Natural Gas |
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LP |
Liquefied Propane |
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MOU |
Memorandum of Understanding |
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MVA |
Mega Volt Amps |
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NAHB |
National Association of Home Builders |
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NATE |
North American Technician Excellence |
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NCI |
National Comfort Institute |
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NEBs |
Non-Energy Benefits |
Secondary benefits from EE upgrades |
Support EE as having more value than dollars saved |
Typically these are - Comfort, Health, Durability, Safety, IAQ, etc. |
NECEC |
New England Clean Energy Council |
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NEED |
National Energy Education Development |
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NEEP |
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships |
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NEI |
Non-energy impact |
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NIST |
National Institute of Standards and Technology |
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NRDC |
National Resource Defense Coalition |
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NREL |
National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
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NZE |
Net Zero Energy |
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PA |
Pascal |
A measurement of pressure |
Used by many building diagnostic tools |
The pressure a pad of butter applies to a table. Metric equivalent of PSI |
PG&E |
Pacific Gas & Electric |
Utility |
Natural Gas and Electricity |
1 of 4 CA - IOUs, Largest utility in the country |
PLMA |
Peak Load Management Alliance |
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PRV |
Pressure Relief Valve |
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PSI |
Pounds Per Square Inch |
A measurement of pressure |
Used to measure pressure |
Measures the pressure per square inch in pounds |
PV |
Photo Voltaics |
Solar panels that produce electricity |
Site generated power source |
Can be used to supply all of the buildings energy needs - see ZNE |
REG |
Resilient Electric Grid |
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REN |
Regional Energy Network |
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RFG |
Green Hydrogen |
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RFI |
Request For Info |
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RFP |
Request for Proposal |
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RGGI |
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative |
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RH |
Relative Humidity |
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SCE |
Southern California Edison |
Utility |
Electric only |
3 of 4 CA - IOUs |
SCG |
Southern California Gas Company |
Utility |
Natural Gas |
2 of 4 CA - IOUs, Owned by Sempura - Frequently referred to as So Cal Gas |
SDBEC |
San Diego Building Electrification Coalition |
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SDG&E |
San Diego Gas and Electric |
Utility |
Natural Gas and Electricity |
4 of 4 CA - IOUs, Owned by Sempura |
SETO |
DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office |
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SREC |
Solar Renewable Energy Credit |
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TEP |
Total Energy Pathways |
NEEP |
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TOU |
Time Of Use |
Electric rate structure |
Encourages reduced electricity use during peak periods to manage load on the grid |
Rates go up during peak grid load, typically 4pm to 9pm |
TRC |
Total Resource Cost |
EE rebate program cost evaluation tool |
A formula used to determine the cost effectiveness of EE programs |
A TRC of 1.0 = One dollar saved for every dollar spent on running the program |
TSB |
Total System Benefit |
EE - Considers other benefits of upgrades |
Used to value all of the savings from EE |
Non-energy benefits and avoided costs from not using energy - Negawattts |
TXV or TEV |
Thermal Expansion Valve |
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UDC |
Utility Distribution Company |
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USGBC |
U.S. Green Building Council |
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VEIC |
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation |
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VPPs |
Virtual Power Plants |
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VRF |
Variable Refrigerant Flow |
A type of compressor used in heat pump and air conditioning systems |
Matches output to load |
Much more efficient than single speed or two stage systems |
WAP |
Weatherization Assistance Program |
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ZNE |
Zero Net Energy |
A term for a building that produces as much energy as it uses |
Increases resilience and does not rely on 3rd party energy sources |
Many ZNE building are still connected to the grid to provide energy when the PV can't meet all of the buildings needs |