| 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. |
| 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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| AQMD |
Air Quality Management District |
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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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| EE |
Energy Efficiency |
Short for Energy Efficiency |
Often used in policy conversations related to EE |
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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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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, |
| 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 |
| IWR |
Inches of water column |
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| KW |
Kilo Watt |
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| KWH |
Kilo Watt Hours |
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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. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| REN |
Regional Energy Network |
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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 |
| SDG&E |
San Diego Gas and Electric |
Utility |
Natural Gas and Electricity |
4 of 4 CA - IOUs, Owned by Sempura |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
